Restoring areas damaged by wildfires could take years

Melanie Townsend reports

AND ON THE GROUND FOR MANYYEARS TO COME MELANIE.ERIC WITH THOUSANDS OFACRES BURNING NOT JUST WITHTHE DIXIE FIRE, BUT AT LEAST 2DOZEN OTHER FIRES ARE BURNINGTHROUGHOUT THE STATE RIGHTCONCERNED WITH HOW DRASTICALLYTHE ENVIRONMENT WILL BEIMPACTED BY NOT ONLY THE SNOW.BUT OF COURSE THE FLAMES.AGAINST WILDFIRES ON THE WESTCOAST CAL FIRE OFFICIALS SAYSTATE LOCAL AND FEDERALRESOURCES HAVE BEEN ASSIGNEDTO 29 MAJOR WILDFIRES THISACRES HAVE BURNED WITH 8,707FIREFIGHTERS.

ACTIVELY TRYINGDIXIE FIRE IS NOW THE 3RDLARGEST WILDFIRE IN THESTATE'S HISTORY, BURNING MORETHAN 434,000 ACRES IN BUTTEAS THE DIXIE FIRE CONTINUESTO BURN VEGETATION ANDSTRUCTURES.

YOU SEE DAVISPROFESSOR KENT PINKERTON SAYSTHE SMOKE AND HAZE WE AREPOTENTIALLY CARRYING DANGEROUSPARTICLES WITH IT WE'RE NOTJUST TALKING ABOUT.BIOMASS BURNING BUT WE'RECOMPOUNDS EVEN PAINTS PLASTICSCOMPUTERS MATERIALS THAT WEHAVE IN DOORS THAT CAN BECONSUMED BY THE FIRE AND BEARE ACTUALLY BREATHINGACCORDING TO THE AIR QUALITYINDEX MODERATE TO HEALTHYBREATHING LEVELS SHOULD BEBELOW 100 TODAY IN THESACRAMENTO REGION LEVELSREACHED JUST OVER ONE 60.THOSE ARE VERY HAZARDOUSLEVELS OF PARTICLES WE COULDSEE A SICKLY CONTINUE TO SEEPARTICLES FOR AT LEAST 2WEEKS.

BUT THAT THAT COULDPOSSIBLY EXTEND.FOR EVEN A LONGER TIME THEDIXIE FIRE'S IMPACT IS NOTONLY IN THE AIR BUT ON THEEXTENSION SPECIALIST BILLSTEWART SAYS DEPENDING ON THEDROUGHT OUTLOOK FOR THIS ANDNEXT YEAR HEAVILY WOODED AREASEVEN AFTER A FIRE THERE ARESTILL LOTS OF DRY FUEL THATCAN CATCH ON FIRE THE NEXTYEAR SO ANOTHER YEAR DRILLMAKE IT VERY VERY DIFFICULT INHARD-HIT NEIGHBORHOODS WILLIT'S A LONG PROCESS, THERE'SME ALL THIS INFRASTRUCTURE,THE BASICALLY HAS TO REMOVEDLIKE A HAZARDOUS WASTE SITESGREENVILLE.IT'S GOING TO BE VERYDIFFICULT TO REBUILD THAT.PINKERTON SAYS PEOPLE WHOARE IN THE EVACUATED AREAS BYTHE DIXIE FIRE PEOPLE WHO AREGOING BACK TO THEIR HOMES ANDSIFTING THROUGH ALL THAT ASHIN DEGREE HE SAYS THAT YOUMUST WEAR AN N 95 MASK THAT ISTHE BEST MASK THAT WILLPROTECT YOU FROM THOSE HARMFULPARTICLES THAT WILL BE LEFT IT