GoFundMe
At the time of me writing this, the California wildfires have claimed 44 lives, as emergency workers recently discovered 13 more bodies in Northern California. The death toll makes the fires the deadliest in the state’s history, and that number is only expected to rise as nearly 100 remain missing. Previously, the deadliest fire was the Griffith Park Fire which killed 29 people in October of 1933.
The raging fires have also destroyed more than 7,600 structures destroyed, most of them homes. Joel N. Myers, founder and president of AccuWeather, estimates that the total damage and economic impact of the California wildfires has already surpassed $80 billion, and will likely climb to nearly $200 billion by next week.
The Camp Fire, which began blazing in Northern California on Thursday, has killed at least 42 people and torched 117,000 acres of land. According to the New York Times, as of Monday night, the fire remained just 30 percent contained.
As death, destruction, fear, and panic ravage California, stories of heroes will rise above the ashes. One already did.
Jack Nicas of the New York Times detailed an incredible story of a man named Allyn Pierce who was faced with a wall of fire as he sit trapped in his truck.
“I was like, ‘I think I’m done,’” said Mr. Pierce, a registered nurse who was trapped in traffic in Paradise, Calif., where most of the community was burned. “I just kept thinking, ‘I’m going to die in melting plastic.’”
I’ll let Jack Nicas take the story from there.
https://twitter.com/jacknicas/status/1062162154906742784
https://twitter.com/jacknicas/status/1062162160514519047
https://twitter.com/jacknicas/status/1062162161177260032
https://twitter.com/jacknicas/status/1062162161177260032
https://twitter.com/jacknicas/status/1062162167057633283
https://twitter.com/jacknicas/status/1062162167867170816
https://twitter.com/jacknicas/status/1062162176872304641
https://twitter.com/jacknicas/status/1062162177472118784
https://twitter.com/jacknicas/status/1062162179074322432
https://twitter.com/jacknicas/status/1062162181716754432
In the wake of such a catastrophe, it’s always also to be reminded of the human spirit. If you feel inclined to help out the Pierce family, who lost their home, they’d appreciate it greatly. Here is the link to the GoFundMe.
Props to Toyota for stepping up and getting the man a new truck after his was scorched.
I know it’s only Tuesday, but this dude may be a shoe-in for Bro of the Week. If you have any stories of heroism or simple good deeds coming out of Cali in these tough times, please send submissions to matt@brobible.com to be featured on Friday’s Bro of the Week column.