Camp fire Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Across The West, Communities And Landowners Prepare For Their Own Paradise Wildfire Scenario

By NWPB News December 15, 2019

Towns living among forests have taken notice after recent deadly wildfires in Northern California, particularly after Paradise. But for the rural community of Foots Creek in Southern Oregon, wildfire has long been on their radar. CREDIT: April Ehrlich/JPR News

It’s been a little over a year since the Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise, which impacted thousands of lives in Northern California. The disaster also alarmed people across the West, who are now asking themselves: Could a fire like that happen here?Read More

PG&E Announces $13.5 Billion Settlement Of Claims Linked To California Wildfires

By NPR News December 7, 2019

Seen in August 2019, the remains of a home destroyed in Northern California's 2018 Camp Fire. Rich Pedroncelli/AP

The utility hopes the settlement will help it emerge from bankruptcy proceedings by the end of the year. When it declared bankruptcy in January, the company faced potential liabilities of $30 billion.Read More

Paradise Bobcats Football Team Inspires And Motivates 1 Year After Camp Fire Devastated Town

By NPR News November 8, 2019

Paradise Camp fire - football team on field

Many are commuting to school in Paradise from surrounding cities and towns, including almost all of the town's high school football team, the Bobcats. The team is undefeated, and is about to find out if they are making it to the playoffs.Read More

Analysis: Big Fall Wildfires Signal Arrival Of A Planetary Fire Age

By PBS Newshour November 2, 2019

A home burns as the November 2018 Camp Fire moved through Paradise, Calif. Fueled by high winds and low humidity, the rapidly spreading fire killed 85 people and burned nearly 19,000 building in Butte County, making it the state’s deadliest and most destructive fire in modern times. CREDIT: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Free-burning fire is the proximate provocation for the havoc, since its ember storms are engulfing landscapes. But in the hands of humans, combustion is also the deeper cause. Read More

Trouble In Paradise: Water Uncertainty Frustrates Victims Of California’s Devastating 2018 Wildfire

By NPR News August 2, 2019

A mobile home park destroyed by last year's wildfire in Paradise, California. Those rebuilding homes and lives say they're getting contradictory messages about whether the water is safe to drink. CREDIT: Meredith Rizzo/NPR

After the 2018 Camp Fire, scientists detected dangerous levels of cancer-causing benzenes from burned plastics in some water lines. Recent tests show the problem has not gone away. Chronic exposure to benzenes can heighten the risk of blood cancers such as leukemia.Read More

‘Reimagining Paradise’ — Making Plans To Rebuild A Town Destroyed By Wildfire

By NPR News March 7, 2019

Cal Poly architecture students focused on reimagining and rebuilding Paradise, Calif., by presenting models, renderings and updated concepts during a community forum in Chico, Calif. CREDIT: JASON HALLEY/CSU CHICO

Last fall's deadly Camp Fire has brought renewed questions about whether towns in high-risk areas like Paradise, Calif., should even be rebuilt.Read More

Crisis Builds In Chico In Aftermath Of Camp Fire That Devastated Paradise And Butte County

By NPR News January 14, 2019

After the November 2018 Camp Fire, thousands of people whose homes were destroyed were forced to seek refuge in nearby Chico, Calif. Some 700 people, some in their RVs, are still living at a Red Cross shelter at the Chico fairgrounds. The shelter is expected to close at the end of January. Kirk Siegler/NPR

More than two months after the Camp Fire, the small city of Chico, Calif. is struggling to handle an influx of an estimated 20,000 new people from neighboring Paradise. Read More

Federal Scientific Report Says Climate Change Is Already Hurting U.S. Communities

By NPR News November 24, 2018

Residences leveled by the Camp Fire line a cul-de-sac in Paradise, Calif., earlier this month. A massive federal report says climate change is contributing to larger wildfires as well as other deadly extreme weather. CREDIT: Noah Berger/AP

Climate change is already causing more frequent and severe weather across the U.S., and the country is poised to suffer massive damage to infrastructure, ecosystems, health and the economy if global warming is allowed to continue, according to the most comprehensive federal climate report to date.Read More

California Fire Evacuees To Spend Thanksgiving Without Homes, As Restaurants Step In To Help

By NPR News November 21, 2018

A holiday mug is seen among the wreckage of what was once someone's kitchen in Paradise, Calif. CREDIT: Elise Hu/NPR

Both those homes burned to the ground in the historic Camp Fire. The scale of the fire's destruction is so spread out that very little of the towns of Paradise, Magalia and Concow remain. So far, the fire scorched 230 square miles — an area the size of Chicago. So many evacuees have fled to nearby Chico, prompting local businesses to try and give them a place to exhale.Read More

California Camp Fire: Confirmed Deaths Above 70 As Missing List Balloons Over 1,000

By NPR News November 15, 2018

A fire truck drives through an area burned by the Camp Fire in Paradise on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2018. CREDIT: John Locher/AP

Authorities say at least 63 people died in the Northern California wildfire known as the Camp Fire, which has burned through at least 218 square miles of land and consumed the town of Paradise. Seven sets of remains were discovered on Thursday.Read More

A Personal And Harrowing Account Of How The Camp Fire Devastated Paradise

By NWPB News November 14, 2018

The burned remains of Paradise Elementary School is seen Friday, in Paradise, Calif. Authorities say a wildfire has all but destroyed the Northern California town. CREDIT: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

The Camp Fire tore through Paradise, Calif., the morning of Nov. 8, 2018. Paul Weingartner, a nurse at the Adventist Health Feather River hospital in Paradise, recounts how it unfolded, and how he narrowly escaped, to return to the hospital and treat patients.Read More

Paradise Lost: Northern California Town Destroyed By Fire, At Least 29 Dead, 6,000+ Structures Burned

By NPR News November 10, 2018

The entire town of 27,000 people was evacuated in front of the wildfire in Northern California. The fire is the latest in a string of disastrous wildfires to hit the state in the past year.Read More