![]() ![]() ![]() “Forest fires are totally preventable.” Trump’s pronouncement came two days after 100 Camp Fire victims were told they could no longer camp on their own lands as they rebuilt, because of benzene contamination, and a week after the Red Cross closed its last relief shelter in Chico, which still housed approximately 600 people. “We cannot continue to spend billions of dollars, billions and billions of dollars,” he said in early February. The president repeatedly called Paradise “Pleasure” when he visited a little over a week after the blaze, advised the state to “rake” the forest floor, and made repeated threats to cut off federal disaster aid. It is believed to have originated on Camp Creek Road, north of Paradise, which is where the Camp Fire, now the deadliest and most destructive in California’s history, got its name. It devastated entire neighborhoods, and inexplicably it left some houses unscathed. On Butte Creek, it burned the Honey Run Covered Bridge, a local landmark for 132 years. The fire burned through rural Concow, through Magalia, through Paradise. No one had experienced the unique horror of watching the hospital burn, or the Safeway, as flames lapped at the sides of their own cars on the one main road out. Most people in Butte County had lived through multiple fires before-this is northern California, this is wildfire country-but no one had seen one like this, so fast and enveloping. Through the pines and cedars came the persistent sound of crackling foil. As the ash settles on the remains of the town, it's clear that the survivors face a long, hard journey to rebuild their lives.The Camp Fire began on the clear morning of November 8, 2018, which made it eerier still, a radiant sky that turned black. Charred, rusted cars litter the streets, now populated by rescue workers and dazed survivors who have returned to try and salvage belongings from the wreckage. We've collected harrowing photos that show the extent of the devastation in Paradise. Cal Fire officials told Reuters that the blaze was 52 percent contained as of Wednesday night. ![]() It is a war zone."ĭespite valiant efforts from firefighters, the Camp Fire has yet to be extinguished. "This is one of the worst disasters I've seen in my career, hands down," Brock Long, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told Reuters. A mobile home park, diners, an elementary school and an antique shop are among some of the structures that are now charred rubble. The town's mayor has said up to 90 percent of the town's neighborhoods were destroyed in the fire, according to the BBC. The fire spread so quickly that some residents died in their cars as they tried to escape the blaze. Paradise had been a popular destination for retirees.īutte County Sheriff Kory Honea has asked relatives to provide DNA samples in order to help identify remains, although he admitted the severity of the blaze means some victims may never be recovered. Most of the residents on the list of missing people are over the age of 65. National Guard troops and cadaver dogs have now started sifting through the wreckage in the hunt for more victims. Over 8,900 homes and other buildings have burned to the ground in and around Paradise, according to Reuters. It is the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history. Some 56 people have so far been confirmed dead in the fire, with 130 people still missing. But after the giant Camp Fire blaze ripped through the town, Paradise is unrecognizable. Last week, the northern Californian town of Paradise was a thriving community of some 27,000 residents, nestled the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. ![]()
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