Streetalk: Have wildfires/smoke made you consider moving?

September 2, 2021 CN&R Opinions, Street Talk 0

The Horseshoe Lake area of Bidwell Park looked otherworldly on the afternoon of Sept. 13, 2020, thanks to smoke from northern California wildfires. (Photo by Chris Ficken)

Asked at Chico Natural Foods.

Patrick Farrar
landscape designer
Not really, because it’s not just wildfire in Chico and the North Valley. We were in Washington for a few years and every August we got smoke for six weeks. I’m not thinking we can move away from it.

Mari Garrido
child development
I guess it’s made me reconsider living on planet Earth. It’s kind of a rough thing we’re going through. But, no, I’m not leaving Chico. Yeah, the smoke is hard, but it’s everywhere right now.

Amy Teter
clothing designer
I did end up moving away, up to Mendocino. The fires are still up there, but I’m trying move more north. It’s kind of traumatic after my house burning down [in the Camp Fire] and there’s always smoke in the air.

Joey Haney
brand manager
It’s certainly something I’ve thought about, but not very heavily yet. Is this going to be every year? Is this just sort of a reckoning that will then balance out? I don’t know. But I love the area, I love Chico, so for the foreseeable future I’m still here.