Escaping Paradise | California Wildfires: The New Normal

How would you escape the massive Camp Fire in Paradise, California?
Escaping Paradise | California Wildfires: The New Normal
When the Camp Fire ignited, it started a chain of events that allowed it to become the deadliest wildfire in California history. There was no plan to handle an evacuation on this scale, and it led to more than 80 deaths.
UPDATE: 12/11/18- Authorities identified an 86th victim who passed away in the hospital after receiving burn wounds in the fire.
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[@timotheegauthier8830]

And this is why I keep saying that we need those old emergency warning system sirens on poles in the towns. That sucker ringing non stop until it burns down.

[@leshee3000]

I wish we had sirens that day.

[@pathacker4963]

I think we still have one in my little town, but it's rarely if ever used now.

[@SOS-ct9mv]

We do in the east bay and San Francisco they go off once a week

[@clairez007]

You don't have them?! Up north in southern NJ we have them for fire and flood ! You government in CA is not people friendly !😢😵

[@juliebergacker5680]

Timothée Gauthier sure wouldn’t hurt to do it! Sad. So very very fast😢

[@concernedcitizen6316]

Christina here has a serious case of survivors guilt. The poor lady. Ultimately her mother made the wrong call and paid the price. Christina made the right decision. Saying she should have stayed to convince her mom to leave would have resulted in both of them dead.

[@honeyowen3163]

I'm thinking the same thing. I hope she's getting professional help to cope.

[@reme001]

To Christina Taft, My heart goes out to your for your loss. I had to rescue my elderly mother from an apt fire. I'm glad she didn't give me a hard time. Please try not to feel guilty as she made her decision, as stubborn and foolhardy as it turned out to be. She was an adult. Try to get on with your life; I know it will be hard because you will go through survivor's guilt. I wish you a happy, safe new year.

[@cindislater7262]

To all the people in Paradise, I would like to say how you are all my Hero's I can't begin to imagine what you must of gone through , I will always remember this tragedy and Wish everybody all the love and support God Bless

[@ChristinaTaft]

Thanks Reme. If it had been clearer about the danger, she probably wouldn’t have been confused and left with me. I couldn’t be heard above noise I guess...

[@tjlightningbolt]

I have no sympathy! ZERO! Find out how it feels! NO MERCY!

[@Khaymen223]

@@ChristinaTaft You are no coward....You were brave..You followed your gut instinct, and did what you could to save her. As a parent, our last thoughts are always, always, always about our children's safety, over our own.. I have no doubt her last thoughts were comfort knowing you were safe..She wouldn't want you living the rest of your life in sadness.. She is proud of you, as am I...Live your life, smile, and love..

[@lavenderbella187]

@@tjlightningbolt Then youre cold hearted

[@oscrthgrch7]

I left my place at 7:30 AM for a dentist appointment. Surrounded by trees, I could only see some thin smoke high up. Aware of the red flag warnings, I was concerned, so I immediately tuned into the radio to hear what the source of the smoke was. At that time, the radio news on both KPAY and KCHO were only reporting it as a ten acre fire near Pulga. As I drove down the Skyway that morning, I repeatedly switched between both radio stations to hear any updates. The traffic was lighter than usual, and while I could see some smoke, the news reports had reassured me that it was a small fire some distance away, and there was no talk of any evacuation warnings even, much less mandatory ones. Both stations continued to play their regularly scheduled programming. I carefully listened for any updates on the easy listening radio station in my dentist's office, and near nine AM, they finally reported an evacuation warning for Pentz Road. At this point I decided to return home and prepare to evacuate rather than go to work as I had originally planned. But it was far too late - I didn't get to the Skyway until probably nine thirty (southbound 99 was parking lot from about east First Avenue) and it was closed at Bruce Road. Any chance of saving anything I owned, or my two inside cats, was gone. As I had left planning to go to work, I had taken the company car, so I didn't even save my own truck. I lived in fear of the worst, with a faint hope that maybe my place and my cats had been spared. But the following Sunday, my landlady sent me a text that my place was completely destroyed, and "Your kitties are in heaven". I only had liability insurance on my car, my truck, and my two motorcycles, and I didn't have renters insurance, so everything was a total loss. I have not yet been able to return to see if anything I own might have miraculously survived (I have no real hope that anything did), but I look forward to being able to do so in order to give myself the peace of closure and to try and get on with my life.

[@crustycrowe]

I'm very sorry for your loss. My fathers house was spared somehow, but is surrounded by rubble. The rest of my family, nineteen in all, were burned out. they made it out alive, but all but my father are homeless and jobless now. Such an unbelievable catastrophe.

[@brandonrittiman4026]

I'm really sorry to hear that. It sounds like an EAS alert certainly could have helped you be better informed that day.

[@thugantoinette]

im so so so sorry may the precious angels RIP

[@JORDANDAWN815]

I am heartbroken for you!! And your kitties!!! I cannot imagine! You /everyone in Paradise needs to tell your story on KZbin!

[@Trike.]

I have unwanted Amber Alerts sent to my phone , but your government didn't even bother to broadcast an emergency alert. They could have Pinged every cell phone and told you to excavate . If they can send a Amber alert they can also send a evacuation alert. Look at your cell phone bill , they take money from us for 911 services in the form of taxes and then let you burn . If i was a wanted felon , the government could track my anywhere in the county if my phone was on. But they didn't bother alert you . Just like they want your guns , but then they offer nothing to replace it with and tell you they will save and protect you . Well you see how well they did now.

[@lauriurton6176]

Dear Christine, In her last moments your mom's most fear surpassing thought would have been knowing that you made the right decision. I'm sorry to hear of your loss. Please know that the love your mother gave you is with you everyday of your life, It's apart of you. Please don't block the full experience of the love that should continue to enhance your life with the idea that you should have effected a difference in the situation you had no control over. It wasn't the natural order of your relationship. I hope that sharing your experience will guide authorities to handle mass evacuations differently in the future. I think it will. Peace and love be with you.

[@moonstone9075]

Yes very true ! Her mother would want her to carry on and live her best life ! My heart goes out to Christine and all the victims in this tragedy !!!

[@intothemystic5223]

I get alerts on my phone for a freakin thunderstorm without being signed up to anything. I don't understand why they couldn't send out alerts for this.

[@irishgrl]

There were alerts. I got several. Not everyone was signed up for alerts...

[@midnitesilverrun8631]

Markus Allen um maybe you didn’t do the research.more then one agency and news outlet has clearly reported they could have and didn’t.they choose some dumb and archaic way that revolved around sign ups.when they could have used the warning system that actually alerted them all.there was multiple faults on the people in charge and people died because of it.the major lack in holding the people of pg&e accountable was another fault on the officials.lets not get started on the lack of fixing evacuation routes they were told they needed to do as well in prior years.the evacuation leader even said himself they didn’t see the point of spending the money on the roads for an event that may never happen.so please explain how it’s not their fault?

[@SupernaturalLove100]

Markus Allen ok ms conspiracy theorist. great answer!

[@olegkosygin2993]

not everyone has a cell phone or knows how to use em

[@intothemystic5223]

@@olegkosygin2993 ok...but the majority of people do have cell phones. And you don't need to know how to use one to read an alert that pops up on your screen. You just need to know how to read. I stand by my original comment. They should have sent out alerts without you having to sign up for them.

[@jamesfarrell1116]

Thank you to all of the first responders who rushed into danger and saved lives. We owe you a debt that can never be repaid.

[@lex-sf3xc]

I lost my grandma to this fire, she slept through it all and got burnt to death in her sleep, I live in va so I didn't know she died until a week later when they discovered her charred body and identified it, I miss her more and more every day

[@vickibaker8372]

We need Jesus...our only Hope. These are the end times...give your soul to JESUS

[@chrismotsinger9840]

@Markus Allen your an idiot I am sorry for the way that you think a person lost their grandmother....

[@aleciabjorlie3103]

Done With Life ... I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my grandmother and aunt to a house fire many years ago. 🍃🙏🍃😔🍃... They lived in Chico, CA, not far from Paradise.

[@Iworkwithnitwits]

I would not need an order to know to evacuate. You really cannot leave your safety up to county officials. I feel for those who thought someone was coming to rescue them.

[@wiretamer5710]

That is not the point. The evacuation plan depended on a staggered zone based evacuation. If everyone leaves at random the roads get jammed and EVERYONE gets trapped.

[@blaquentgruppe6547]

Give me a break Most sat around for hours .common sense Most could have departef Like christine mom One hour asking her With flames across the street Pbs documentary Now this DIFFERENT story. Fire rescue risk life for what.butterscotsch cookies

[@marywinterstein14]

Christina, you are far far far and away not a coward. Sympathies to you and all the other victims of this tragedy. Much respect and thanks to all the fire crews and emergency personnel that was there that day and all the emergency personnel and first responders that continue their service today and everyday in our future. Please dear God bless them and keep them safe.

[@tedhibbard6320]

My mom died of cancer then this fire hit me in pheonix oregon.I lost everything and almost jumped off the freeway overpass.I feel for you girl.I am getting better.

[@bekahe4433]

❤

[@tedhibbard6320]

@@bekahe4433 Is that you in video.That fire showed no mersey.

[@greatestever184]

This is why I stopped relying on authority figures to tell me what to do. I'll make my own choices to protect myself.

[@seedplanter7173]

Thinking like an American should think?...Priceless

[@Jhon47807]

Big talk for a youtube comment...

[@tawneybeaver8612]

The problem was the fact that this was an unprecedented fire situation. This was very early morning, many people in town weren't even awake. Its also a retirement community, many elderly and disabled residents. I grew up in Paradise, fires were the norm every summer, but no one could have predicted the camp fire. It was a monster. The "authority" in town that you condemn was met with praise for their tireless efforts. They saved COUNTLESS lives. Please don't make assumptions, especially when you have little to no information about a horrific tragedy like this.

[@evanhearsey]

She was so stupid her mother should have left what was she thinking

[@wiretamer5710]

If everyone acted like that, most people in a way of a disaster would die. It is only through co-operation and teamwork that SOME challenges can be overcome. Sure, individual initiative is useful, but not if you are personally unaware of all the essential facts.

[@aidanw9378]

I feel bad for the authorities in the town. This was a fire unlike anything they could have been prepared for. It came up so quickly.

[@hoot1141]

Was anyone charged for this? One of the 911 dispatchers, a woman, was telling people to stay home. That dispatcher should charged with many of the deaths and injured for diminishing the severity of the fire and telling people to stay home and die.

[@chrisx5127]

Yup, she should have died instead. Or at least fired now. Pathetic!

[@Mmewster]

Reliving the trauma as i see this i am crying, IT TRUELY WAS THE WORST DAY IN MY LIFE.. LOST EVERYTHING

[@honeyowen3163]

Population 27,000 deaths 85. People always look for someone o blame but considering this fire totalled a town in 4 HOURS! I think the search and rescue did a heroic job. Many people were saved by rescuers staying behind after they had been told to get out.

[@meyerhome85]

I feel for this girl...my mom NEVER listens to me either. We live on the East coast. She never leaves for Hurricane warnings of mandatory evacuations. My kids and grand kids listen and we go. You can only pray and wish the stubborn well.

[@cynthianorman44]

Again, my heart and soul cry for all the people and animals💔💔💔💔🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@wadep9916]

This is why I won't live in the mountains, ur trapped burned alive!

[@theantichrist6524]

She did the only thing that she could do her mom should have accepted really in any emergency where your life is in danger your the only authority there is

[@blaquentgruppe6547]

Mom refuse to leave with flames outside Her camera phone show her leaving on pbs documentary . She open door flames roaring Flame so loud mom could not hear her for 1 hour to leave.makes no sense.no firefighters SHOULD risk life

[@pameladelmonte2418]

Omg, so sorry for your loss! You did the best you could.😇💝

[@ChristinaTaft]

Thanks, though I wish I had asked the people outside parked bumper to bumper to tell her to leave. Another adult had to tell her and the phone people weren’t.

[@49dman33]

I feel sad for the people of Paradise.. My thoughts and prayers are always there. I spent 24 straight days in Paradise Ca. In helping restore some hope and normalcy there. I'm not a Rescue Personal or PG&E employee. But I am glad I was able to help in some way even if it was just traffic controlling. God Bless Paradise Ca.

[@nathandeal8253]

49dman we appreciate the thoughts! I’m from paradise ca. Lost everything.. :/

[@lukebrown6951]

Thoughts and prayers don’t do anything hun

[@amydraughon925]

@@lukebrown6951 speak for urself. U don't know what helps others and u better get to know Him or ur gonna be real sorry

[@irishgrl]

Thank you for your help and prayers. It’s folks like you that restore faith in humanity.

[@johnrogan9420]

At least Vicky Taft raised a bright penny...god bless u christina!

[@jamesfarrell1116]

My thoughts and prayers are with Paridise California. One step at a time. God bless. Have a wonderful day today.

[@followthewhiterabbit1089]

I think Christinas mother is proud of her daughter. I would be, she was so strong minded she got out alive.

[@or3609]

I can't believe they didn't use EAS and WEA. Not everyone uses Twitter.

[@priscillaross-fox9407]

I don't use Twitter but once in awhile and would never depend on it for any kind of warning. I have other things to do unlike that person who ONLY uses it.

[@ethanpoole3443]

EAS/NWS is not well suited to local disasters as it is primarily a top-down system meant to relay federal and state level messages, so it takes time for something local to work its way up that chain. It may help to realize that the system was originally created to warn of an impending nuclear war. It is my understanding that they did use reverse 911 but even that takes time as 27,000 people and 18,000 homes is a lot of phone calls. But the real problem was that in less than an hour an entire city was largely wiped from the map and the very people who would ordinarily be trying to man such alerts and work them up the chain were themselves caught up in the evacuation, whether assisting with the hospital evacuation or trying to escape to safety themselves. At that same time, all the usual communications infrastructure around you is failing as power and phone lines are falling and internet is collapsing and it is likely cell towers and perhaps even public service radio were also at risk of being lost as they would all be structures within the affected area. Evacuating an entire city in under an hour with no advance notice is not something we are ever likely to be good at as the situation is so dynamic and complex and the real time planning information so limited that people are largely on their own in such dire emergencies - essentially things are happening so fast that even what officials might remain behind are hopelessly overwhelmed. In the future a better option may be to create regularly distributed fire sanctuaries throughout towns in high risk areas where residents have rapid access to nearby shelters of last resort that are designed to protect the citizens during fast moving fires - they will still lose their homes but they will get through the initial crisis alive at least. This was not an organized fire slowly burning through a town with a well defined front but rather thousands of fires starting almost simultaneously all throughout the town so within a matter of minutes the whole town was involved in the fire overwhelming all the infrastructure normally in place to deal with such crises.

[@hateithere1017]

@@ethanpoole3443 get a life you loser

[@ChristinaTaft]

It wasn’t 1 hour. I was warned at 8:30 by the neighbor and left around 10. I saw no fire until south end of town by Neal.... the Mary woman she talked to didn’t leave until 2pm!!

[@scorpiocosmoo]

I escaped the fire that day...NO ONE got a evacuation warning...we just knew to run because we seen flames and the smoke turned the sky from day to night...the code red FAILED hard that day

[@nonyebizzn1604]

my moms has a bleeping attitude all the time i would of took her by force. I feel so bad for her i prob would of tied my moms hands and legs together and threw her in the car.

[@amandapinkgelato9482]

That is easier said than done.

[@blaquentgruppe6547]

Her mom was on phone You watch pbs segment Now she wants to play this game Mister firefighter go rescue TWO HOURS SHE TRY TO CONVINCE MOM WITH FLAMES ALL AROUND HER SO PLEASE STOP BLAMIN OTHERS FOR .MOMS

[@kiminainteasy5841]

You gotta sign up?! I get Amber alerts, flood alerts, whatever alerts on my phone and never signed up for anything but a cell phone. I don't even live in a flood zone.

[@mikexxxmilly]

Yeah. That’s weird af. I don’t sign up for anything. Download an app AND get alerts straight to phone on top of that

[@veggiedisease123]

That's WEAs, the system they didn't use.

[@lanuhacres20]

I lived off of Wagstaff on Waggoner Rd. and we got a reverse 911 phone call from our house phone at about 8:15 AM that is what made our family pack up and leave.

[@laurahoward3366]

We were there. Our Paradise turned into a inferno. So scared a year later

[@gmailaccount1894]

Direct energy weapon. No doubt.

[@dreaminez472]

I can't imagine what that poor girl is feeling. What an unbelievably horrible situation she was in 😢

[@andreaphillips7595]

Poor Christina. I wish I could tell her that as a mom I imagine Vicky was probably grateful, in her last moments, that her daughter had escaped. Christina has nothing to feel guilty about

[@twistofthethrottle]

I actually just finished a paper for my master’s program on climate change and wildfires. Megafires are becoming commonplace in the West. I’m heavily considering going into wildland firefighting out west as a career path upon completion of my program. I currently live in Oklahoma, however, and we have tornado sirens go off every Saturday at noon to test that they’re still working properly. The west needs these sirens, and I now feel that getting those sirens installed in these places may be another mission I have in life along with whatever career I choose. Social media, phone calls, and door-to-door knocks isn’t enough. This kind of devastation and chaos is so sad to see. Better warning measures could have prevented this.

[@donaldmorrison9940]

I did wonder why they don’t. How big a factor is climate change? Weighed against other factors like a century of no controlled burns, no logging etc?

[@twistofthethrottle]

@@donaldmorrison9940 they’re both compounding factors. The way forest management has been pursued the past century is part of what has led to these mega fires alongside increased temperature and lower humidity levels. A century of no burns or logging would be improbable and almost impossible as well. Too many people live in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and as a society we can’t justifiably let them all lose their homes or potentially their lives just to test out a theory. Simultaneously, logging thins forests which reduces fire load whereas mega fires further exacerbate the problem of climate change by releasing immense amounts of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere (more so than logging). I’m no forestry expert or climatologist so my ideas aren’t necessarily the most concrete, but something needs to change.

[@jthorson1986]

That fire grew so rapid there was nothing anyone could do.

[@paulsmallriver6066]

@@sl4983 prove this.

[@paulsmallriver6066]

@@sl4983 Where is your proof of this? You post nothing you can prove. Chemtrails, DEW - pathetic. Prove these things.

[@nwaman223]

skip bo no chance it moved way to fast like 7 miles in an hour

[@blaquentgruppe6547]

My god Are u ok?

[@blaquentgruppe6547]

These people are the sick.of society FLATBED TRAIN TRAVELLING FOR YEARS WITH TANKS IM STILL WAITING FOR INVASION OF BAKERSFIELD

[@vonshango6311]

2:32 their house was under mandatory evac order but it never reached them. 3:31 it started on camp creek rd under high tension power lines. 6:21 fire crews couldn't steer the camp fire or head it off because it wasnt a wall of flames but a windstorm full of sparks flying overhead lighting a million spot fires. 7:55 daughter and mom started disagreeing on evacuation. 8:40 mom stayed put waiting for her zone to be called. 10:35 emergency traffic plan, know your zone, shelter in place until your zone gets evac order. 12:40 despite 8:03am whole town evac order, sheriff didnt do same until 9:04am. 13:22 all evac orders unheard, no warning at all. 15:40 the two biggest bullhorns like fema alert systems were not used at all via tv/radio or pushes to cellphone were not used at all that day. 17:55 fire scientists are surprised by high death toll. 18:40 1 in 5 people had disability due to elderly population.

[@babybrat2958]

Pat, first responders would have been evacuating and rescuing citizens in the Concow area the moment when embers started raining down on paradise. It’s a good 35min drive just to get back to paradise from Concow. It’s a guarantee that some of the engines in paradise were dispatched to Initial Attack on this fire. That means until mutual aid arrives you’ve got no resources or very few resources. A similar thing happened in the Oakland Hills Firestorm 1991. Two engine strike teams from SF were to do structure protection in the Hiller Highlands development as all local Oakland and Berkeley units were already engaged with other assignments. By the time the two engine strike teams from SF arrived, the entire Hiller Highlands Decelopment of 340 homes was destroyed...incinerated down to foundation. A couple of police were doing door to door evacuations how ever the neighborhood was igniting around people as they were evacuating. Wind driven fires can move at an incredible and terrifying speed. You can not fight an extreme wind driven fire. The only thing that can be done is evacuate/ rescue citizens and structure protection as resources allow. Life safety comes before structure protection how ever. Embers ignited hundreds of spot fires.

[@michaelkeecho7589]

Heartbreaking! God Bless ! All The Men and Women Who Do This Service , Thank You! May All Who Who Were Called Home , Live On Forever Through Family and Friends!

[@luvforinf876]

I live not too far from paradise and to see the tragedy unfolding on TV then to go outside and smell the smoke in the air. The smoke of peoples houses with favorite memories, the smoke filled with loved ones and animals. The smoke filled with Sorrow and tragedy. ☹️My whole town and many more surrounding Paradise had this solemn vibe in the air as they knew the horrific things that were happening. I am lucky to say that in a time of tragedy people can come together and unit as one. 💪The after math of the fire was filled with volunteers taking the people from Paradise into their home so they had shelter. Volunteers drove down to Chico where most of the vaccuees were waiting/staying and handed out necessities (toothbrushes, socks, deodorant, toothpaste, tampons/pads, formula for babies etc.) it hurts my heart to see the destruction happen so fast. 🙏🏼

[@randalltrieb3035]

Don't forget the DEW

[@chasingsunsets87]

It was such a hopeless, helpless feeling being safe in the south bay area. I was consumed with a paralyzing feeling of loneliness. I was hysterical. Just the unfairness of what happened. My former amazing neighbor (she took her cat on walks on a leash) who was priced out of mountain view was hoping to live with her father in paradise. I remember visiting. She was displaced again due to her fathers toxic relationship. Thankfully the lady she stayed with in paradise was not good cat sitter, so she took her cat with her on her appointment that day in chico. What a blessing that was. Her infamous cat would of not made it if she did not randomly decided to bring him. Its why I cant respect people who tell those who get priced out to move. She is an example of why I will never comply to made up rules. She kept moving and suriving only to end up homeless. Not ok!

[@povang]

A tweet? seriously?!, nobody in my family uses twitter and i have a huge family, 10 members from ages 22-67.

[@mikexxxmilly]

What they didn’t mention that they did in another documentary is that woman didn’t sign up for the code red warning system. Yes, I think it’s a dumb system but they didn’t even attempt to utilize it

[@kilroywashere9343]

When we put out small wildfires, it leaves brush and dead plants on the ground just waiting for a spark or a strike of lightning, once that happens without small wildfires We get infernos like paradise

[@SOS-ct9mv]

Frontline PBS is doing a special on the Camp Fire this Thursday perfect timing since CA is on fire again.

[@blaquentgruppe6547]

Total different story by christine

[@daniel1571]

I left fairly early I saw the smoke and went and got gas than heard on the radio about evacuation I than left I was not panicked cause I thought I would be home in a day or two never thought this would happen

[@IMSiegfried]

@Daniel, I'm so sorry. Was your house able to be saved? Where are you now? I hope your ok.

[@mikexxxmilly]

You did what everyone should have done

[@y0url0nleyst4rxoxo6]

i miss ptown so much 😔🌲💔

[@IMSiegfried]

I'm sorry.

[@IMSiegfried]

oh look. a troll. how original. ;D

[@M0stlyStormie]

That sh-t pisses me off. How in the world do we all get a presidential alert text test, but when the emergency happens, authorities failed to alert people?

[@IMSiegfried]

Because it's up to the local county to manage situations like this and they were overwhelmed with a situation nobody had planned for meaning there was no plan in place for them to use. This is not their fault. They did more to assist than most people do in an emergency.

[@IMSiegfried]

@Pat Ratzinger So how is my answer incorrect? It is up to the local government to send those messages and they were overwhelmed, and there was no plan in place for a fire such as this. Plus I saw ambulances and heard sirens out on the roads so they weren't all parked. Come on, you seriously think that none of the fire fighters were out there fighting fires? I'm sorry but that site you mentioned is for the extreme conspiracy theory people.

[@Dreadz530]

@Pat Ratzinger it was up to Sheriff Honea to do and they were so overwhelmed they just figured everyone would get the one that they knew literally only a quarter of the area was registered. He simply dropped the ball and basically in his own words it just slipped his mind. So it's no one but the Sheriffs of Butte County fault that it wasn't not only in the beginning but not at any single time during the burn was it ever initiated. Not a single time. It doesn't take long at all to send a generic message to the entire area that says the entire area is under evacuation it's an incredibly easy thing to issue and is meant to get the word out to masses and fast but they went through and made the 4 lane traffic roads into town all 2 lanes so they have to try and let certain zones go at different times to try and not cause a huge gridlock traffic jam and cause deaths due to people not being a me to evacuate and that's what happened anyways even though the entire area said no to making it smaller. Instead of doing police work and giving tickets they just made the road small and it caused a huge amount deaths that day. People literally left their cars as they began to melt and something I learned that day is that your car will choke out due to lack of oxygen so a lot of people's cars gave up on them forcing them to flee on foot and most of them eventually died. As we ran we saw a lady who's clothes and hair was on fire and she wouldn't stop running but the worst part is the poor woman was running away from safety and back towards the fire line. Like they said for pearl harbor but to us this is truly a day that will live forever in infamy. It's the worst natural disaster in US history and even worse then the famous fire that wiped out San Francisco

[@Dreadz530]

@Pat Ratzinger you are literally dUmb as fuck. I was there were you? Didnt think so. The only weapon used here was PGE stupidity but after your comment I think u may be right up there with them.

[@neatstuff8200]

Because that's the plan!

[@kellywaggoner6703]

It was moving 80 football fields per minute!!! It was insane!! They’ve never delt with a fire like this!!!

[@Ryan-wr4nx]

no way it traveled 30 miles an hour

[@andrewboone9618]

​@Poison Ivy, if everyone in Paradise and Magalia, 50,000 people, had all died, then I'd be dead too. If the exit roads were all blocked intentionally beforehand, we never would have gotten out. As it is, we and all of our friends and family are safe, though some people certainly did die in this horrifying fire. Will you please stop using our real life tragedy to fuel your titillating conspiracy theory habit? As for warnings... yeah, that was a problem. I took the "sky that looked like we were in Mordor" as sufficient warning, though.

[@notitle27]

@@Ryan-wr4nx they clocked the head of the fire on HWY 70 at 60mph.

[@Ryan-wr4nx]

@@notitle27 think of it the fire can only go as fast as the wind blowing it they had sustained winds of 20-30 miles per hour there is no way that it was doing 60 miles pre hour when fire wont spread as fast as the wind is going it can do about half the wind speed if that

[@paleopapa8599]

​@Poison Ivy There is no evidence that ALL people in the area died. 50,000 people would have been essentially all the people in Paradise, Concow and Magalia. Ask APlaneTruth for some evidence to demonstrate that 50,000 people died. He must have meant evacuated and misspoke. Everyone working on getting to the bottom of what happened are tired and horrified by the Camp Fire. But 50,000 deaths simply not possible nor plausible. However easily many, many more hundreds of off-grid unaccounted for may have perished. Go slow and gather solid information. Try not to go after others. It is NOT helpful. Each of us will have nugget of truth to contribute. The official narrative has huge holes in it but many unofficial narratives now do. So urge all to go slow. Cross check info before flying of the handle. We are all angry and cry out to get to the bottom of this very suspicious disaster ...which will mean staying focused for the long haul. Carry on all you lovers of light and truth. Ps One thing is clear by now, being governed is dangerous.

[@deborahparker6825]

MY PRAYERS ARE CONTINUALLY WITH THESE FAMILIES 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😔😔

[@achristianreport490]

So sad how many of our disasters are caused by big businesses who lack care for human life.

[@CG-rj9fx]

God bless all this people, I’m just a delivery driver who used to deliver in these area all the time ! Can’t believe paradise is gone!

[@islandtv8087]

So sad my payers for all the people that pass 🙏

[@KM-jp2wx]

We live in Zone 2 and received two phone warnings to evacuate. We were up before 6:30 am and were able to see the fire from the time it started until it was about 1/2 mile from our neighborhood, which by that time it was a giant wave of fire roaring towards us. That's when we left.

[@NickC341]

what are these storage facilities made of ? one side burnt, the other untouched?

[@johnrogan9420]

Has ever a town been more betrayed by its officials?

[@Amy-fg6in]

John Rogan Sadly, Gatlinburg Tennessee has been. Same thing happened there 😔

[@canamx399]

Yeah and look how CA Votes. Them blue votes turn good places into shitholes! 👎🏼

[@ensignmjs7058]

It wasn't.

[@chelseyhilton6216]

Gatlinburg

[@christopherscoopeiner8812]

I have geusts in my home that are victums of the fire

[@tywebb1948]

This fire was crazy I remember the smoke in the air so many people died so many houses and valuables lost 😭😔 so glad my cousins made it

[@bryanpiper5815]

To the people of Paradise god bless its a beautiful place on the ridge from a resident of Redding .

[@blinko656]

Leland, you are a hero!!! Never forget that.... I have seen your story several places... Retired FF...:)

[@marywinterstein14]

Prayers and love to all the victims, families and emergency crews. Tornado warned towns and cities thru out the country use an alarm system that everyone can hear. Food for thought. Again I am so sorry for your loss.

[@Liv-or5ci]

I feel like the death toll must be higher than 85...

[@janetfaber5414]

No one wants to evacuate. Last summer during the fires in Lake County, I didn't leave until I absolutely HAD to. What happened to these people is unacceptable negligence. These people should have immediately been under mandatory evacuation. This makes me furious. Govt doesn't care abt elders and the poor. We need to take care of ourselves.

[@janetfaber5414]

I bet the REAL death toll is in the thousands

[@melissasanto]

@@janetfaber5414 no it isnt

[@Annie-lj4vh]

But you admit you didn’t evacuate until you absolutely had to. The fires were moving too fast to give a last minute warning. The initial warning was the last warning. They care, but they can’t control a fucking fire and divert and help those in need when it’s spreading that fast. The next time you’re told to evacuate you need to leave rather than waiting until the last second. This is the tragic example.

[@babybrat2958]

The first responders would have been busy evacuating and rescuing people in the Concow area when it started to rain embers on paradise. The embers were being carried two miles ahead of the fire by wind. Because embers were igniting hundreds of spot fires, the entire town of Paradise would have to be evacuated at once. There’s only four roads out of paradise. Those roads were over run by fire or blocked with abandoned vehicles.

[@amandapinkgelato9482]

I'm Australian, I live in NSW, and I feel differently. I leave, early. It's only a home and after seeing people with burns - that is the worst thing that can happen you other than dying. It's only a house. It's not a home unless your in it. Take yourself, your kids and your pets and get out.

[@canamxmr4760]

I can’t begin to imagine the guilt and pain she feels for her mom.

[@cartman4885]

Christina I am sorry for your lose but it sounds like you did all you could too convince your mom to leave with you and to ABC10 thanks for this very well made piece..........

[@diannt9583]

Pat, you are the one being suckered into propaganda. Sorry.

[@CatBoiAnimationsIsEpic]

Im so thankful i live in a town that is not near forests or mountains.....its scary cause i was close to the fire so the smoke closed my school and my town was in a code red of air quality

[@finestisee]

Out of all the ppl I know from paradise they all say probably 2,000 ppl died a moment of silence for all those ppl that are still unfound

[@sheepknow1858]

I have a firefighter friend that lived there prior to the fire and 2,000 would be a very low number of deaths in her opinion.

[@benadrylchill]

I work in Ronert park ca about 3 hours south west of paradise I got in at 10:00am and by 11:30 I could see a wall of smoke coming over the hills it didn't take long to cover the whole county

[@daricetaylor737]

No emergency plan in the world can handle scenarios that the mind cannot comprehend. This fire was burning 80 football fields every minute! You cannot out run that speed. No one failed here....it was just something that no one could plan for, and who knows if they even planned for this, actual real life with variables you cannot predict. I still cry thinking of this day......several of my loved ones lost everything they had in this fire. We have learned from this tragedy and hopefully can move forward better prepared should the day and time come when history (heaven help us) repeats itself. We need more roads out of Paradise and I really think it is time to pull back on building in areas that are inescapable! If we want to continue to live in these areas then we as individuals have to be ready for whatever nature decides to throw our way. My heart bleeds for Christina and all who lost loved ones in Paradise that day, those who perished did NOTHING wrong.....and those who had to leave loved ones behind did NOTHING wrong.

[@chrisx5127]

I would have planned for this. But I'm not the average person.

[@QuaaludeCharlie]

We need Shelters made of Non Microwavable , Fire Proof Plastics . DEW's are the only thing that makes sense Here , So Sorry about your Mom Christina , You did the best thing . you saved your own Life 💝 QC

[@dandoyle9881]

It was known around 10:30 that morning that there was a fire, but this was taken as a commonplace. What it amounts to was depending on the firemen to put it out--which in this case failed due to a surprising north wind, itself due to the late dry season. Ordinarily, the fire season would be over by the time of the hard winds.

[@Thule21]

Air raid sirens have new signals: If it goes on and on, Stay in the shelter till the bombs are gone. If it repeatedly beeps once, wait for more info like a dunce. If it repeatedly beeps twice, get out of there like scared little mice!

[@ValLeeWeblog]

You can have an air-raid siren with different code sounds for warnings and everyone made aware of the codes, including evacuate immediately.

[@nicolascarnot4857]

Communications are usually the first part of the system to collapse. After the Black Saturday bushfires in Australia 2009, changes were made to the warning system. First, a new category of fire danger was added. the "Catastrophic" level means fires cannot be fought and if you get caught in one you have NO reasonable expectation of survival. If a Catastophic Fire Danger day is declared, your only safe option is to leave the area as soon as possible, even before a fire starts. The second change was setting up a robbo-call system that sends calls and texts to all phones in the affected areas.

[@Dreadz530]

Well the problem here was with the last major fire so many people overwhelm the system from calls text and data the companies begin throttling and Verizon actually ended up throttling the cal fire accounts as well and people as well as structures were lost because of it. After they were i trouble for that with this fire once the systems hit a certain limit they just straight killed all phones and data and only emergency responders had communication which between them killing the phones at 9:30am and the power at 10am it left everyone with no way to communicate or too be able to status check the situation. Some people's, like my uncle's, didn't even burn down till the next day When the winds shifted 180 and pushed back through the same way and father up and out. The fire started around 6am and burned south and west the complete way so a lot of people thought they were safe When the fire had traveled 30 miles the opposite way we figured that we had seen the worst. Man were we wrong. The 2nd day of the fire was worse then first

[@GeneralLee131]

Paradise had a robocall system. They failed to give notice in a timely manner. I have a message from it on my answering machine at 6:02 PM, a full 7 hours after Paradise was flattened. The system had worked effectively in the past during other full scale evacuations. Paradise also had a very high performance telcom network. Most residents had access to 500 Mbps internet packages, so you know the cell towers were being fed by high performance networks as well. Shouldn't have been overwhelmed to the point of complete failure.

[@ChristinaTaft]

They were only evacuating per neighborhood and in zones. They were 2 hours behind the fire and obsessed with Penz road.

[@ChristinaTaft]

I wish we had known about the fires in Portugal too which destroyed entire villages and 78% of their forest in 2017... Fort McMurry in Canada also had everyone evacuated... no deaths:( Change is hard to do here in this culture. I don’t want to be here for the next fire. It’s too late for my mom sadly to move.

[@seedplanter7173]

So what would you call it when the New World Order (U.N.) decides to try some new electrostatic direct energy weapons on the country folk for Agenda 21)? Hypothetically of course?

[@therealmccoy4674]

Living in the Sierra is a privilege, but it comes with warning about protective space around your home. 100 feet all sides and your home might have a chance. One man did that and had emergency power and sprinklers on his roof. He saved his home and animals while everything around him burned. Looking at before and after pictures, you can see few had appropriate fire clearance. Paradise was beautiful, with all its pretty trees. Its beauty killed Paradise.

[@Penny_Pincher_Outdoors]

Christina cannot blame herself, her mom made her decision. People love to blame "authorities" but we all make our choices, Christina made a wise decision.

[@piperhanawalt2267]

I lived here, and we got absolutely no warning. The only reason we knew to leave was common sense and word of mouth. No phone call, no text, no news, nothing. The only reason we made it out was because we knew people all over town who gave us information, and we knew what to do and when, having lived through the Humboldt fire.

[@mallikadasi]

The air raids were not sounded? IF you are in Paradise and you know there are fires around, if you hear the air raid sound you will at least investigate what is the message. How dare they not sound alarms....WTF??

[@brandonrittiman4026]

There may be some confusion-- they didn't have an air raid horn system in place, but it's a solution they are exploring for the future. They DID have access to the federal WEA & EAS systems that push alerts to cell phones and broadcast TV / radio stations, but used neither that day.

[@jonsmith2217]

You're right no air raid you can't make this stuff up the government is so dumb. I guess the government run out of money like usual. and couldn't afford the air raids. but yet they can afford their unlimited health care, security, the finest meals and five star hotels. only the best for our mostly pro gay and anti gun politicians that run our wonderful country in America.

[@perrysims3320]

The fire was clocked at a speed of 300 feet per second in some areas. The reverse 911 telephone system has replaced the old style sirens to warn us in our small towns for the frequent and deadly air raids we suffer. The sirens , it turns out, cannot speak words of information. As a result, homophobic ammosexuals like yourself have had to try to get used to 21st. Century communications. Conscious people who live in fire-prone areas can EASILY receive an e-mail, text, or phonecall in an emergency giving them detailed instructions. Liberals, I suppose, determined that this was better than a siren that just basically shouted "LOOK OUT! LOOK OUT! LOOK OUT!" At the onset of the fire, the county relied on an opt-in system called CodeRed to alert residents of the approaching threat. Officials sent out about 5,000 emails, 26,000 reverse-911 calls and 5,400 text messages to those who signed up for the service. Incidentally, if you live in Butte County, the "dumb" government, your Congressman, your State Senator, and Assemblyman and your President are all BIBLE BANGING (and porn star banging) Republicans.

[@amymccoy491]

@@perrysims3320 if you cut out all the pointless political putdowns your comment has alot of valid points. Unfortunately your animosity overshadows the issues your trying to exspress. Wah wah goes both ways.

[@JustMe-yy5us]

I live in Oklahoma so I can say sometimes you can't really hear those sirens if you are indoors, and if you are asleep you won't. We have weather alert radios that sound like a fire alarm does when a tornado warning is issued in our area. Something like that might not be a bad idea. While I agree that 21st century communications are great, we haven't rid ourselves of sirens in tornado alley. We also don't always get an emergency broadcast signal on our phone. Sirens do save lives and possibly could have for the people who say they never got a call.

[@michaeld954]

Problem is you don't really prepare for something until after it's happened so you'll be prepared for it again

[@breckandy]

not if you are dead

[@kwpp7]

Her mom was being stubborn. She made her decision. The daughter didn't do anything wrong.

[@cassidys962]

What happened with that fire is a major tragedy, and I feel awe full for the families and people involved. I don’t mean to sound rude or put blame on anyone or anything. When you trust only warning signs that are given from the government, and fail too use common sense, you are being complacent. Complacency kills people in any situation. You can’t just rely on one means of safety. This documentary kills me with how much they beat up first responders.

[@mikexxxmilly]

California is known for pointing the finger.

[@brittanysears9556]

You had to be here to understand why that’s being said. Because here, considering evacuating from a fire is like being in Florida and saying “you’re gonna get 6” of rain and 40mph winds” like, all we’re gonna do is laugh and say “wake me up when its serious”. And with the Camp Fire, it was clear as day, a little smoke in the distance, nothing big. And then 20 minutes later half the town was GONE. There were 70mph winds that day (not an exaggeration, literally 70mph) and the fire went from 150 acres to 20,000 before 10am. There wasn’t even time for complacency. We looked at the sky, went to pack and were considering leaving, and by the time we were loading the car up, it was like Armageddon. It just happened so fast. No one had any idea it was as close as it was because no one was getting warnings, and by the time anyone realized it, it was too late. We live in California, we know how serious fire is. But no one had any idea it could go from a sunny day to EVERYTHING around you GONE in literal seconds. Hindsight is always 20/20. But being there, it was so much faster than you can imagine.

[@juliemnm8273]

Why don't they have some kind of air raid system to warn people to leave??? And if they did, who was the one in authority that told them not to use it?

[@janbadinski7126]

They don't have a siren system in place for it. I should hope they will now. There were text messages but it wasn't much more than that. It came too fast to be able to let everyone know. Air raid sirens run for about $40 online, a hand cranked one can be heard from miles away.

[@IMSiegfried]

@Pat Ratzinger what's Agenda 21?

[@IMSiegfried]

@Pat Ratzinger Thanks for the info. Have you checked out MetaBunk.org? Lots of good info and discussions about the forest fires there. I know there's a thread for Agenda 21 too but I haven't read it yet. Cheers!

[@lukebrown6951]

🤦🏻‍♂️there was no air system because the town was sooo small

[@seedplanter7173]

This was intentional ....agenda 21

[@joshchilders-fy1pk]

I was there please don't blame you're self. I also had no warning I lived on Jones ln next to the theater we lost everything but were alive god bless

[@casey9658]

I just watched the documentary on Netflix and I couldn’t imagine

[@jussumguyjussumguy7844]

Direct energy weapons?

[@carolferguson19]

Could you have UPDATED material. What good does this do⁉️

[@casey9658]

Could you imagine being in labor during this? Poor lady. 3:08

[@anapires1149]

I have a friend Leland who lives in Paradise and he lived through this horror.

[@wyatth.j.1661]

Not air raid horns but maybe like a fire alarm in each house?? Like if a fire starts to get a little in controllable they start setting off alarms for towns and districts?

[@yooitsalyssa]

I live in Orland CA (just about west of Chico) and I just remember walking out of second period and seeing the sky. The sky was a dark purple and orange color. My PE teacher’s house was burnt down and the boy’s PE teacher’s parent’s house also burnt down. Both of them had to go evacuate. I could see the flames from my bedroom window. It was very scary. #ParadiseStrong

[@trustinggodsplan7556]

How many people are still unaccounted for?

[@Ron-cg2hf]

The town I grew up in North Dakota had a mega loud siren tornado warning system. The town would have designated drills where they would blast the siren which could be heard for miles.

[@CensoredByYouTube965]

In Japan they have an emergency address system that can broadcast vocal instructions (usually for earthquakes and general information) to pretty much every location. Why not use something similar for fire prone areas?

[@johnrogan9420]

Christina Taft...a survivalist and a hero!

[@parrishthethoughtpodcast368]

Shingletown, CA is in an exact situation.

[@thereseember2800]

May angels tenderly cradle all of these sacred dear souls in heaven, and comfort their bereft loved ones. 🙏 I’m so deeply sorry, dearest Paradise, for everything that you’ve been suffering. May you receive only ever gentleness, and the safest of healing sanctuary.

[@kellywaggoner6703]

The First Responders were doing everything that they could do!!! No one is ever happy with their work! Shame on anyone that voices their OPINION but wasn’t there!!!

[@firepraise510]

A U.N. scheduled DEW Laser Attack the evening BEFORE the fire isn't voicing our opinion. Especially to those of us, myself included, whom still have familial ties to Paradise and they report to you the exact event in detail involving laser beams specifically targeted towards homes and businesses owned or managed by many professing and active Christians. Having lived through the '01. '04, & '08 fire events while living in Paradise, this event is VERY PERSONAL to me. This " fire ", or mass murder/ genocidial extermination of an entire town population, was part of Jerry Brown's " slash - and - burn " high - speed rail plan in accordance to the UN's Agenda 21/ 2030 depop plan sponsored by that evil bastard billionaire, George Soros. That would include ANY first responders/ fire crew on the frontline. They've NEVER seen ANYTHING like this attack. I hope and pray to God they never will again. Thank you for stepping on my toes, Kelly. I have personally EARNED the right to share my opinion involving my hometown when rightly warranted and whenever I damned well please!!! Have a blessed day.

[@westonmickey3890]

I was there and the Butte County Sheriff's Department once again let us down. Loss of life could have been avoided and you think they would have learned their lesson after the Humboldt fire and the Oroville Dam catastrophe, but they didn't

[@IMSiegfried]

@@firepraise510 Check out MetaBunk.org as there's lots of good info about the fires at Paradise, etc.

[@IMSiegfried]

@@firepraise510 Do you have photos of the "laser" beams? Any other proof or is your personal opinion only based on your political beliefs?

[@Skeletore13]

We have a right to use are voices because are homes are gone

[@eloishashalom1458]

FOR LOGIC, IF I SEE BIG FIRE AMONG GREEN FIELDS, I LEAVE!

[@Shootyshoot-ls3xj]

The fire being called the camp fire add a humorus light to such a horrible thing

[@followthewhiterabbit1089]

I was just wondering, if the city had any fire belts in the forrest area. Im thinking if you have a town in the woods, fire belt is a must.

[@tomat6362]

I still think that a network of civil defense sirens specifically tasked to warn of wildfires (or flash floods or mudslides) is the best or even only way to reach residents who aren't connected otherwise. Officials should be able to select exactly which sirens to activate when, and they each need to cover a specific say 5000 resident area. Whatever the cost.

[@jaelanysp885]

During the fire I was in sac and it was really smokey I had to were a mask and go to the hospital cause I had a bad cough I'm so sad 😭😔

[@angelarene5744]

Sac fire bad

[@mollyweis5321]

I live in a town which is located in a valley. It would be very rare if a tornado ever hit us but we still test our sirens once a month. I’m not sure if I’m understanding a single clear indication in this video that describes any use of Fire Warning Sirens; maybe I missed it but to anyone else bringing that up....I 100% agree. With all the things in our world it would completely surprise me that those haven’t been put up. I remember feeling heartbroken all the way from Illinois when I first heard about this years ago..

[@mollyweis5321]

and no, I am not hating on the authorities in that situation. I’m just saying that I believe a warning siren may have helped immensely.