Paradise, California destroyed, 27,000 people forced to evacuate

In less than 24 hours, Camp Fire burned the Paradise homes – businesses, supermarkets, restaurants and retirement homes – left "pretty much … destroyed," California Fire Capt. Scott McLean said.

Friday morning, the area remained besieged, two large fires having burned 15,000 acres and threatening many communities, 75,000 houses being the subject of an eviction order.

The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings about fire hazards in many parts of the state, warning that low humidity and high winds that fueled the fire could continue the whole evening.

The magnitude of material damage is not yet known and emergency badistance claim to have reported unconfirmed death cases. Cal County Fire Chief Darren Read said at a press conference that at least two firefighters and several residents had been injured.

"It's a very dangerous and very serious situation," said Butte County Sheriff, Kory Honea. "We are working very hard to get people out. The message I want to convey is this: if you can evacuate, you have to evacuate.

More: A campfire through paradise causing a terrifying and chaotic evacuation [19659008] Several evacuation centers have been set up in nearby towns, including the park Butte County exhibits in Gridley, at the Church of the Nazarene in Oroville and at the Chico Ward Church. The neighborhood church is packed Thursday afternoon

While the fire was raging, witnesses described the unrestrained efforts to escape from a rapid fire and fire. devouring.

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Firefighters in northern California said that a rapid forest fire had destroyed a few thousand structures. The 27,000 residents of Paradise, California, were asked to evacuate because the fire devastated more than 28 square miles. (November 9)
AP

"We were surrounded by gunfire, we did it on either side of the road," police officer Mark Bbad, a police officer from Chico living in Paradise, said. "It was just a wall of fire on either side of us and we could barely see the road in front of us."

Brynn Chatfield was one of the residents forced to evacuate. After fleeing Paradise with her husband, she posted a heartbreaking video on Facebook detailing their escape.

"We were driving south on the Skyway northbound to Chico," she told the Searchlight Thursday afternoon. "I saw a lot of brave people trying to direct the traffic and do what they could to help others," Chatfield said.

She stated that the fire caused by the wind was spreading so rapidly that emergency personnel were trying to get people out of the chaotic scene.

Sherri Pritchard, who also evacuated, said she only had time to take some pictures before she ran away with her family and her dogs. They did not even have time to take their clothes.

"It was crazy, because in traffic, people were panicking," she said. "It was chaos, I could not believe what people were doing."

The elected governor, Gavin Newsom, who serves as governor because Governor Jerry Brown was out of state, declared the state of emergency in Butte County. Schools throughout Butte County are canceled Friday, said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea.

Honea said that hundreds of calls had been reported to report people trapped or asking for welfare checks, but that law enforcement was giving priority to the safety of people. people rather than just asking someone to check or check when he was out.

People looking for information also opted for social media, attracting the attention of actor James Woods, who created the #CampFireJamesWoods hashtag and used his huge follow-up on Twitter to connect those looking for information about their loved ones to those who might have it.

Ron Angle, a former long-time volunteer firefighter, said he had not seen a fire in the area as intense as the camp fire almost 40 years ago and noted how much the wind was extreme.

"I suppose the loss of the residential and commercial structure will be catastrophic," he said.

More: "A wall of fire" in California: 3 fires caused by wind gaining ground