Residents throughout Yreka and the Klamath National Forest area know, wildfire danger involves more than just flames.
The San Francisco Chronicle highlighted the plight of a man who struggled with the unimaginable trauma of having a landslide of mud, boulders, and logs overwhelm him as he tried to help people deal with a wildfire. Mr. Lower’s struggle, and his subsequent injuries are the same most first responders face.
In the McKinney Fire, which burned more than 60,000 acres near the California-Oregon border, officials were attempting to use all tools at their disposal to fight this blaze. Clinton Lower, a trucker turned contractor, was deployed to soak embers on the west side of the fire. There may have been some confusion, because instead of heading away from the low ground as intended, he was led into a gully.
“Fires are a disaster that know no bounds,” said Singleton Schreiber Managing Partner Jerry Singleton. “Most people fear being burned to death in them, but the fire itself, attempts to put it out and the aftermath are all potentially deadly.”
It was only after being led to the gully that Lower was made aware that a flash flood warning had been issued, and his life was now in danger. Once rain began to pour down into the area, water was moving so fast and in such great quantities that its volume was audible.
What began was a mudslide, although the word term “mud” is a bit misleading. Boulders, logs, thick mud, and more slid down and pinned Mr. Lower in his truck. It was so heavy and thick that Mr. Lower found it hard to breathe. He went on to say that this “mud” was not liquid “it was mother nature throwing everything off the mountain to me,” he said.
Ultimately, he was eventually freed from the truck when help arrived. But not before the slurry broke the passenger side window, practically buried him, and caused further injuries. The Chronicle reported he tore a ligament in his right knee, damaged disks in his back, and spent days removing all manner of mud, dirt, and grime from his entire body.
Singleton Schreiber is the nation’s premier fire litigation firm, currently representing thousands of people injured and impacted by the McKinney Fire. Anyone interested in the firm’s services can contact them at 530-203-5475 or by emailing info@singletonschreiber.com.
McKinney Fire Injuries
Recently diagnosed with PTSD, Mr. Lower suffers from issues that many fire fighters, medical personnel, and other first responders battle – the trauma that follows having a life-threatening experience. He describes being in extreme pain every day as well as struggling with some daily tasks.
Many in California, especially burn-scarred areas such as Yreka and the surrounding region, know there is a cycle to how wildfires impact the land. First, there is often a drought period that dries out the land, then the wildfires start – often as a result of negligence by a utility company. What follows next is the battle to fight the fire, then rains come and flood the region because there’s no vegetation to soak up the water.
The McKinney Fire, which began on July 29, 2022 and was not fully put out until September 7, 2022. The fire destroyed at least 185 structures, caused 4 fatalities and was the deadliest of the 2022 wildfires in California. Further danger was caused by a debris flow which was the result of three inches of rain that fell on August 2. The speed of this debris flow was between 1,000 feet and 2,000 feet per second.
The final cause of the fire has not yet been released, but the fire began beneath the 12,000-volt Scot Bar distribution power line which is owned and operated by Pacific Power, an electrical utility company owned by PacifiCorp.
“Our firm represents more than 13,000 people impacted by wildfires, and we keep finding poor equipment maintenance by billion-dollar utility companies as the core reason, it’s sickening,” Mr. Singleton added.
For Mr. Lower, his struggles may continue. Putting one’s life back together after any traumatic experience is difficult. Adding physical injuries into the mix makes it that much harder. As these wildfires continue, first responders like him will face these struggles over and over.
For those who have been injured or impacted by the McKinney Fire, or any other wildfire, can contact Singleton Schreiber at 530-203-5475 or by emailing info@singletonschreiber.com.
