‘Everything destroyed’ as wildfire scorches Paradise, California

PARADISE (California): 93,000, could be next in the path of the wildfire, as flames were driven westward by 56km-perhour winds, said Butte County Fire Chief Darren Read.

“We have received reports of some fatalities.

“Those reports have not yet been verified,” Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told a news conference.

The fire was the fiercest of several wind-driven blazes across California on Thursday, during one of the state’s worst years for wildfires.

“The whole town is burning,” Bob Van Camp, a Paradise resident who escaped on his motorbike, told local TV channel Action News Now.

“We had to ride through flames to get here,” he said from the road between Paradise and Chico.

With the town located on a ridge and limited escape routes, traffic accidents turned roads into gridlock.

Residents abandoned vehicles and ran from the flames carrying children and pets, officials said.

One woman stuck in traffic went into labour, the EnterpriseRecord newspaper reported.

“It’s very chaotic. It’s a very bad fire,” Officer Ryan Lambert of the California Highway Patrol said of the evacuation.

The blaze began early on Thursday and had charred 8,093ha by 8pm, said Cal Fire spokesman Rick Carhart.

Rescuers used a bulldozer to push abandoned cars out the way to reach Feather River Hospital and evacuate patients as flames engulfed the building, Butte County Supervisor Doug Teeter said.

The hospital was totally destroyed, Mike Mangas, a spokesman for operator Dignity Health, told Action News Now.

Firefighting aircraft were unable to operate due to high winds, which were forecast to strengthen yesterday morning.

“The problem is the winds that pushed the fire so much, so fast,” said Maclean, adding that it could be days before authorities knew the full extent of fatalities and damage.