3 wildfire lessons for forest towns as Dixie Fire destroys historic Greenville

A WILDFIRE BURING in hot, dry mountain forest swept through the Gold Rush town of Greenville, California, on Aug. 4, reducing neighborhoods and the historic downtown to charred rubble. Hours earlier, the sheriff had warned Greenville’s remaining residents to get out immediately as strong, gusty winds drove the Dixie Fire toward town. At the same time, firefighters were also trying to protect two other communities — all not far from where the deadly Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise in 2018.

This kind of trauma is becoming familiar, from loss of homes to the obliteration of entire towns. Fear of what the future holds in a changing climate lends uncertainty to people’s daily lives. They want to know how to protect their homes, their families, their communities. But they also want to protect core values they cherish — good places to raise their children, freedom to choose their lifestyle, a sense of place in nature and belonging.