Current:Home > MyAmerican Climate Video: He Lost Almost Everything in the Camp Fire, Except a Chance Start Over. -WealthDrive Solutions
American Climate Video: He Lost Almost Everything in the Camp Fire, Except a Chance Start Over.
View
Date:2025-04-16 07:28:19
The 21st of 21 stories from the American Climate Project, an InsideClimate News documentary series by videographer Anna Belle Peevey and reporter Neela Banerjee.
PARADISE, California—Living in northern California, Sam Gronseth had given plenty of thought to what he would take with him if a wildfire came for his home. So when the Camp Fire ignited in November 2018, his mind went to the “three P’s”—pictures, people and pets.
Gronseth, a retired choral director and a music teacher at a nearby school, grabbed his computer that stored all his pictures. He hitched his trailer onto his car and put his horse inside. His neighbor Bob was outside with his four dogs. Gronseth invited Bob and the dogs to evacuate with him.
With all three P’s accounted for, he made his way out of town, but he didn’t really expect that his home would burn down. He left behind cash, keepsakes, his chickens, an aquarium of fish, recordings of his musical performances and 14 musical instruments.
“There are a lot of really special things that were in there that had followed me for many years,” Gronseth said. “When the fire happened, those things simply disappeared.”
While evacuating, though, Gronseth didn’t think about these things. His mind went into survival mode—all he could think about was what was happening right then.
“I didn’t have a fear. I didn’t have a sense of panic,” he said. “I was thinking toward the next moment and imagining, if a tree came down in front of me, how would I deal with that?”
“I was just trying to make it to the next minute,” he added.
Devastating wildfires are becoming more frequent as the effects of climate change take hold in California. Warm temperatures can elongate the fire season and exacerbate droughts that dry out forests. The Camp Fire, which is California’s most destructive wildfire to date, was made worse by these conditions.
Bob helped navigate the route to the main road out of Paradise, which had fire burning on both sides.
“There is smoke and flames and fire all around you and a tree could topple down or lots of things could happen,” Gronseth said. “So you just have to be very aware of what’s happening, and make decisions that are the best decisions that you can do.”
A tire on the horse trailer blew, but he kept driving until he made it far enough out of town that he felt like the fire was behind him. When he stopped and got out to change the tire, he checked on the horse.
“She had her snout down so that she could see what was going on out the window,” he said. “She just wanted to know what was happening.”
During the first few weeks after the fire, Gronseth didn’t know the fate of his house, with his chickens, fish, instruments and other things he cared about. When he found out that everything was gone, he felt a sense of shock.
“All of a sudden your life becomes much more simple, and the complexities of life that were there are no longer available,” he said. “If I had to look at a positive from this whole scenario, there is a simplicity there.”
His family in the Pacific Northwest insisted Gronseth come visit them for Thanksgiving, a few weeks after the fire.
“They needed to shake my hand or give me a hug or something,” he said. “They needed to make sure that I was okay in kind of a physical way.”
He put a pair of pants and a shirt into a donated suitcase and checked in at the airport.
“The lady said, ‘Sir, that’s a pretty light suitcase. It’s the lightest I’ve had all day. Do you have anything in there?’” he remembers. “I looked at her and I said, ‘I have everything in there.’”
Despite his loss, he maintained a positive perspective after the fire. He focused on the fact that his loved ones got out safe and his insurance will keep him financially secure.
“People have a few opportunities in their life to restart,” he said. “So I choose to look at this as an opportunity to restart.”
veryGood! (67626)
Related
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- US developing contingency plans to evacuate Americans from Mideast in case Israel-Hamas war spreads
- Israel is preparing for a new front in the north: Reporter's notebook
- NCAA title game foes Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese headline AP preseason women’s All-America team
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Amy Robach Hints at True Love While Hitting Relationship Milestone With T.J. Holmes
- Montana man pleads not guilty to charges that he threatened to kill former House Speaker McCarthy
- Myanmar reinstates family visits to prisoners to end a ban started during the pandemic
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Tom Bergeron Reflects on “Betrayal” That Led to His Exit From Dancing with the Stars
Ranking
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Wisconsin officers fatally shoot person on school roof in exchange of gunfire, state police say
- 'Let Us Descend' follows a slave on a painful journey — finding some hope on the way
- Meadows granted immunity, tells Smith he warned Trump about 2020 claims: Sources
- Sam Taylor
- Fully preserved ancient river landscape discovered beneath Antarctic ice sheet
- Stevia was once banned in the US: Is the sugar substitute bad for you?
- A court in Kenya has extended orders barring the deployment of police to Haiti for 2 more weeks
Recommendation
Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
Counting down the NBA's top 30 players for 2023-24 season: Nos. 15-1
Britney Spears Details Postpartum Depression Struggles After Welcoming Sons Sean and Jayden Federline
Hungary in the spotlight after Turkey presses on with Sweden’s bid to join NATO
Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
Illinois Gov. Pritzker takes his fight for abortion access national with a new self-funded group
Tropical Storm Otis forecast to strengthen to hurricane before landfall near Mexico’s Acapulco
Minnesota judge, in rare move, rejects guilty plea that would have spared man of prison time