Raging tragedy
Nurse Cassie Lerossignol hugging a co-worker as the Feather River Hospital burns while the Camp Fire rages through Paradise, California. (Inset) Firemen fighting a losing battle; the Blackbear Diner in smoking ruins. Tens of thousands of people fled a fast-moving wildfire 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.
PARADISE: A fast-moving wildfire that ravaged a Northern California town sent residents racing to escape on roads that turned into tunnels of fire as thick smoke darkened the daytime sky, wiping out what a Cal Fire official said was a couple of thousand structures.
“We were surrounded by fire, we were driving through fire on each side of the road,” said police officer Mark Bass, who lives in the hard-hit town of Paradise and works in neighbouring Chico.
He evacuated his family and then returned to the fire to help rescue several disabled residents, including a man trying to carry his bedridden wife to safety.
“It was just a wall of fire on each side of us, and we could hardly see the road in front of us.”
Tales of harrowing escapes and heroic rescues emerged from Paradise, where the community of 27,000 was ordered to evacuate.
Witnesses reported seeing homes, supermarkets, businesses, restaurants, schools and a retirement home up in flames.
“Pretty much the community of Paradise is destroyed, it’s that kind of devastation,” said Cal Fire Capt. Scott McLean late Thursday.
He estimated that a couple of thousand structures were destroyed in the town about 290km north-east of San Francisco.
Meanwhile, portions of Southern California remained under siege early yesterday as two large fires threatened numerous Ventura County communities.
The National Weather Service issued red-flag warnings for fire dangers in many areas of the state, saying low humidity and strong winds were expected to continue through the evening
The fire in Paradise was reported after daybreak in a rural area.
By nightfall, it had consumed more than 73 sq km and firefighters had no containment on the blaze, McLean said.
In the midst of the chaos, officials said they could not provide figures on the number of wounded, but County Cal Fire Chief Darren Read said at a news conference that at least two firefighters and multiple residents were injured.
“It’s a very dangerous and very serious situation,” Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said.
“We’re working very hard to get people out. The message I want to get out is: If you can evacuate, you need to evacuate.”
Several evacuation centres were set up in nearby towns.
Residents described fleeing their homes and then getting stuck on gridlocked roads as flames approached, sparking explosions and toppling utility poles.