A Tiny Radio Station Relayed Critical “Wine Country” Fire Information in Indigenous Languages

California wildfires have been in the national news.  The Kincaid fire — the fire in the Sonoma wine country — affected many farmworkers in the middle of the grape harvest. This vulnerable population is often forgotten.  Many immigrants fear accessing emergency relief and possibly coming to the attention of immigration enforcement officers.

KQED reports on a small radio station that helped many local non-English speaking workers, including immigrants.  As the Kincade Fire burned through Sonoma County, KBBF-FM, a Spanish language radio station also broadcast in indigenous languages like Mixteco and Triqui.  KBBF-FM filled a large need in an area where agriculture draws in many migrants and farmers looking for work. A third of Sonoma County is Latino, and about a quarter of the population speaks a language other than English at home.

KJ