First of all, I'm sad for any loss of life and property that has occurred.

When I saw this headline, it made me think that all the Redwoods in Big Basin were burned. Then I remembered what I learned about native forests by talking to @ausfws.

A tiny thread https://twitter.com/NYTScience/status/1297190646520909825

There's an area in Southern Alabama/Northern Florida called the Nokuse Plantation ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokuse_Plantation). I visited there and scientists who explained to me that fire is key to the good health of some forests. The fire burns the undergrowth allowing big trees to thrive

After speaking to these scientist, I became convinced that fighting fires in forests may not always be the best course of action. Controlled burns are usually a healthier way to manage our forests. Here's a (long) video I made to learn about the topic

I'm sad that the historic buildings were destroyed.

One reason I've heard scientists say fires may be burning hotter and more out of control is the underbrush and litter on the forest floor are providing more fuel, creating hotter fires which are more difficult to control.

As a child of the 80's, when I heard Smokey Bear saying "Only you can prevent FOREST FIRES!", I mistakenly thought this meant that "All fires near trees are bad." I now know this is a childish way to think about it. Let's look at @smokey_bear's website to learn more

There's no "the" in Smokey Bear by the way.
Also, Smokey retweeted the same article.

Scroll down on http://SmokeyBear.com  and you'll see this section down at the bottom. Yeah...Smokey Bear talking about the benefits of fire. Interesting huh?

There's a link on http://smokeybear.com  that talks about the "benefits of fire." This is worth reading for yourself.

https://smokeybear.com/en/about-wildland-fire/benefits-of-fire

There are no mentions of the benefits of fire in this @NYTScience article, which largely focuses on the understandable emotional response.
(Open in Incognito to avoid the paywall). The article doesn't discuss the scientific issues at hand.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/21/us/big-basin-redwoods-ca-fires.html?smid=tw-nytimesscience&smtyp=cur