August 24 Digest: This Week in Wildfire and Recovery News

This is a digest of selected news and media that emerged over the last week related to wildfire emergencies, recovery efforts, and resilience building efforts in the American West.

Recent and Active Fires

Sonoma Group Forged in Tubbs Fire Helping Other Wildfire Victims Cope

From NBC Bay Area by Joe Rosato August 17, 2021

On the ground in Greenville, After the Fire’s Jennifer Gray Thompson meets with Dixie Fire survivors and offers them a listening ear and support to navigate through the recovery

California Fires Have Burned a Record 1 Million Acres This Year

Bloomberg August 16, 20121 (see Video Feature)

“Its not a wildfire season, it’s a wildfire year” worldwide, including a 151% increase in California Fires this year, and severe wildfires in Canada, Europe and Siberia. Smoke drift is impacting the eastern US. and has impacting economic health of these regions and the industries that depend on them.

The mountain town sheltering Dixie Fire refuguees: ‘Each year we hold our breath’

From The Guardian by Gabrielle Canon, August 18, 2021

A close look at Quincy, a small mountain town providing shelter and safety for those who lost everything in the Dixie Fire.

Lake County’s Cache Fire is no longer a threat

From KTVU Post by Deborah Villalon and Christien Kafton, August 20, 2021

First assessment of the damage caused by the Cache Fire in Clearlake.

California firefighters battle a dozen large wildfires

From the Associated Press, August 24, 2021

Caldor Fire, Dixie Fire and more, mostly in Northern Calfornia, continue to task 13,500 firefighting personnel on the front lines.

Our second week – Plumas News

From Plumas News, by Meg Upton, August 24, 2021

First person reflection on the enormous loss and a glimpse on the personal grief and sadness of losing not just a home, but a town.

Over 400 homes have been destroyed so far by Caldor Fire | Evacuations, maps and updates

From ABC10 News, August 23, 2021

Update on the spread of the Caldor Fire, and the new home losses in Grizzly Flats.

Before the Fire: Reducing Risk, Building Resilience

In Fire Scorched California, Town Aims To Buy The Highest At-Risk Properties

from NPR, by Kurt Siegler, August 23, 2021

Decimated by the deadly Camp Fire in 2018, Paradise, Calif., is now moving to acquire some high-risk properties and turn them into managed park land to buffer against future wildfires.

Booming Colorado town asks, ‘Where will water come from?’

from the Associated Press by Matthew Daily, August 19, 2021

Population growth, climate change and water scarcity-not sure but might fit in the before the fire section


Communities Navigating Recovery: Stories of Resilience and Hope

Coffey Strong group in Santa Rosa disbanding with its fire rebuild work done

Coffey Strong, the neighborhood nonprofit that helped its neighborhood recover and rebuild after the Tubbs Fire, is disbanding its non-profit status as of October 1.