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Not a single resident of Paradise can be seen anywhere in town after most of them have fled the burning community of northern California, which could be lost forever. Abandoned charred vehicles encumbered the main artery, evidencing panic evacuation the day before.
Most of its buildings are in ruins. Whole neighborhoods are leveled. The business district is destroyed. In a single day, this town of 27,000 inhabitants located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada and founded in the nineteenth century was largely cremated by flames that moved so quickly that firefighters could do nothing.
Only one day after the beginning of the fire, the fire that broke out outside the mountainous city of Paradise had reached Friday 360 square kilometers and destroyed more than 6,700 buildings, almost all of them. houses, making it the most destructive forest fire in California since the start of record keeping. .
Nine people were found dead, some in their cars and others outside their vehicles or homes after a desperate evacuation that Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea described as "worse scenario". Their identities were not yet known.
"This is what we have been fearing for a long time," said Honea, pointing out that there was no time to knock on the door of the residents one by one.
Agent Randy Law is taking care of a rescued horse. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
With fires also reported in southern California, the authorities estimate that more than 200,000 people are forced to leave their homes. The evacuation orders concerned the entire city of Malibu, which has 13,000 inhabitants, including some of the biggest Hollywood stars.
President Donald Trump issued an emergency statement providing federal funding for Butte, Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. On Saturday on Twitter, he threatened to suspend federal payments to California, saying the management of his forest was "very bad."
There is no reason for these mbadive, deadly and expensive forest fires in California, if it is that forest management is so bad. Billions of dollars are given every year, with so many lives lost, all because of poor forest management. Remedy now, or more payments from the Fed!
The fire in Paradise, about 290 km northeast of San Francisco, was still under control Friday.
A thick yellow fog floated in the air, giving the appearance of twilight in the middle of the day. Some of the "majestic oaks" that the city boasts on its website still have fires in their coffers. Thick wooden posts supporting railings continued to burn.
Desperate Exodus
The Thursday morning evacuation order triggered a desperate exodus in which many raging motorists found themselves stuck in traffic jams. Many abandoned their vehicles to escape on foot, the flames attacking from all sides.
"The fire was so close that I could feel it in my car through the rolled windows," said Rita Miller, who fled Paradise with her disabled mother.
The city, located on a ridge between two valleys, was a popular community of retirees, raising concerns among elderly and immobile residents missing.
Patrick Knuthson, a fourth-generation resident, said on the outskirts of the city that only two of the 22 houses that were on his street are still there: his and his neighbor's.
The huge fireball plume burning in the Feather River Canyon floats on the Sacramento Valley, as seen from Chico, CA on Thursday. (David Little / Chico Enterprise Record / Associated Press)
"The fire burned from one house to another until the next house until almost all of them left," Knuthson said. He worked side by side with the neighbors all night, using a backhoe to create a line of fire, determined not to lose his house this time.
"I lost my home in 2008, and it's something you can not really describe until you've pbaded it," said Knuthson, who fought flames of more than one meter as fierce winds badped the embers around him. He worked so hard in the flames and the smoke that he had to use oxygen Thursday night at his home, but he refused to leave.
Little left but rubble
On Friday, Knuthson was covered in black soot from head to toe. His small town will never be the same again, he said. The landscape bucolic country dotted with laurels and oaks will take years to recover.
In the central shopping district of the city, only rubble remained.
The St. Nicholas Church is still standing, rare exception The nearby New Life church has disappeared. A flawless Burger King sign rises above a pile of burnt rubble. The metal patio tables are the only recognizable things under the sign of Mama Celeste's pizzeria.
The flames consume a car dealership as the fire ravages the city Thursday. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
The town hall has survived. But the buildings of the Moose Lodge and the Chamber of Commerce have not been.
The city's 100-bed hospital is still standing, but two of its smaller buildings, including an outpatient clinic, have been razed. The Adventist Hospital Feather River Hospital evacuated its 60 patients in a frantic race when the evacuation order arrived Thursday morning. Some were pushed back by cluttered roads, but all ended up coming out, some dramatically.
On the outskirts of Paradise, Krystin Harvey lost her mobile home. She described a city rich in historic charm until a day ago.
"It was an old country town, the old buildings lined up along the sidewalk," she said. "Almost all businesses were owned locally and included an badortment of antique stores, thrift stores, small restaurants, two bars, and many churches."
My daughter is going to get the queen of gold nuggets this year … but we do not know – there is no more town now. – Krystin Harvey, a Paradise resident who lost her home
Harvey wondered if the traditions of the city would survive. The city was famous for the discovery of a 20 kilo gold nugget in the 1800s, which eventually gave birth to a festival known as the Gold Nugget Days. The highlight of the festival is a parade featuring a queen of gold nuggets.
"My daughter is going to get the queen of gold nuggets this year," said Harvey, then she stopped. "Well, it's been going on for 100 years, but we do not know – there's no more city now."
A work of art sits outside the burnt remains of the house on Friday. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)
The inhabitants of paradise, like many people in California, have become accustomed to forest fires and many say they are well prepared. They kept their gutters clean, some kept pumps in their pools and had fire hoses. But the ferocity and speed of the fire overwhelmed these preparations.
Drought, the mild climate attributed to climate change and deeper forest-dwelling construction have led to more destructive forest fire seasons that started earlier and last longer.
Just 100 miles north of Paradise, the sixth most destructive forest fire in California's history took place in July and August and was one of the oldest. Called Carr's fire near Redding, it killed eight people, burned about 1,100 homes and destroyed a total area of 927 square kilometers.
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