A Small Flame Can Turn Into a Major Fire

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What Everyone Ought to Know About the Camp Fire By Sophia Oyewole It is 7:00 a.m. on Nov. 8, 2017, Mariana Sanchez, a Chico State Freshman, wakes up to the sound of her alarm going off. “I woke up, got dressed, brushed my teeth, and went to class” Mariana recalls. “I walked out the doors, it was smokey and dark out- I knew it was a big deal, half the sky was dark.” Sanchez stares at the sky and debates going, but ultimately decides to go to her 8:00 a.

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m anatomy class. During class, Mariana hears whispers about the air. Many classmates are asking what's wrong others are certain it's a fire.” “At this point, I’m nervous. Like is there really a fire happening? No way,” Sanchez says in disbelief. After class, Sanchez steps through the doors to go outside and the whole sky is covered in smoke and ash. At this point, she was very concerned and decided to look up what is happening.

She would have never guessed later that day, classes would be canceled, people would lose their homes and others would lose their lives. It is proven that contained wildfires are often good for the environment, but what happens when they are uncontained, sporadic flames that engulf everything they come into contact with? How does that affect people near and far? The California Campfire was the most destructive and deadly wildfire in California to this date. The results were devastating, many families and loved ones lost their homes along with important sentimental items they can never get back.

The fire started as a bushfire in the dry canyon of the foothills in the Sierra Nevada. At first, the flame was inaccessible near the unpaved Camp Fire Road in Butte County as it which it was named after. Due to the unpredictable wind, the little flame turned into a roaring inferno of blazing smoke and ash. It burned at least 90,000 acres, more than 140 square miles, and was only 5 percent contained the following night on Nov. 9, according to The Washington Post. “I was so scared, the flames were burning everything so quick I thought Chico was next,” said freshman Kristopher Castio of the Chico State track and field team. “I’m still worried about the people in Paradise, I can’t imagine losing my home”. While losing a home isn't ideal, it unfortunately happened to the residents of Paradise California. Paradise is the second populous city in Butte County in the Sierra Nevada foothills located above the Sacramento Valley. It is home to over 26,000 people, with the elderly making up a little over 25% of the population. What was once known as the land of natural wealth and beauty, is now the charred remains of what the elegant place used to be. “My grandparents live in Paradise and it was very devastating to find out they lost their home and all the stuff they own. I had many memories and things there too”, said Mohammad Singh, a freshman. “I’m just glad they are okay, them being alive is more important than material things.”

While the Camp Fire continued to spread with the unpredictable wind, many campuses closed for safety concerns. All schools in Butte County canceled all classes the week of November 12-16th due to air quality and staff members displaced by the Camp Fire, according to CNN News. Sophia Terrones, a freshman who lives on campus, frantically packed a backpack with four shirts, one pair of jeans, and two pairs of undergarments leaving many belongings in Chico. Her main priority was finding shelter away from the fire. “At first I was excited school was canceled because yay a week off school, but then it started to sink in that the fire is this bad that they have to cancel class for a whole week. I got really scared for everyone who didn't know how they were going to get home,” said Terrones.