Wildfires aren't like other natural disasters. You can't trace a hurricane to the first gust of wind, but you actually can trace your way back to a wildfire's first spark. And sometimes, someone has to pay.
In 2007, the Witch Creek Fire caused billions of dollars worth of damage in Southern California. While the fire was still burning, wildfire investigators showed up on the scene, and traced the flames back to where they began. The results spawned a ten year legal battle over who should pay for the damage.
Today on the show, we follow fire investigators into the charred hills hunting for clues, and we ask, where's the line between a natural disaster and a human one? Who should pay?
Music: "Spinning Piano" and "Pixels."
Find us: Twitter/ Facebook / Instagram
Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, PocketCasts and NPR One.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
