Vincent *, an industrial designer living in San Francisco, returned Monday with his partner from a road trip in Washington State.
From his plane, he was able to see the thick clouds of smoke, witnesses of the fires that have ravaged the west coast of the United States for several weeks, and which continue to claim victims.
The results are dramatic: hundreds of thousands of people had to be displaced and more than a million hectares were destroyed.
More than ten times more than last year.
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“Usually the fires start around October,” he explains.
This is the first time that this has happened to us so early in the year, and in such a violent way.
In San Francisco, residents have learned to live with these annual fires.
“Here, we are now talking about the fire season, as we would talk about the rainy season.
It makes no sense when you think about it.
"
All the ingredients were there this year for the elements to be unleashed.
Historically high temperatures which, coupled with stormy episodes, ended up igniting the blazes.
"It seems difficult to me to deny the effects of climate change," points out our witness.
40 degrees in San Francisco never happens.
Usually, temperatures hover between 15 and 20 degrees all year round.
We hardly ever went to the beach in the middle of the day to take advantage of the heat and swim.
We went there in the evening, to enjoy an evening around a fire.
This year we were able to do it, there was not yet so much smoke.
This had never happened to us since we moved in five years ago.
"
Two weeks ago, the people of San Francisco could already see the smoke from the flames that were starting to destroy the surrounding nature.
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Sometimes the man and his nonsense make the situation even worse.
“Here you have completely silly traditions.
I read an article about a ceremony held this summer to reveal the sex of a child.
A man set up a crate in the middle of nature and shot it with a shotgun.
It lights fireworks that vary in color depending on whether the child is a boy or a girl.
A fire started like this… ”.
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The days go by and the consequences of this environmental tragedy are increasingly felt, including in the city center.
A new milestone was crossed Wednesday morning, upon waking up.
The sky has turned red from smoke particles that reflect blue light and only let in red, orange and yellow lights.
“Normally, we wake up with the fog, this thick mist, characteristic here, and which seems to scroll in front of our windows.
There it was stagnant, much denser.
At first it's amazing, almost fascinating.
But it lasts.
The cars were rolling with the headlights on at noon.
And from 6 pm to 7 pm, it was already very dark ”.
"Like a taste of metal at the back of the throat"
The beauty of the spectacle does not amaze him for very long.
It is a new containment that began on the American west coast.
"We saw the windows closed, the fan on in the house," Vincent continues.
All of my colleagues have bought air purifiers.
We didn't have time when we got home, I'm sure they're out of stock today.
Thursday was worse because the air quality has deteriorated, we are in the red now.
" Like the sky.
At 5 p.m. Wednesday, the light remained very low in San Francisco.
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On a daily basis, Vincent says he physically feels the strong presence of particles in the sky.
“It has become very unpleasant, I have the impression of having a taste of metal or burnt plastic at the back of my throat.
It reminds me a bit of what I experienced in China, where I also lived.
"
The moment is all the harder as San Francisco has not been spared by the virus, despite the measures taken and recommendations made to try to stem the spread of the virus.
“We were not confined exactly as in France, since there were no specific fines.
We were asked to stay at home, most people played along. But the epidemic continued to spread.
The deconfinement, which was to take place in successive stages, was delayed.
"
In the end, the inhabitants of San Francisco, who confined themselves at the same time as the French or almost, had only one month to breathe a little.
“There we have just returned and we have to lock ourselves in our homes again.
We're all a little confused by what's going on, we can't see the end of the tunnel.
"
"The city seems empty"
Tired of the situation, some have already decided to leave the city.
“I have friends here who have chosen to move to the outskirts, to get closer to nature and above all to pay less, continues Vincent.
There are a lot of tech companies in California where telecommuting can be rampant.
We feel that the market is starting to fall.
Landlords struggling to find tenants are now offering two months' rent, or the garage, which has never been done before.
"
There is something lunar about the atmosphere in the city.
“The city seems empty.
I live in the northwest of the city and work in the south, in Potrero Hill.
When you cross the city, you come across many tents, in neighborhoods more neglected by the inhabitants in recent months.
In San Francisco, there is a huge homeless care problem, which may never have been more visible than it is today.
"
Around him, Vincent explains that he does not only feel the weariness of those close to him.
“There is also annoyance, the population is shocked.
It started with Trump's handling of the epidemic.
We find ourselves in a situation where everything can depend on the governor of the state in which you live.
If he's not too dumb, that's fine.
If you live in Florida, where you are told masks are useless, you are in deep trouble.
So when you have fires of this magnitude, and a president who publicly denies the consequences of global warming, it reinforces that feeling.
"
* The first name has been changed
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