DICK BAYNTON: Paradise (California)

Dick Baynton

The city of Paradise, CA has a population of a little less than 30,000 residents. Other U.S. cities of about the same size include, Manassas, VA, Laramie, WY, Twin Falls, ID and Los Gatos, CA. Paradise is located in Butte County with county-wide population of about 230,000 just 15 miles from Chico, a city of about 40,000, a short drive to the county seat of Oroville (12,000) and roughly 90 miles north of the state capital of Sacramento (502,000).

Butte was one of California’s original counties when it was incorporated on February 18th, 1850 just before I was born. The Sacramento River flows through the county and the Feather River and Butte Creek drain the county area. The name of the county was sourced from the Sutter Buttes that are visible in Sutter County to the south.

On November 8th, 2018 the disastrous ‘Camp Fire’ swept through Paradise destroying most of the city. The nearby community of Concow was virtually obliterated. Over eighty people lost their lives, as many as 50,000 were displaced, about 20,000 structures were demolished and more than 833 sq. miles (200,000) acres of land and forest were burned to ash.

The fire persisted in its devastation for 17 days meaning that search crews could not enter the harrowing scene until December. One resident mother with a 2-year old daughter was spending Christmas in a friend’s pool house and her husband was sleeping in the family RV in a store’s parking lot a few miles away. The mother found a small box of family mementoes that she said would be turned over to her daughter when she was old enough to understand the extent of the family losses. Returning to the site of their homesite on Christmas Eve, the husband was greeted by the family cat, perhaps a miracle that was most pleasant.

A lady resident got into her car to escape but realized that she was being swamped by flames and realized that she wasn’t going make it out alive but exited her car as two fireman appeared, extinguished her clothing and placed her in their truck covering her with a ‘fire blanket’; she survived. The Feather River Hospital where she had worked as a nurse sustained serious damage and would be closed for up to a year according to one report.

This lady had lost her home, her job at a time when thousands of families sought living facilities as rental houses filled and rental and new home prices skyrocketed (called price gouging). FEMA had 2,000 temporary trailers on standby but the problem was locations for them in the devastated county and city.

GoFundMe pages were kicked-off by thousands of residents in the area who had lost homes, jobs, incomes, businesses, cars, boats and personal belongings. Some may be rewarded with financial responses while everyone must find new jobs, local, state and/or federal government assistance. ‘The Spirit of Liberty Foundation’ flew Santa Claus to the area to deliver gifts in time for Christmas. A Red Cross shelter that was set up on the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds was inundated with gifts from strangers.

An outstanding example of kindness occurred on November 10th, just two days after the terrible fire started in Paradise, Butte County, CA. The girls volleyball team at Paradise Adventist Academy had a game scheduled with Forest Lake Christian School in Auburn, northeast of Sacramento.  When the Paradise team arrived for the game in Auburn, they found new uniforms and piles of donation boxes to replace the uniforms and garments that had been lost in the terrible ‘Camp Fire’, one of the most devastating fires in California history. A member of the Paradise Adventist Academy exclaimed that there was a great feeling of love. In addition, The Forest Lake Christian School raised tens of thousands of dollars for their friends (and opponents).

What causes such horrific havoc; is it simply nature? Or did someone or some organization make errors in planning, construction and other routines? We must avoid excuses and blame and set about doing what is necessary to avoid such overwhelming consequences in the future. Problem solving is the greatest challenge that we as individuals and groups must face. And we must do it with respect for our friends and neighbors…and even our ‘opponents.’

Dick Baynton

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