Paradise Lost - Inside the Camp Fire 

I'm from Paradise, we lost our house and my parents lost their business. I was at Feather River Hospital for a doctor's appointment, and when I got there I went in and asked what was happening and they told me there was a fire in a town that was like 3 mountain ridges away. So I signed, and about 15 mins later they took me into a room to get seen by a doctor. Then about 2 mins go by and they come in and tell me that the hospital is evacuating. So I walk out the front to go too my car and about 50 feet from the doctors office I was in the fire just blew up the canyon reaching up and over to the parking lot. So I hop in my car and haul ass to my dad's work, peeling into his work and telling him to close the shop we have to go, that the hospital was about to be on fire. And he's like yeah okay sure, not really taking it to seriously. I'm told him I'm fucking going home to wake up mom and pack some shit. No more than 10 mins after I leave he calls and says I'm closing the shop, there's fucking entire tree limbs that are on fire falling from the sky. So he gets home and my mom is being super defiant saying I'm not leaving until the fire is on the street or I have to take a shower first. I grabbed her and told her I'm not fucking playing and I'm not gonna argue, I was like you have to pack your stuff and we have to go. While me and my sister are packing my parents get a call from my grandma who lives in Chico crying and asking if we left already. My dad told her no and she was crying and sniffling and telling us we had too leave and my dad started crying and said they were packing now then leaving. Once we packed as much as we could into our cars we left, but it didn't help because of how sudden the fire was every street was clogged. We were in line for like an hour and a half before we even got to skyway. It terrifying to watch what used too be a bright sky turn to midnight in less than an hour. I was calling my family because we got separated somewhere on skyway talking to them just for comfort. By time I could see the top of skyway it was already a blazing inferno. I was already having trouble making phone calls because of thick the smoke was. I was able to make one last phone call before getting to the fire. It was with my dad, my voice was a really shaky. I told him when he picked up that skyway was on fire that fire was on the road, and I was like what do I do. He told just follow the break lights in front of you and don't stop. I started too break down a crying a little and said okay. Then I could here him start too cry and he said I love you bud. I just completely broke down at point and said that I loved him too, then almost like it was on cue the phone cut out . I started to panic saying hello are you there before noticing the phone had cut out. So as I was approaching the area of road that was on fire, I took deep breaths and remembered what my dad told me. But as I was driving thru skyway the fire was getting worse and cars were stopping. After a little of driving thru it the fire got so bad that the two lane road turned into just shy of a one lane road, the fire was practically touching the sides of the cars. I was getting burned thru my car door. Its kinda hard to describe what it feels like when you think you're gonna die. When you think that your family and you aren't gonna make it out alive. I was driving a pretty old truck that had some history of overheating, and because it was getting so hot I was worried of overheating. That would have been it, I wouldn't have been able to get out because the fire was so close to the doors. And the poor people behind me including my family. But I made it through and once I saw clear sky I fucking lost it, I was a grown ass man bawling. I immediately picked up my phone shaking and blubbering trying to call my family. I got through to my dad and told him I made it. He was also crying saying he did too, I asked about mom and my sister and he said he was right behind them and everyone made it out so we hung up and did like 100 down skyway to Chico. We all met up at my grandma's house and all exchange hugs crying and telling each other we love them. And as much as I'd like to say I was brave, calm and collected I wasn't I actually thought I was gonna die. I had problems going to sleep for like 4 months after the fire. I already had pretty bad anxiety, but ended up developing some social anxiety because of being stuck in line to get watch the smoke get thicker and thicker. It fucked me up mentally pretty bad and I wouldn't wish what happened to our town upon my worst enemy.

I remember this fire, school was canceled because the smoke in the Bay Area was so heavy. Thank you CHP and other first responders

I drove through the fire. This video captures some great stories and emotions... it's almost 3 years later and unless you were there this doesn't begin to convey the experiences being described. You did not know if you were going to survive. Thank you officers, cal fire, all first responders and all individual citizens who helped our fellow paradisians.

i think people don’t understand how hard it was to get out. we were on the other ridge but the only way out was down the hill on Skyway which was blocked by traffic, every other access point was blocked by fire. devistating

These guys did a freaking awesome job getting us out. We owe our lives to them. I for one am forever changed by this. I can’t imagine how they put their lives on the line for all of us idiots out here. God bless them AND their families.

Our officers don't get nearly enough appreciation for what they do and decisions they have to make to put the publics safety before thier own.

Respect from the Bay Area to every first responder out there.

Because of these brave amazing people my family made it out with our lives I am forever thankful and grateful to all who dedicated their time to fight with us that day. Thank you from the bottom of my heart❤

Proud to be joining them 🚔

That's so incredible. So sad for all the lives lost, human and and animal alike, all the homes and memories. But thanks to all the first responders for their quick thinking and ability to keep going in call to serve and protect.

Had a lot of friends living in paradise, I worked at SRMC during carr, things would’ve been a lot of different without all these first responders. We will forever be grateful for you guys

Respect from Australia

Respect from New Zealand, please stay safe.

Aloha! Lahaina here! I remember watching this fire in horror. In an odd way, it makes me understand this one , and that one better. The wind!! I am going to meet up with local law enforcement here to give a statement on my video(different channel) and my experience. I am in full support and appreciation of our first responders ! I am disgusted with all the blaming. I do believe it is climate change…..ultimately responsible….and these types of things will happen exponentially more often. 🙏🏼🙏🏼 Mahalo for your service

Rip to all lives lost🙏❤️God Bless 🙌✝️

Blessings to all 1st responders; those in uniform; volunteers, etc🤗❤️ Lives saved daily💞

great story thank you to our heroes in blue we appreciate what you do every day

Thank you guys so much! If it wasn't for you guys my dad would have been stuck on the inter section.

My hands shake Everytime I watch video of the Paradise fire I know people were lost but far more were saved by the diligent work of first responders giving their time and efforts to ensure the as many people as humanly possible could get out.

Thank you CHP for what you did for these people on that horrific day. Paradise was my childhood home, and it is still so very hard for me to know and see how everything I knew as a kid is just gone.

This is just one reason why The highway Patrol calle their Shelf (THE BEST OF THE BEST) because they have what it takes! Thank's other police department's and FIRST Responders for their service..!!!

That's remember Portugal 2017,we lost 112 people in two separate events, in June and October. So difficult for me speak about because I feel so embarrassed. The lack of descordination between rescue forces lead us to this tragedy

Last year. In 2021, we had a fire that burned around a million acres. Even worse than this but i feel really bad for the people that were stuck in traffic with fires right next to them.. I hope everyone was okay! And thank you to all the fire responders, officers, firefighters, and cal fire. We wouldnt be here right now if those jobs never existed.

Damn good job, CHP.

Thank you first responders for everything you did to take the fire out and saving our lives

One of my old neighbors lost their house at Paradise, she said propane tanks were exploding when the pulled out!

I’m crying from remembering it

Thank you police officers for your service.

Just recently watched Fire on the Ridge which was founded by sponsors and survivors of the Camp Fire many of the survivors actually playing themselves in the movie. Very few movies bring me to tears but this is right up there in top 5 movies that absolutely brought me to tears.

We lost our Calistoga ranch to the Atlas fire. Having done structure defense on it until Cal Fire got there, I can't imagine what this was like, watching the flames come racing over the hills behind our ranch was eerie enough, I couldn't imagine having to try and evacuate an entire city with flames basically engulfing it as you go. Mother Nature isn't something to be taken lightly, you piss her off, and she'll win every time.

Thank you heroes💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

I lived in Paradise I sill remember that day for the rest of my life, I lived near the Feather River Hospital Just about a 5 minute car ride and a 15 minute walk when I tried to escape the little clothes i had just one pair a shorts and one t-shirt and the smoke was bad near kmart and up skyway and pentz I lived just a 5 to 10 minute walk to pentz. I lived off of sawmill rd a road called Young ave and i was rushing to house to hitched up my parents trailer and helped my neighbors to escape and I last thing I saw leaving Paradise was a house just two house's down was in golfed in flames and pitched black smoke ways heavy almost couldn't breathe and the grid lock was bad all I saw around me was flames a size of the pine trees being lit up and brush and little tress PG&E lines and Poles were on fire.

If nobody was coming up to Paradise, why did it take so long to allow the cars to use the othe lanes? Where was the communication

I was in the traffic on Skyway which was not moving at all.... black as midnight at 12 noon... no warnings were being given to those of us in Magalia... I only knew the fire was coming when a friend from Marysville who was in Chico at the time, called me and told me to "get the hell off the mountain... everything is burning!!!"...

Garp 1966 and Irish girl , glad you guys made it to safety !

That is heartbreaking 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

That was one hell of a day I was hanging out at my office on Clark Road just south of Pearson I watch this tape about once a month I don't know why lost everything I had must every picture almost every picture I grabbed three pictures for my office but all of my photo albums clothes mementos High School everything gone I was lucky one it was raining fire when I left but I never felt I was in extreme Danger

good to all, could someone tell me where I can buy that emblem California Highway Patrol , which appears on the shirt of these two police officers who comment? thanks

God bless first responders 🙏❤️

Wow devastating fire

Okay I don’t mean to undermine the work these guys did but what about the idiots that left 99 open while people were stuck in fire on neal rd?

The CHP were and are amazing. In the PBS Frontline documentary, in the middle of a burning road, is a CHP vehicle with lights on, the officer keeping people from going that way, into a death trap.

The truth is, Cal Fire didn't respond for over an hour to reports of the fire because they intended for it to get big

Heros‼️

Oh man that's sad though

Ordinary people doing extraordinary things

Did they ever find the source of the fire? I mean from the title I'm guessing a camp fire but was anyone charged for it?

They should set fires along the edges of the roads. That way the fire burns away from the roads. The further they burn the better. Then when the MAIN fire comes along, there's a good 20 foot plus, safety barrier along the roads. The alternative is to let the fires gradually encroach upon the roads. The fire then squeezes any cars or pedestrians in the middle of the road. They are essentially trapped between the two sides. The maximum intensity of the fire would then be right when it reaches the edge of the road and fans its flames across any unfortunate cars or people stuck in the middle.

gotta thank PG&E for starting the fire.

I remember setting on Bushmen in my truck and I was calling friends and family letting them know that I love them because I know I was going to die that day

Respect guys, stay safe #bluelivesmatter

seems everyone that died were seniors. guessing most of the population are above 55

I saw that

I almost died we lost our home i was in the fire it was 2blocks from my house

It’s too bad Maui didn’t have that kind of response

suprised pg&e still exist

This is the worse fire I’ve seen in modern history!!!

Let’s have more road diets in California. Dah!

They work with my dad

That is what it looks like to evacute

The first responder should have told everybody to haul ass don't stop don't turn around just haul ass I would much rather drive through the flaming front then shelter in place and burn to death doing nothing sometimes you have to ignore what the police or firefighters tell you and use your own common sense

Too bad that happen God knows best.....🙄

I got stuck and I lost my cat

Gg

number one reason i dont live in california

Too many liberal tree hungers are the people who should live in these areas. Sign a consent stating that you don’t want brush clearance and you are responsible for your property burning down. You also need to refuse help because that puts firefighters in too much danger that you started.

Wow! I have no other words, except, I am really glad you made it out. You should live your life LIKE a legend! You MADE IT!!! 🥹😘🙏🙌🏼

I almost died we lost our home i was in the fire it was 2blocks from my house