Smoke, Fire and Bureaucracy

The smoke could be seen from more than 50 miles away, and the massive blaze blocked traffic, burned out power lines and showered ash for miles around. That may sound like recent fires in Los Angeles, but it occurred on March 15, 2007, in Sacramento. 

A fire of suspicious origin burned a 1,400-foot wooden railway trestle near the American River, blackening the sky for miles around. The blaze severed the Union Pacific line that connects to the Port of Oakland and carries passengers, produce, cars, and chemicals to a refinery in Benicia. The trestle was completely destroyed, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urged the state to do whatever possible to help Union Pacific rebuild.

The California Department of Transportation allowed Union Pacific to use oversize trucks to transport building materials on state highways, and the California Department of Fish and Game held off on a streambed alteration permit. The trestle had been coated in creosote, but water-quality officials from the state and federal government ruled that toxicity concerns could be addressed after the repair was finished. The federal Environmental Protection Agency monitored the project but made no move to shut down the repairs.

A Union Pacific crew of 135 worked around the clock and, in 72 hours, had driven the first pilings. A scant 12 days after the blaze, freight trains crossed the new concrete and steel trestle four days ahead of schedule. By the last weekend in March, trains were rolling over the trestle’s second line, more than a month ahead of schedule. Union Pacific also got to work on the cleanup, all on its own initiative. Government at all levels should learn the lesson and look for ways to step aside more often. 

California’s Coastal Commission will not require permits for those rebuilding after the Los Angeles fires. Victims have a right to wonder why they needed one in the first place and why the state allows an unelected commission to block development and run roughshod over property rights. The fires should prompt state officials to cut back on regulations that block new construction, particularly single-family homes. That would be a massive victory for the people. 

Meanwhile, “Smoke from a Distant Fire” is a 1977 release by the Sanford Townsend Band. The group’s only hit has become a favorite of reactors on YouTube. Check out this one and take care to prevent fires.