In the past two years, California has been waging war against incredibly powerful forest fires, many of them raging for days and causing a staggering amount of damage to property, land and the economy.
Wildfires are a natural phenomenon that California has always had to deal with. Californians know how to take precautions, such as not mowing the grass when there is extreme heat and prolonged drought, or not parking their car on dry, flammable grass. But there are other things that start a fire that no one can prevent, such as lightning storms or electrical wires blowing over in a severe wind and igniting the dry underbrush. There are also the Santa Ana winds, which blow off the Arizona desert and head west towards California. Often these winds exceed 50 mph and can last for days. High heat, dry vegetation, and powerful Santa Ana winds all make the perfect recipe for a destructive wildfire.
Wildfires can be a real challenge to get under control. Bulldozers that cut away dry, flammable vegetation cannot get into steep areas. Helicopters and planes that dump fire retardant cannot operate in winds over 30 mph. Embers from a central fire can be blown by powerful winds up to a couple of miles, starting other fires. In 2017, the winds were so strong that firefighters described them as being “unprecedented” in strength and duration. Millions of dead trees in northern California and chaparral — a shrub with fine stems and leaves which actually burns hotter than dead trees — are a ready source of fuels for the fires. In 2017 alone, California lost close to a whopping 10 million acres.
According to Wikipedia, the 2017 California wildfires were disastrous not only in terms of property damage, homes and businesses lost, but also in loss of life. Two firefighters and 45 civilians lost their lives. It was the worst year for wildfires in terms of property, homes and lives lost up until then. Until 2018, that is — but more on that later.
Proper Preparation
God is not singling out a certain people, country or religion for punishment. He is trying to reach all of us! When two shocking tragedies happened in Jesus’ day, some people asked Him about it, thinking that perhaps these men had been exceptionally wicked sinners. Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:55I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:5)). Jesus was saying that there is something far more important than being concerned about our physical death. He was saying that we are all spiritually dead and need to repent before God in order to have spiritual life! To be spiritually dead is to be on your way to hell. To have spiritual life is to have eternal life and be on your way to heaven. All men need to have “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:2121Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:21)). God tells us to repent of our sinful state before Him and to completely trust Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins. There is no other way — not our works, not our good behavior and not our own ideas as to how to get to heaven. He wants us to totally and completely yield to Him our hearts and our wills. Then we can be prepared to meet Him with confidence at a moment’s notice because God will never go back on His word to us!
Sudden Destruction
Many tales of tragedy and survival have come to us from these ferocious fires. The Tubbs fire was fierce, swift and destructive. It tore through Hemlock Street in Santa Rosa in the middle of the night, destroying most of the homes and property. One 76-year-old woman died in her home. One man realized something was wrong when he was watching videos on YouTube and his computer shut down. That’s when he noticed the house was full of smoke. Getting in his car, he noticed that the fire had almost reached the 101 Freeway, just blocks from his home. He and his family were among the first residents to get out. Their home was a total loss.
One couple was awakened at 1:30 a.m. by one of their dogs whining and pawing at the bedroom door. Opening the front door, they saw smoke and embers flying. Then it got so smoky that they couldn’t see across the street. It took them 45 minutes to get out because of the backup of cars. Thinking they would have a home to come back to, the husband took no extra clothes. When they came back the next day, they discovered that their home had been lost to the fire.
Another couple was awakened at 2:45 in the morning by their daughter knocking on their door. Within 15 minutes they left with their cat and a few personal items. They escaped with the clothes on their back and the three cars that they owned. Their house did not survive the fire. Another couple went to bed around midnight, after checking on the fires, which didn’t look close. They were awakened at 2 a.m. by a neighbor knocking on their door. Another neighbor called. They escaped because of the goodness and kindness of their neighbors. Their house also burned to the ground.
The sights and sounds were unimaginable. Embers shot through the air like flaming arrows. Bushes and trees didn’t just burn; they exploded. Trash cans that were full were hurled 20 feet into the air. A refrigerator was melted to the size of a microwave, and a six-person hot tub melted into the size of a twisted trash can.
Neighbors were in disbelief that such a thing could even happen. Luis Hernandez said, “We never thought about a fire. That was never in our minds. This caught us very off guard. It was the middle of the night. Everyone was asleep.” After all, California has always had fires up in the mountains and in the valleys, but they usually never came into the cities. It was definitely unthinkable that they would have a fire roar through their community without plenty of warning! There had been no robo calls, no sirens or fire trucks, and no evacuation orders. Shortly after 1:30 a.m. some residents spotted a police car racing down the street while an officer shouted through a megaphone to evacuate and “get out now!” But there was no siren, and one lady said the volume wasn’t very loud, and she wondered how many heard the warning.
Clear Warning
God has given us clear warnings as to where we will spend eternity if we do not come to Him in true repentance for our sins and seek His forgiveness. Jesus bled and died on Calvary’s cross to pay our sin-debt towards God. Now all we have to do is accept His wonderful and complete gift! Then ask Him to take complete control of your life. He (Jesus) is willing and able to help you to live for Him. Then, if death calls at a moment’s notice, you will be prepared, with joy and gladness, to enter into His presence forever. “He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:1818He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18)).
Our next story brings out the truth of “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:11Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. (Proverbs 27:1)). As bad as 2017 was for wildfires, 2018 was far, far worse. As of this writing, the Camp Fire alone killed 86 people and destroyed over 153,000 acres, including 14,000 homes. To date, the Camp Fire is hands down, without doubt, California’s most destructive and deadly fire, far surpassing any previous wildfire ever recorded. Read about it in Running for Your Life!
Running for
Your Life!
The people of Hemlock Street were awakened in the dead of night to a terrifying situation, but most of them were able to escape in their cars. But the fire that destroyed almost 90% of the town of Paradise came so swiftly, it literally engulfed people in their cars as they were desperately trying to flee. Many people abandoned their cars, racing on foot to safety. But many others never made it out alive — they were found in or near their burned-out cars. One woman recorded her attempt to flee on a video cell phone, saying, “I’m surrounded by fire; I’m surrounded by fire right now. I don’t know what to do.”
The town of Paradise was founded in the 1800s and had grown to about 27,000 people. It had a 100-bed hospital, a school, a retirement development center and a main street that was crowded with mostly privately-owned restaurants and businesses. Most of its residents loved living in this peaceful, beautiful town.
How could a town that was used to dealing with wildfires every year be reduced to ash in one horrible, unforgettable day? As in many disasters, there were a number of contributing factors. Paradise was located on a ridge with canyons on either side and only one main road, the Skyway, leading to the valley on the west side. Though residents could opt into an alert system that would let them know of trouble by phone, text or email, it became unreliable when communication towers were knocked down. Also, their evacuation system was designed for an orderly exit out of town, depending on the area affected. But there were no plans on how to evacuate a whole town that was panicked at once.
Then there was the utility company, PG&E. They had been blamed for previous fires, including the Tubbs fire which destroyed Hemlock Street. Because of high winds and drought, sparks from equipment or a tree landing on the wires can start a fire. Though the company was aware of the danger, as of 10 p.m. the night before Paradise was destroyed, they had not made a decision about turning off the power.
A Different Sort
of Paradise
The day of November 8 arrived with increasingly powerful gusts of winds. At 6:30 a.m., a PG&E employee reported a fire on a transmission line near Pulga, a small community about 10 miles east of Paradise. By 7 a.m., the sky to the east had a red glow, but not to worry, the fire was still small. But by 8 a.m. evacuation orders had been given to the small communities to the east of Paradise. Then, things suddenly got much more terrifying. The winds picked up, propelling the flames down the mountainside at the rate of 80 football fields a minute. Calls to 9-1-1 poured into the police station as ash rained down upon Paradise. At 8:30 a.m., a fire was reported — in the center of Paradise. The wind was blowing flaming embers all over the town, starting fires in every direction. The firefighters could not keep up — and now the panicked exodus began.
With thousands of people trying to get out of Paradise at once, every avenue of escape quickly became blocked. Cars moved much slower than the fire. Homes and buildings burst into torches on either side of the road. A trip that normally took 20 minutes took over three hours. One man was blocked behind a line of cars, some abandoned, thinking that his end had come, when a bulldozer suddenly appeared and moved unoccupied cars out of the way.
Heroism
There were many acts of heroism. Ken Lowe, a Cal Fire chief, led a team of five engines back into town to try and save lives. In the north of town, near the Fastrip gas station, cars were catching fire as people abandoned them with nowhere to go. Thinking quickly, the firefighters directed around 100 people along with their cats and dogs to go to the center of the wide intersection. Then they moved their trucks into a circle around them and fought the flames as they went by. It was quite a scene: the sky pitch black, flaming embers flying, wires arcing and explosions all around. But the people and animals were saved.
A young mother had just given birth by C-section and was unable to move when evacuation orders were given for the Feather River Hospital in Paradise. Her infant daughter and husband escaped by car. She was certain that she would never see her husband and daughter again. She was put into an ambulance for evacuation, but about one-half mile down the road her ambulance caught fire.
This young mother and those around her, including those stuck in the ambulance behind hers, began calling loved ones to say good-bye. Then a pediatrician showed up and got her out of the ambulance on a backboard. Soon after, the Paradise Fire Chief showed up. They made the decision to put the young mother and other patients into the garage of the only house on the street that wasn’t burning.
Then everyone followed the Fire Chief’s orders. One person watered down the roof. Another person filled buckets with water. A nurse carried all the brush around the house out to the road. Someone swept debris away from the house. Despair turned into hope, as they all pulled together to save their lives and the house. Moments before they were certain they were going to die — now they fought for their lives. Their efforts paid off as the flames passed over their place of refuge and their lives were spared. Both homes on either side of them burned to the ground. You can imagine how thankful those people were, including the young mother who got to see her baby daughter and husband once again.
So fierce and intense was the Camp Fire that it took firefighters 17 days to gain control. The effects of the fire were disastrous. Over 90% of Paradise’s homes were destroyed. The loss of life was heartbreaking. Out of the 86 who died, most were from Paradise.
Reflect Before the Crisis
But even more heartbreaking and disastrous than this is a person’s loss of their soul. Jesus said, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:3636For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36)). There is no question that we must all face death, most likely sooner rather than later. Therefore, it is both logical and reasonable to seriously consider the matter now. In a time of crisis, you may not be able to stop and think and find peace with God. Be absolutely certain that you know the answer to these two questions: “How can I have my sins forgiven?” and “How can I know my sins are forgiven?” “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)) is the answer to how to have your sins forgiven. This is not just head knowledge. God wants those that are in earnest. Repent of your sins and receive the Lord Jesus into your heart. The Bible is very clear. God’s promise is, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:1313These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13)).