The Creek Fire

Dale Matson

What is left of our former cabin that we sold 3 years ago

The Creek Fire is both a wildfire and a forest fire. As of this writing it is over 245,000 acres and 18% contained. It is the 10th largest fire in California history at present. It has destroyed over 800 structures and endangered 9,500 others. There are approximately 3,000 fire fighters working this fire. All of the national forests in California are closed. The SQF Complex fire in Sequoia National Park 123,000 acres (12% contained) to our south is contributing to the smoke we are enduring in Fresno. The estimated date for containment is mid-October for the Creek Fire. There are 38 active wildfires in California.

This is a perfect storm of circumstances with millions of dead and down trees. The last 5 of 6 years were drought years with the pine bark beetle finishing off the trees already stressed by drought. In short, there was an over-abundance of fuel for the fires. Combine that with decades of poor forest management and we also had a record 22 consecutive triple digit temperatures this summer. And if you agree with Governor Gavin Newsom one can throw global warming into the mix also. As of this date, no human has perished in the fire. 

There is an enormous area of trees alone in Yosemite, Sierra National Forest, Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Sequoia National Forest which are essentially contiguous areas. I believe this is the most wildfires in California and burned acres ever in one year.

These fires are so hot they can form what is called a Pyrocumulonimbus cloud.We built a cabin in the Sierra National Forest 10 years ago and sold it 3 years ago. The new owner contacted us to tell us that it was one of the structures destroyed. We built it according to the strictest standards and codes. We had 100’ of defensible space around the cabin. We had an extra 2,500-gallon water tank with a hydrant connection for a firehose dedicated to fighting a fire. We had tempered windows, concrete siding and a steel roof. We had 75 trees cut down that had died on our 7 acres. Every house/cabin on our road was destroyed in moments. Imagine the wildlife that have perished! Imagine the human sorrow! This is only one story among thousands.

At age 76, if I still owned the property, I would not rebuild. I don’t believe the insurance companies will now insure this kind of property or if they do, the cost of the insurance would be prohibitive. Additionally, I am too old to go through the process of building a place from scratch. Finally, I’m not sure if it is a good idea to build a dream cabin in the forests in California.

These fires have been predicted because of the available fuel and now they are happening. I believe the federal and state government needs to rethink their policies to avoid this from happening on such a large scale in the future.

The Cabin Before