They sounded the alarm about Northern California’s wildfire risks, but little help arrived

The warnings were there in black and white less than a year after the Camp fire killed 85 people in their homes and driveways and on the road. To avoid the next Paradise, a grand jury warned, Butte County needed to reduce its wildfire risks. That included identifying key evacuation routes and reducing grass, brush and timber fuel. “Other foothill communities such as ... Berry Creek ... although sparsely populated, are even more vulnerable,” the report warned. “This is due to narrow, one-way-in and -out roads overgrown with heavy vegetation. If any of these roads were to become impassible, the loss of life could be substantial.” But before all the necessary work was done, fire returned to...