The Big Sort: What to Do With 2 Million Tons of Fire Debris

img_9149.jpg

Piles of fire debris await removal in a Santa Rosa parking lot. Millions of tons went to landfills and recycling centers. Photo by Craig Miller/KQED

By Molly Peterson, KQED News Fix/KQED Science
California’s biggest disaster cleanup in a century is now three-quarters complete, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. And like the North Bay fires that caused it, this massive response is one for the record books.

“It is a very complicated debris removal operation,” California Office of Emergency Services director Mark Ghilarducci told a Santa Rosa town hall in January. “The largest debris clearance operation we’ve seen since the 1906 earthquake.” 

Read the complete story at KQED News Fix/KQED Science.

Don't miss out on our newest articles, episodes and events!
Sign up for our newsletter