by Lewis Loflin
The 2018 Paradise, California wildfire and the 2024 Chile wildfires share a story—not of climate fate, but of human choices. In November 2018, as Tennessee planned controlled burns to clear debris, Paradise burned. In January and February 2024, Chile’s Valparaíso region faced its deadliest fires ever, scorching over 43,000 hectares amid a summer heatwave. These weren’t just CO2 tales; they were about missed opportunities to manage land and fuel loads in arid zones. Arson reports surfaced in both cases, compounding natural risks. Here’s what we can learn.
Droughts are old news in North America and Chile. The Anasazi faded after the 1276-99 Great Drought; a 1600s mega-drought may have doomed Roanoke (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018). Chile’s megadrought, ongoing since 2010, echoes this—January and February bring near-zero rain, turning summer into a fire season. Past U.S. blazes like 1871’s Peshtigo (1,500 dead) and 1910’s Great Fire (3 million acres) predate CO2 spikes—nature’s cycles, not modern emissions, drove them.
Fast-forward: California’s 1930s Dust Bowl and Chile’s 800-year drying trend framed their fires. Paradise saw droughts from 1944-62 and beyond; Chile’s arid summer of 2024 hit 40°C. History warns us—dry lands burn when ignored.
CO2 isn’t just a warming gas—it supercharges plant growth, especially in dry and semi-arid zones. Greenhouses use it to boost yields, but in the wild, it’s a fire risk. In California and Chile, CO2-fed brush and trees thrive, only to die in droughts, piling up fuel. Paradise’s 2018 fire and Chile’s 2024 Valparaíso blazes—plus recent Los Angeles fires—show this: lush growth turns tinderbox when rains vanish. Chile’s near-zero summer rainfall amplifies it, mirroring Paradise’s dry spell. This isn’t denial—CO2’s real—but a call for smarter land care.
Population boomed in both places—Paradise from 8,268 in 1960 to 27,000 by 2018; Valparaíso’s coastal cities swelled too. More people, more plants, less management—a perfect storm.
Paradise wasn’t a forest policy fluke—it was urban sprawl meeting neglect. Rules curbed brush clearing; homes stayed flammable. The 2008 Humboldt Fire warned 9,300 to flee—yet little changed. Chile’s 2024 fires hit informal settlements hard—6,600 homes lost—where trash and flammable shacks fueled rapid spread. Authorities suspect arson in Valparaíso, with 17 arrests tied to welding or burning, echoing Paradise’s human-sparked risks. Proactive clearing could’ve cut the danger, but inaction ruled.
Yellowstone’s 1988 fire (2 million acres, no deaths) and Tennessee’s 2018 burns show clearing works. Chile’s Botania neighborhood in Quilpué survived 2024’s fires by pruning and wetting soil—proof of what’s possible. Paradise and Valparaíso didn’t adapt—brush grew, codes lagged. CO2-fed growth demands action: thin forests, fireproof homes. Droughts will persist—geology says so—but we can manage the fuel. Arson adds urgency, not excuses.
This isn’t about climate hype or denial—CO2 drives growth and warming, yes, but these fires burned hotter due to human oversight. Chile lost 132 lives; Paradise lost homes. Next time, let’s use history, science, and elbow grease to keep the flames at bay.
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