Cell towers burned, the houses baked, the trees remained standing.
The current cell tower system in use is called WiMAX: Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. The 4G-system sends out signals through panels or antennas in narrow beams from tower to tower, not aimed at the ground. But the network does emit non-ionizing radiation, which the industry qualifies as typically safe: “It causes some heating effect, but usually not enough to cause any type of long-term damage to tissue. Radio-frequency energy, visible light and microwave radiation are considered non-ionizing.”