Wildfires can create a panic that swirls around our concern for people and places. The deadly fires displacing hundreds of thousands of people, and rampaging through thousands of homes and acres of forests in Southern California, are a familiar sight for so many who live in the West. Wildfires are vital. The role they have in the natural part of the Western ecosystem confronts disorder as a fiery path meets humanity in greater peril.
Famine, war, failed leadership, the devaluing of humanity and the rise of hatred have disrupted the natural balance. These events remind us that the Earth is alive, and its voice grows louder when humanity strays from its responsibility to protect, nurture, and respect all life.
I mourn with California, and everyone searching for a warm bed and a reliable power outlet. I am saddened by the nighttime images showing bright embers over what looks like empty darkness. I don't turn away, as if I need to watch the forests and ecosystems burn in the flames. I don't turn away because I know it's going to happen again.
This is the climate crisis. Take a dive with us into the archives at High Country News and read work from reporters and photographers who have covered wildland fires across the West, including California.
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