The Camp Fire in Butte County, California has already killed at least 85 people, destroyed 152,250 acres of land, and left 249 people missing.

Although the cause of the inferno is still being investigated, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company had equipment failure which is believed to initiate the fire because it began to blaze only 15 minutes after the incident. Fortunately, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported that the fire is 100 percent contained as of now.

This fire is the deadliest in the history of wildfires in the state of California, now breaking the record of lives lost in the Griffith Park Fire dating all the way back to 1933. 29 lives were lost in the Griffith Park Fire and as of November 21, 81 lives were lost in the Camp Fire which is more than the lives lost in the past three deadliest wildfires in California, combined. Of the 85 people dead, only 54 have been identified.

In response to the shocking death toll and destruction of the fire, Junior Jeremy Hedian sends his condolences, saying, “I hope that all the people affected are okay.”

The Camp Fire is known for its expeditious pace, especially in the town Paradise where in just 14 hours, 20,000 acres were destroyed, extending to over 100,000 acres burned only two days later.

“Basically the idea is that climate change, or global climate disruption is causing some areas to become dryer and some areas to become wetter and get more precipitation,” said Tom Winters, environmental science teacher.  “The area of Northern California has become drier; in a short period of time, they’ve experienced severe drought that creates more dry underbrush, which is fuel for the wildfires,” he adds.

“There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor,” President Donald J. Trump commented.

As for students at Hills, they were asked about their thoughts on the fire’s devastation and the impact it had on our community. “The wildfires affect us because California is apart of our country and we need to come together as a country in the face of tragedy,” Sophomore Ashley Goldberg says.