Photos by Ruth Morgan

On August 4, 2021 at approximately 7:30 PM Dixie Fire roared through the small town of Greenville, California. Cresting the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, the fire obliterated the gold rush era town, where many wooden buildings had stood for over a century. A gas station, church, hotel, a museum and bar were among the structures gutted, along with nearly 100 family homes, schools and commercial businesses.

In less than 45 minutes much of the town of Greenville was essentially wiped off the map, reducing peoples’ lives to blistered, burned out metal. Approximately 1000 people would be evacuated, some to nearby Chester, many to other parts of Plumas county, and some to other states across the country.

Officially caused by Pacific Gas and Electric equipment failure, the fire was fueled by climate change. Rising greenhouse gas emissions, increased temperatures and drought, along with overgrown forests caused by decades of fire suppression, and the rapid population growth at the edges of forests, predisposed the land to the devastating fire. According to the First Street Foundation 1 in 6 Americans live in areas with significant wildfire risk with minority communities facing the greatest risk. Human-caused global warming while not the only factor, has created “the most significant economic climate risk across the country”.

Requiem: Remains of the Day is a warning and a challenge as it tells the story of a nearly “invisible” villain- the catastrophic impact of climate change on the small Sierra Town of Greenville. This villain poses an alarming threat not just to this small sierra town but to all our towns- to our planet. It is why I am telling this story.

I produced this short video in collaboration with the Bay Area photographer, Ruth Morgan, to accompany an exhibition of her large photographs documenting the destruction of the fire.