Safety questions still swirl in Paradise year after wildfire
5 years, 4 months ago

Safety questions still swirl in Paradise year after wildfire

Associated Press  

PARADISE, Calif. — There was “no way in hell” Victoria Sinclaire was rebuilding in Paradise. “As we saw in the Camp Fire, the town’s really well set up to kill people with wildfire,” said Lunder, who lives in nearby Chico. “If you take away all the trees, it’s what we’re here for, is for the trees,” resident Vincent Childs told town council members in June as they prepared to vote on new building safety standards. Policing people’s plants, Zuccolillo said, would “kind of go against the fabric of our town.. We don’t want big government telling us what to do.” Improving evacuation routes and emergency warnings are still under consideration, while city leaders last month required people to remove hazardous trees that could fall into a public right of way. Newsom wouldn’t block homebuilding in high-risk areas after the fire in Paradise, saying there is “something that is truly Californian about the wilderness and the wild and pioneering spirit.” Char Miller, a Pomona College professor of environmental analysis, said officials should instead consider creating a fund to buy property in flood and fire zones and keep it as open space.

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History of this topic

What to learn from rebuilding of Paradise after 2018 wildfire? Plenty, says top insurance executive
2 months ago

What to learn from rebuilding of Paradise after 2018 wildfire? Plenty, says top insurance executive

LA Times  

Ryan Spainhower embraces his wife, Kimberly Spainhower, after he found a coin they made during their 2004 honeymoon. Last month, Mercury Insurance, one of the state’s largest homeowners carriers, offered a glimmer of hope when it said it would start writing new policies in the Sierra Nevada foothills community, still in the early stages of rebuilding with less density under …

His town burned in California’s most destructive fire. This is his advice for rebuilding in L.A.
2 months, 1 week ago

His town burned in California’s most destructive fire. This is his advice for rebuilding in L.A.

LA Times  

Greg Bolin returned to his home in Paradise, Calif., to find his wife in tears. It’s just a lot of work.” Healing a broken community “You’ve got to get your schools, your churches and your businesses open yesterday,” Bolin recalled the Federal Emergency Management Agency telling him after the fire. “If you don’t, people will have nothing to do, and …

Crews battle wildfires across the US West and fight to hold containment lines
8 months ago

Crews battle wildfires across the US West and fight to hold containment lines

Associated Press  

FOREST RANCH, Calif. — Wildfires across the western United States and Canada put millions of people under air quality alerts on Sunday as thousands of firefighters battled the flames, including the largest wildfire in California this year. However, Cal Fire operations section chief Jeremy Pierce had some good news for the area, saying around midday that the Park Fire’s southernmost …

Has California addressed the failures that led to the deadly Camp fire five years ago?
1 year, 4 months ago

Has California addressed the failures that led to the deadly Camp fire five years ago?

LA Times  

Five years ago today, around 6:15 a.m., a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. transmission line in the Sierra Nevada foothills malfunctioned. “There are still some lessons that people can take away from an absolute worst-case scenario, where you have no hope of either fighting the fire or evacuating everyone at the same time,” said Jim Broshears, who was Paradise’s emergency …

5 years after California’s deadliest wildfire, survivors forge different paths toward recovery
1 year, 4 months ago

5 years after California’s deadliest wildfire, survivors forge different paths toward recovery

Associated Press  

PARADISE, Calif. — On the day Paradise burned, Gwen Nordgren stopped her car just long enough to rescue a young woman escaping by foot. FILE - Homes leveled by the Camp Fire line the Ridgewood Mobile Home Park retirement community in Paradise, Calif., Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. Empty rows line the Ridgewood Mobile Home Park, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, five …

Five years after the Camp fire, Paradise survivors see a hard future for Maui
1 year, 7 months ago

Five years after the Camp fire, Paradise survivors see a hard future for Maui

LA Times  

Whipping winds, a sky blackened by smoke. “It’s cool to see houses being built, and people coming home, and new people moving in and taking pride in our community.” Miller, who grew up in Paradise, was living in Texas at the time of the fire — she and her husband had moved there six months prior for his job. But …

How a high-risk California town learned to live with fire
2 years, 7 months ago

How a high-risk California town learned to live with fire

Al Jazeera  

As climate change heightens increasingly severe blazes in US, Topanga has taken steps to reduce its vulnerability. In 2018, the Woolsey Fire burned nearly 40,500 hectares in the Santa Monica Mountains west of Topanga, killing three people and forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate. California has more than 75 towns and cities where at least 90 percent of residents live …

In Fire Scorched California, Town Aims To Buy The Highest At-Risk Properties
3 years, 7 months ago

In Fire Scorched California, Town Aims To Buy The Highest At-Risk Properties

NPR  

In Fire Scorched California, Town Aims To Buy The Highest At-Risk Properties Enlarge this image toggle caption Kirk Siegler/NPR Kirk Siegler/NPR By the heat of the afternoon, smoke from the largest wildfire burning in the U.S., the Dixie Fire, drifts into Paradise, Calif. "Quite literally, it's hanging over your head," says Dan Efseaff, director of the Paradise Recreation and District. …

Paradise again threatened as deadly fires push toward towns gutted by 2018 inferno
4 years, 6 months ago

Paradise again threatened as deadly fires push toward towns gutted by 2018 inferno

LA Times  

A November 2018 photo of Paradise High School. Two years after being decimated by the worst blaze in California history, the town of Paradise was again under threat, this time from the deadly North Complex fire. Butte County sheriff’s officials issued an evacuation order for Pulga and Concow and an evacuation warning for the town of Paradise, which was mostly …

Amid smoke and ash, wildfire-scarred Paradise rebuilds
4 years, 6 months ago

Amid smoke and ash, wildfire-scarred Paradise rebuilds

Associated Press  

PARADISE, Calif. — When flames chased Chuck and Janie Dee down the mountain two years ago, they thought they’d never be back. The 2018 fire struck two weeks before Thanksgiving, destroyed roughly 19,000 structures in and around Paradise and killed 85 people. The latest fire to threaten the town came when Pacific Gas & Electric had shut off power in …

A wary and traumatized Paradise watches the raging inferno from nearby California fires
4 years, 6 months ago

A wary and traumatized Paradise watches the raging inferno from nearby California fires

CNN  

CNN — On Wednesday morning, with the skies dimmed by the smoke from nearby wildfires, Paradise, California, resident Mary Ludwig got out of bed and started filling laundry baskets with personal belongings. After escaping from the Camp Fire two years ago on a school bus with more than 20 students, she knows one thing: “I can never be trapped like …

A Californian in Australia shares advice from Paradise fire
5 years, 2 months ago

A Californian in Australia shares advice from Paradise fire

Associated Press  

SOMERVILLE Australia — An American living in Australia who has endured wildfires on both continents is sharing heartfelt messages of hope and advice for those who have fled their homes Down Under. When hundreds of wildfire evacuees sought safety in her southeastern Australian town of Somerville, Victoria, recently, Kasey Baines reached out to survivors of her hometown in Paradise, California, …

Paradise community gathers on anniversary of Camp Fire
5 years, 4 months ago

Paradise community gathers on anniversary of Camp Fire

Associated Press  

PARADISE, Calif. — One year after Paradise burned, hundreds of people gathered in the parking lot of a former bank building in the Northern California town to pause for 85 seconds — one for each person who died. The most poignant reminder of the fire’s devastation was unveiled Friday when artist Jessie Mercer displayed a statue made from 12,000 keys …

Paradise rebuilds, but fire safety sometimes takes a back seat to economic realities
5 years, 4 months ago

Paradise rebuilds, but fire safety sometimes takes a back seat to economic realities

LA Times  

Victoria Sinclaire, second from right, and her family were the first to rebuild their home in Paradise, Calif. “If you make it so difficult to build, they’ll just leave.” A vision for Paradise In the first few months after the fire, the town didn’t know where to start. “Having this zone right next to a building is pretty important,” said …

A year after Paradise fire, California lawmakers hope to keep history from repeating
5 years, 4 months ago

A year after Paradise fire, California lawmakers hope to keep history from repeating

LA Times  

Many of the 85 killed in last year’s Camp fire died in their cars trying to flee Paradise, Calif., which has few routes leading out. “All we could hear is explosions around us,” Scott Salsbury said, describing the panic and anxiety his family experienced as they evacuated the town of Paradise during the Camp fire last November. A dire need …

Safety questions still swirl in Paradise year after wildfire
5 years, 4 months ago

Safety questions still swirl in Paradise year after wildfire

Associated Press  

PARADISE, Calif. — There was “no way in hell” Victoria Sinclaire was rebuilding in Paradise. “You’d hear hammers and chain saws and nail guns.” Wildfire mitigation consultant Zeke Lunder fears Paradise is setting itself up for another disaster. “As we saw in the Camp Fire, the town’s really well set up to kill people with wildfire,” said Lunder, who lives …

California wildfires: Seeking solutions to a wicked problem
5 years, 11 months ago

California wildfires: Seeking solutions to a wicked problem

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, California — More than 2.7 million Californians live in areas that are at very high risk for wildfires, according to our analysis of census data and state fire maps. That was the spirit in which journalists from USA TODAY Network-California, McClatchy, Media News and the Associated Press came together in late 2018 after November’s Camp Fire in Paradise that …

Paradise area was heaven for victims of deadly wildfire
6 years, 1 month ago

Paradise area was heaven for victims of deadly wildfire

Associated Press  

On that frantic morning, TK Huff was calm. One hundred days later — with the aid of public records showing the locations of victims’ deaths, CalFire mapping of the fire’s progression and dozens of interviews — their stories can be told. “We told him, ‘You need to evacuate now,’” said his granddaughter Jordan Huff, 22, who lived in Paradise. On …

Residents Of Paradise And Other Towns Destroyed By Wildfire Must Wait To Go Home
6 years, 1 month ago

Residents Of Paradise And Other Towns Destroyed By Wildfire Must Wait To Go Home

NPR  

Residents Of Paradise And Other Towns Destroyed By Wildfire Must Wait To Go Home Enlarge this image toggle caption Kirk Siegler/NPR Kirk Siegler/NPR Three months have passed since the deadly Camp Fire devastated towns in the mountains of Butte County, Calif., leaving residents with burned-out properties covered with potentially toxic debris. Enlarge this image toggle caption Kirk Siegler/NPR Kirk Siegler/NPR …

Wildfire victims living in RVs ordered to leave properties
6 years, 1 month ago

Wildfire victims living in RVs ordered to leave properties

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — Hundreds of Northern California wildfire victims desperate for housing and living in recreational vehicles on their burned-out lots were ordered off their properties Monday after federal authorities threatened to cut off funding for the state’s biggest natural disaster cleanup. The Paradise Town Council unanimously rescinded a two-month-old law allowing residents to live in temporary shelters on their …

Must Reads: Here’s how Paradise ignored warnings and became a deathtrap
6 years, 3 months ago

Must Reads: Here’s how Paradise ignored warnings and became a deathtrap

LA Times  

Embers blow in the wind as the Camp fire burns a KFC restaurant in Paradise, Calif., on Nov. 8. In the aftermath of the Camp fire — 86 dead, more than 13,900 homes destroyed and Paradise decimated — local and state officials said the tragedy was unforeseen and unavoidable, an “unprecedented” monster of fire. “Or they’ll think, ‘It was terrible …

California's top firefighter says people should be BANNED from living in fire-prone areas
6 years, 3 months ago

California's top firefighter says people should be BANNED from living in fire-prone areas

Daily Mail  

After several deadly California wildfires ravaged the state destroying more than 250,000 acres of land and killing at least 90 people state-wide, officials are suggesting banning people from living in fire-prone areas. California's top firefighter Ken Pimlott says that the government and citizens must act now to protect their lives and property from future infernos that will inevitably set the …

Official: California must mull home ban in fire-prone areas
6 years, 3 months ago

Official: California must mull home ban in fire-prone areas

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s increasingly deadly and destructive wildfires have become so unpredictable that government officials should consider banning home construction in vulnerable areas, the state’s top firefighter says. Communities in fire zones need to harden key buildings with fireproof construction similar to the way cities prepare for earthquakes, hurricanes or tornadoes, and should prepare commercial or public buildings to …

Some evacuation orders lifted for California wildfire area
6 years, 4 months ago

Some evacuation orders lifted for California wildfire area

Associated Press  

PARADISE, Calif. — Authorities are lifting evacuation orders for some Northern California communities ravaged by the state’s deadliest wildfire but said no traffic will be allowed into the town of Paradise, which was the most devastated community in last month’s blaze. The Butte County Sheriff’s office on Sunday said residents of neighborhoods in nearby Magalia can return to the area …

Editorial: Rebuild Paradise? California has to reconsider putting homes in the path of more dangerous fires
6 years, 4 months ago

Editorial: Rebuild Paradise? California has to reconsider putting homes in the path of more dangerous fires

LA Times  

As the fast-moving Camp fire closed in on the Sierra foothill city of Paradise and the few roads out of town clogged with cars, residents literally had to run for their lives, the soles of their sneakers melting on the asphalt. A grand jury report following that fire said the city and county needed more evacuation routes and should consider …

Deadly California fires prompt bold thinking about prevention: Shelters, strict zoning, buyouts
6 years, 4 months ago

Deadly California fires prompt bold thinking about prevention: Shelters, strict zoning, buyouts

LA Times  

A member of a search-and-rescue team inspects an area for possible human remains while combing through Paradise Gardens, which was destroyed by the Camp fire. 1 / 37 Silence hangs over Paradise,Calif., after the explosive Camp fire burned through Butte County and claimed 23 lives. 3 / 37 US President Donald Trump views damage from wildfires with Paradise Mayor Jody …

California fire: What started as a tiny brush fire became the state’s deadliest wildfire. Here’s how
6 years, 4 months ago

California fire: What started as a tiny brush fire became the state’s deadliest wildfire. Here’s how

LA Times  

A man rests at a shelter at the Church of the Nazarene in Oroville, Calif. Megan Butler, 26, and her daughter Aurora, 2, are homeless after their house burned down in Concow in the Camp fire. Alexandria Wilson, 21, consoles her boyfriend, Jacob Golden, 25, as they recount their harrowing escape from the Camp Fire at a relative’s house in …

Paradise lost: How California’s deadliest wildfire unfolded
6 years, 4 months ago

Paradise lost: How California’s deadliest wildfire unfolded

CNN  

CNN — What started as the wind-driven wildfires common in California escalated into fast-moving infernos, roaring through homes and sending thousands fleeing in the middle of the night. JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images Lidia Steineman, who lost her home in the Camp Fire, prays during a vigil for fire victims on November 18 in Chico, California. Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images Firefighters work to …

California fire: Death toll in and around Paradise grows to 76 with 1,276 still missing as Trump visits
6 years, 4 months ago

California fire: Death toll in and around Paradise grows to 76 with 1,276 still missing as Trump visits

LA Times  

Firefighters walk through the rubble of a home in Paradise, Calif. Brad Weldon, 63, waits for help along Skyway in Paradise, Calif. Weldon was among the residents who stayed and battled the wildfire. Volunteers hand out supplies to fire evacuees near a Walmart in Chico, Calif. Search and rescue teams inspect the grounds of a house burned by the Camp …

California wildfires: Death toll rises to 65, searches underway for 630 missing people
6 years, 4 months ago

California wildfires: Death toll rises to 65, searches underway for 630 missing people

ABC  

The deadliest wildfires in California's history have killed at least 65 people and more than 600 are still missing as authorities continue to search for victims. Key points: The list of those missing has doubled in a day from 297 to 630 About 50,000 people remain under evacuation orders Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea expects list of missing to fluctuate …

As California’s deadliest wildfire closed in, evacuation orders were slow to arrive
6 years, 4 months ago

As California’s deadliest wildfire closed in, evacuation orders were slow to arrive

LA Times  

Aerial view of destruction from the Camp fire in Paradise off of Clark Road. 6 / 37 A crew recovers the remains of a dog on Lawndale Lane in Paradise, Calif. 7 / 37 A horse at the Butte County Fairgrounds has its owner’s phone number on its neck 8 / 37 Outside of Pulga, Calif., on the North Fork …

Despite fire after fire, Paradise continued to boom — until California’s worst wildfire hit
6 years, 4 months ago

Despite fire after fire, Paradise continued to boom — until California’s worst wildfire hit

LA Times  

Paradise boomed over the last four decades as a popular retirement spot even though fires destroyed homes every few years. Johnson has been living in Paradise for 48 years and says of the fire, “I’ve never seen anything like it.” 12 / 37 The sun rises over the burned hills near Paradise, Calif., as the Camp fire continues to burn. …

Death toll from the Paradise fire jumps to 42, making it the worst in California history
6 years, 4 months ago

Death toll from the Paradise fire jumps to 42, making it the worst in California history

LA Times  

The evacuation of patients continues at the Feather River Hospital in Paradise. Hospital workers embrace as they evacuate patients from the Feather River Hospital in Paradise, Calif. Hillery Johnson prepares to leave here horse, Augie in a shopping center parking lot after law enforcement officers said it was time to leave as the Camp fire approached and there is no …

Camp Fire in Northern California is now the most destructive in state history
6 years, 4 months ago

Camp Fire in Northern California is now the most destructive in state history

Daily Mail  

The Camp Fire in Northern California has been declared the most destructive in the state's history, as investigators probe whether faulty power lines may have sparked the blaze. Authorities say the fire burning around the town of Paradise has become the state's most destructive since record-keeping began The map above shows the three major fires now burning in California, two …

Stunning NASA Photos Show California's Devastating Wildfires From Space
6 years, 4 months ago

Stunning NASA Photos Show California's Devastating Wildfires From Space

Huff Post  

Satellite photos captured by NASA show how large California’s wildfires have become as they continue to burn vast areas of the state. In the photos below, taken from NASA’s Terra satellite on Friday, massive plumes of smoke can be seen drifting over the Pacific Ocean from fires in Northern and Southern California. The Camp fire in Northern California has devastated …

Video Of California Wildfires Is A Driving Tour Through Hell
6 years, 4 months ago

Video Of California Wildfires Is A Driving Tour Through Hell

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Video from one of the communities hit hardest by wildfires raging in California is a horrifying road trip through hell. In the clip, posted to Facebook by Brynn Parrott Chatfield on Thursday, two people in a car race along a highway surrounded by flames as one of the occupants prays for safety. Things always work out, but …

California wildfires: Tens of thousands forced to flee as entire city ‘pretty much’ destroyed by blaze
6 years, 4 months ago

California wildfires: Tens of thousands forced to flee as entire city ‘pretty much’ destroyed by blaze

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy An entire Californian city …

Wildfire devastates California town of Paradise
6 years, 4 months ago

Wildfire devastates California town of Paradise

Associated Press  

PARADISE, Calif. — Tens of thousands of people fled a fast-moving wildfire Thursday in Northern California, some clutching babies and pets as they abandoned vehicles and struck out on foot ahead of the flames that forced the evacuation of an entire town and destroyed hundreds of structures. “Pretty much the community of Paradise is destroyed, it’s that kind of devastation,” …

Paradise fire becomes one of California’s worst: 6,700 structures lost; at least nine dead
6 years, 4 months ago

Paradise fire becomes one of California’s worst: 6,700 structures lost; at least nine dead

LA Times  

The evacuation of patients continues at the Feather River Hospital in Paradise. Hospital workers embrace as they evacuate patients from the Feather River Hospital in Paradise, Calif. Hillery Johnson prepares to leave here horse, Augie in a shopping center parking lot after law enforcement officers said it was time to leave as the Camp fire approached and there is no …

Hundreds trapped and thousands flee an area of northern California as blaze swells to 5,000 acres
6 years, 4 months ago

Hundreds trapped and thousands flee an area of northern California as blaze swells to 5,000 acres

Daily Mail  

A town of 27,000 people has been ‘pretty much destroyed’ by a raging wildfire that forced terrified residents to flee their homes clutching pets and babies and collapsing pillions fell across roads. A PG&E truck makes its way past a hot spot fire in Paradise, California A firefighter directs an unidentified driver who narrowly survived after a large tree fell …

California fire: Wildfire visible from space forces evacuation in town of Paradise
6 years, 4 months ago

California fire: Wildfire visible from space forces evacuation in town of Paradise

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Tens of thousands of people …

Paradise, Calif., Destroyed By Wildfire, Authorities Say
6 years, 4 months ago

Paradise, Calif., Destroyed By Wildfire, Authorities Say

NPR  

Paradise, Calif., Destroyed By Wildfire, Authorities Say Enlarge this image toggle caption Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Updated at 5:15 a.m. The Camp Fire started Thursday morning near Paradise, a town of around 27,000 people some 90 miles north of Sacramento. Enlarge this image toggle caption Noah Berger/AP Noah Berger/AP "Pretty much the community of Paradise is destroyed, it's …

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