It’s impossible to know the devastation of a wildfire until you’ve lived it. Headlines and news clips provide a glimpse, but they cannot replicate the feeling of smoke in your lungs, seeing flames race towards you, or feeling the char and ash of destruction left in its wake. This year is already off to a grim start with devastating fires in Los Angeles. These recurring wildfire tragedies, however, have gripped the attention of the new Congress, with policymakers making critical forest reform their top priority. This week, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act to help overcome the legal and political hurdles that stand in the way of addressing the wildfire crisis.
As a child, my first experience with wildfire came on a family backpacking trip in the mountains of Montana. The majestic views changed instantly after rounding a bend revealed an out-of-control fire bounding up the canyon. We immediately evacuated, making an arduous hike over the mountains while constantly looking over our shoulders to make sure the fire wasn’t gaining too much ground on us. Since then, I married a wildland firefighter and prayed for him and his crew as they battled blazes around the United States. I watched fires burn from my front porch and saw homes torched. I live with the sobering realization that my community’s water supply would be exhausted in just three days if a fire burns in the nearby watershed. Wildfire is personal for me, which is why I’m frustrated officials continue to ignore how we got here and how to mitigate the impact of today’s devastating megafires.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
