85 people died in the state’s most devastating wildfire in history
FILE – In this Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, file photo, Christina Taft poses with a photo of her mother, Victoria Taft, at the burned-out ruins of the Paradise, Calif., home where her mother died the previous fall. Victoria Taft was one of 85 people who died in the most destructive wildfire in California history. Christina, who now lives in San Jose, said it’s been a difficult year and is planning to return to Paradise, Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, for the one-year anniversary of the wildfire that took her mother’s life. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
By ADAM BEAM Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Paradise will pause on Friday.
One year after the most devastating wildfire in California history mostly destroyed the town, local officials are asking people to pause for 85 seconds beginning at 11:08 a.m. — one second for every person who was killed.
It’s one of several events local officials have planned to commemorate Nov. 8, 2018, when a terrifying blaze blew through the town and prompted a panicked evacuation that forced some people to flee their cars as the fire closed in on gridlocked roads.
Christina Taft fled that day. But her mother, Victoria, did not and was killed in the fire. Taft said it’s been a difficult year and she’s had trouble finding housing. She’s living in San Jose with a friend she met after the fire, where she finally found a job and starts on Monday.
Taft said she plans to return to Paradise this weekend to visit with friends. She’s told her story many times to media outlets, including being featured recently in a PBS documentary.
“I didn’t watch it,” she said. “I just can’t even really look at fire that much.”
FILE – In this Nov. 8, 2018, file photo, a home burns during a wildfire in Paradise, Calif. Ceremonies will be held in Paradise, Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, to mark the one-year anniversary of the fire, including 85 seconds of silence to remember the 85 people killed. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
While Friday’s events will remember that day, Paradise Mayor Jody Jones said she wants the community to “celebrate the progress we’ve made and look to the future and what we can become.”
“We were never lost,” she said.
In the year since the fire, crews have removed more than 3.66 million tons of debris — twice the amount that was removed from the World Trade Center site following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Nine homes have been rebuilt so far, but the town is on track to issue 500 building permits by the end of the year.
Local officials have kept the town’s traditions alive to encourage people to come back, including hosting Johnny Appleseed Days in the fall. In the spring, 220 seniors returned to Paradise High School for a graduation ceremony many thought would have been impossible just six months before. And in August, the Paradise High School football team played its first home game — a 42-0 rout that kicked off an undefeated season.
FILE – In this June 6, 2019, file photo, a graduating senior walks to the graduation ceremony at Paradise High School in Paradise, Calif. Months after most of the students of Paradise High lost their homes when the Camp Fire swept through the area, the seniors gathered one more time at the high school for graduation. Ceremonies will be held in Paradise, Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, to mark the one-year anniversary of the fire, including 85 second of silence to remember the 85 people who died. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
“Right after the fire people were saying it would be three years before anything was rebuilt. I think we’ve proved them wrong,” Jones said. “We’re a very resilient, independent, strong community. I always knew that and people have proved that to be true.”
The fire’s impacts have been felt far beyond Paradise. State officials say 20,000 people have moved to nearby Chico, boosting that city’s population by more than 20% and putting a strain on public services.
FILE – In this Nov. 9, 2018, file photo, a piece of art sits outside the burned remains of a home destroyed by the Camp Fire in Paradise, Calif. In the year since the fire, crews have removed more than 3.66 million tons of debris, twice the amount that was removed from the World Trade Center site following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. — the utility company whose equipment started the fire — filed for bankruptcy in January after facing billions of dollars’ worth of potential damage claims.
This year, rather than risk a repeat of the Paradise fire, the company has routinely shut off power to millions of people during dry, windy conditions, prompting widespread anger and government investigations.
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