MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – For the second year in a row, the combination of extreme heat and lack of precipitation has set California ablaze, potentially wreaking havoc with the state’s cannabis industry. Parts of Mendocino County, the heart of an industry that relies on outdoor farms, are in flames, along with neighboring Lake and Colusa Counties. The largest fire in the state’s history, the Mendocino Complex Fire, has been burning since late July and by Thursday had charred more than 300,000 acres.
In addition to the Mendocino Complex Fire, two other large blazes are ripping through the state: the Carr Fire north of Sacramento and the Holy Fire in Orange County. Together, the three have covered half the state with smoke, killed at least 15 people, destroyed more than 1,200 buildings and displaced more than 20,000 residents.
Loudpack, a company that supplies designer recreational cannabis products to dispensaries across the state, lost five of its 12 greenhouses. DNA Genetics lost five of its eight in 10 minutes.
Farther north, near Redding, Alien Labs lost greenhouses, too. The company has established a GoFundMe page to aid employees.
“Redding (Calif.) is our home and Redding is being absolutely devastated right now by the Carr Fire,” a spokesman noted on the page.
Last year, more than one million acres burned, taking the lives of two firefighters and 41 civilians. According to the California Growers Association, between 30 percent and 40 percent of the state’s cultivators suffered losses.
The association vowed to offer assistance for industry members impacted by this year’s blazes.
“We have some resources available if folks need help,” Executive Director Hezekiah Allen told Leafly. “Send them my way [and] we can see what we can do.”
California’s 2017 wildfire season hit its peak in November and December.
