California: Town of Paradise Mourns

 
Only a day after the fast-moving fire began, the blaze near the town of paradise had grown to nearly 140 sq miles and had destroyed about 6,500 structures. Butte County sheriff, Kory Honea said, three bodies were found outside their homes, one inside a home and several in cars.
Residents around the forest being isolated and without cell phone service wouldn’t be able to realize how dire things had become. The day after the fire show which tore through Paradise, forcing the mass departure of the nearly 30,000 in the small community in California’s Sierra Foothills. One of the residents of that territory Randy Stump was still at home, just miles from the massive blaze. He heard the air tankers and saw the smoke, but like so many in the area, he didn’t know it was time to go until he saw the flames.
“It looked like Iraq,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes. “Everything is gone. It’s just a nightmare.”
The small communities, circled by forest, are popular among retirees, it is hard to evacuate immediately although Tuesday thousands tried but stuck in gridlocked traffic as usual. Wildfires are nothing new for the area.  But the saddest part is it’s always unclear what will happen when residents are allowed to return, or what they will find waiting for them. Those who fled reported seeing grocery stores, fast food chains and schools, and city buildings on fire.
Carol Nixon, who evacuated with her elderly parents, said that a beloved restaurant that had just reopened last month after a kitchen fire, burned down.“What jobs will people be coming back to?” she added.
> Alma Siddiqua