Mark Almer News Today

Unreliable agency data limits wildfire prevention accountability.

Grizzly Flats was the Caldor Fire's first victim but decades-old studies showed Grizzly could one day burn. Promises were made to protect it, but were not kept

“BURNED,” a yearlong investigation from the California Newsroom, reveals how the U.S. Forest Service is struggling to complete the work it knows it must do to keep Californians safe from wildfires. For decades, the agency has developed projects to thin and manage overgrown forests in an effort to reduce wildfire intensity. But those plans routinely stall out, and sometimes are abandoned completely.

Two decades ago, the U.S. Forest Service warned that a wildfire mirroring the Caldor Fire’s progression could easily wipe Grizzly Flats off the map. The Forest Service took steps to prevent such a catastrophe, but we found the plan fell short.

Two decades ago, the U.S. Forest Service warned that a wildfire mirroring the Caldor Fire’s progression could easily wipe Grizzly Flats off the map. The Forest Service took steps to prevent such a catastrophe, but an investigation found the plan fell short.

Two decades ago, the U.S. Forest Service warned that a wildfire mirroring the Caldor Fire’s progression could easily wipe Grizzly Flats off the map. The Forest Service took steps to prevent such a catastrophe, but we found the plan fell short.

An investigation by the California Newsroom finds that unreliable agency data limits wildfire prevention accountability.

A new investigation finds a stalled project could have protected a town from being nearly destroyed by the Caldor Fire. In other news, Tijuana residents are on edge after violence broke out over the weekend. Plus, as the new school year starts for some, many school board trustees are back at work on critical issues that caused conflict before.

David Scott Smith, 66, and Travis Shane Smith, 32, are accused of reckless arson related to the Caldor Fire, which burned for 67 days In El Dorado and Amador counties and destroyed more than 1,000 structures.

The El Dorado County District Attorney announced the arrest of a father and son for allegedly starting the massive Caldor Fire, which threatened communities near Lake Tahoe last August.