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Fire in Paradise: An American Tragedy
There is no precedent in postwar American history for the destruction of the town of Paradise, California. On November 8, 2018, the community of 27,000 people was swallowed by the ferocious Camp Fire, which razed virtually every home and killed at least 85 people. The catastrophe seared the American imagination, taking the front page of every major national newspaper and top billing on the news networks. It displaced tens of thousands of people, yielding a refugee crisis that continues to unfold.
Fire in Paradise is a dramatic and moving narrative of the disaster based on hundreds of in-depth interviews with residents, firefighters and police, and scientific experts. Alastair Gee and Dani Anguiano are California-based journalists who have reported on Paradise since the day the fire began. Together they reveal the heroics of the first responders, the miraculous escapes of those who got out of Paradise, and the horrors experienced by those who were trapped. Their accounts are intimate and unforgettable, including the local who left her home on foot as fire approached while her 82-year-old father stayed to battle it; the firefighter who drove into the heart of the inferno in his bulldozer; the police officer who switched on his body camera to record what he thought would be his final moments as the flames closed in; and the mother who, less than 12 hours after giving birth in the local hospital, thought she would die in the chaotic evacuation with her baby in her lap. Gee and Anguiano also explain the science of wildfires, write powerfully about the role of the power company PG in the blaze, and describe the poignant efforts to raise Paradise from the ruins.
This is the story of a town at the forefront of a devastating global shift—of a remarkable landscape sucked ever drier of moisture and becoming inhospitable even to trees, now dying in their tens of millions and turning to kindling. It is also the story of a lost community, one that epitomized a provincial, affordable kind of Californian existence that is increasingly unattainable. It is, finally, a story of a new kind of fire behavior that firefighters have never witnessed before and barely know how to handle. What happened in Paradise was unprecedented in America. Yet according to climate scientists and fire experts, it will surely happen again.
Fire in Paradise is a dramatic and moving narrative of the disaster based on hundreds of in-depth interviews with residents, firefighters and police, and scientific experts. Alastair Gee and Dani Anguiano are California-based journalists who have reported on Paradise since the day the fire began. Together they reveal the heroics of the first responders, the miraculous escapes of those who got out of Paradise, and the horrors experienced by those who were trapped. Their accounts are intimate and unforgettable, including the local who left her home on foot as fire approached while her 82-year-old father stayed to battle it; the firefighter who drove into the heart of the inferno in his bulldozer; the police officer who switched on his body camera to record what he thought would be his final moments as the flames closed in; and the mother who, less than 12 hours after giving birth in the local hospital, thought she would die in the chaotic evacuation with her baby in her lap. Gee and Anguiano also explain the science of wildfires, write powerfully about the role of the power company PG in the blaze, and describe the poignant efforts to raise Paradise from the ruins.
This is the story of a town at the forefront of a devastating global shift—of a remarkable landscape sucked ever drier of moisture and becoming inhospitable even to trees, now dying in their tens of millions and turning to kindling. It is also the story of a lost community, one that epitomized a provincial, affordable kind of Californian existence that is increasingly unattainable. It is, finally, a story of a new kind of fire behavior that firefighters have never witnessed before and barely know how to handle. What happened in Paradise was unprecedented in America. Yet according to climate scientists and fire experts, it will surely happen again.
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First published May 5, 2020
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About the author
Alastair Gee
1 book28 followersAlastair Gee is an award-winning editor and reporter at the Guardian who has also written for The New Yorker online, the New York Times, and the Economist. Gee lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 283 reviews
June 5, 2020
Overdrive Library ebook/Library-sync Audiobook....
......voice narrator: T. Ryder Smith
They called it the perfect fire..... on November 8, 2018.
THE MOST HORRIFIC FIRE CATASTROPHE in California ...
A horrific devastating destructive tragedy....that didn’t need to happen!
Memories of this fire are still painful to me—( only 2 years ago)....
It was impossible to get through this book and not shed tears. It wasn’t the first time I’ve cried over this tragedy, either.
It seems like just yesterday a community of 27,000 people were living ( or dying) in this disaster.
ALL RESIDENTS lost their homes. Almost 100 people died.
THE TOWN WAS LITERALLY SWALLOWED WHOLE.
Many of us had friends who lived in Paradise.
My guess is that the majority of people who read this book - are from the survivors of Paradise and those from Northern California.
..........The DEATHS STILL HAUNT me. THE FEAR that residents felt while TRYING to escape a blowtorch, left a hole in my soul two years ago. I felt the fear all over again through the vivid written descriptions.
There were WHOLE FAMILIES....(adults, kids, and pets)....in their cars trying to evacuate, when their CARS with PEOPLE & ANIMALS inside, all went up in flames.
I had to read this book. I felt a pull ... a duty ....
But.... it was emotionally painful to re-visit.... remembering how numb I was when it was happening.
The authors, Alastair Gee, and Dani Anguiano, did an outstanding job with this book.
HEARING FROM THE SURVIVORS who were most affected was the books strength....I wanted to hear the personal stories that I didn’t know.
And glad I did. Loved ones were honored.
There were many facets included in this book besides the personal stories; different perspectives...police, fireman, and political leaders,
Along with....
dialogue about the trees themselves, the history of the town, the first responders to the fire, PG&E’s role,
(guilty to 84 counts of manslaughter),
the failed phone network,
heroism, influence of climate
change, etc.
There have been many devastating fires elsewhere in California, but the *Fire in Paradise* changed me.
So much so, I have a hard time reading words and descriptions in literature that speak of ‘Paradise’ being Nirvana or an Oasis.
Well done....
Heartbreaking.....
Real....raw....and riveting!
......voice narrator: T. Ryder Smith
They called it the perfect fire..... on November 8, 2018.
THE MOST HORRIFIC FIRE CATASTROPHE in California ...
A horrific devastating destructive tragedy....that didn’t need to happen!
Memories of this fire are still painful to me—( only 2 years ago)....
It was impossible to get through this book and not shed tears. It wasn’t the first time I’ve cried over this tragedy, either.
It seems like just yesterday a community of 27,000 people were living ( or dying) in this disaster.
ALL RESIDENTS lost their homes. Almost 100 people died.
THE TOWN WAS LITERALLY SWALLOWED WHOLE.
Many of us had friends who lived in Paradise.
My guess is that the majority of people who read this book - are from the survivors of Paradise and those from Northern California.
..........The DEATHS STILL HAUNT me. THE FEAR that residents felt while TRYING to escape a blowtorch, left a hole in my soul two years ago. I felt the fear all over again through the vivid written descriptions.
There were WHOLE FAMILIES....(adults, kids, and pets)....in their cars trying to evacuate, when their CARS with PEOPLE & ANIMALS inside, all went up in flames.
I had to read this book. I felt a pull ... a duty ....
But.... it was emotionally painful to re-visit.... remembering how numb I was when it was happening.
The authors, Alastair Gee, and Dani Anguiano, did an outstanding job with this book.
HEARING FROM THE SURVIVORS who were most affected was the books strength....I wanted to hear the personal stories that I didn’t know.
And glad I did. Loved ones were honored.
There were many facets included in this book besides the personal stories; different perspectives...police, fireman, and political leaders,
Along with....
dialogue about the trees themselves, the history of the town, the first responders to the fire, PG&E’s role,
(guilty to 84 counts of manslaughter),
the failed phone network,
heroism, influence of climate
change, etc.
There have been many devastating fires elsewhere in California, but the *Fire in Paradise* changed me.
So much so, I have a hard time reading words and descriptions in literature that speak of ‘Paradise’ being Nirvana or an Oasis.
Well done....
Heartbreaking.....
Real....raw....and riveting!
May 29, 2020
Gee and Anguiano, journalists for The Guardian, investigated the horrific California fire referred to as the Camp Fire that occurred on November 8th, 2018, killed 85 people and destroyed 90 percent of residents’ homes. The area was home to middle- and lower-income people that were priced out of the rest of California and often held highly individualistic beliefs.
The strength of the book are the individual stories of the people who endured the fire—the first responders who were quickly overwhelmed as the fire came at them from all sides, even creating fire tornados; the heroic efforts of nurses and doctors that evacuated 67 patients from the Feather River hospital in a matter of minutes, often using their own cars to do so; and the drivers stuck in traffic as the flames came at them, melting their dashboards as they waited to move.
The authors then turn to the aftermath of the fire and the multitude of issues left to be sorted out. Where were the fifty-thousand evacuees supposed to go? Is it safe to rebuild when the water system was now contaminated by benzene from pipes that melted in the extreme heat and the ground was littered with toxic chemicals left from the destruction of their possessions? And was Pacific Gas & Electric at fault? Can future fires be prevented despite the climate getting hotter and drier? Recommend.
The strength of the book are the individual stories of the people who endured the fire—the first responders who were quickly overwhelmed as the fire came at them from all sides, even creating fire tornados; the heroic efforts of nurses and doctors that evacuated 67 patients from the Feather River hospital in a matter of minutes, often using their own cars to do so; and the drivers stuck in traffic as the flames came at them, melting their dashboards as they waited to move.
The authors then turn to the aftermath of the fire and the multitude of issues left to be sorted out. Where were the fifty-thousand evacuees supposed to go? Is it safe to rebuild when the water system was now contaminated by benzene from pipes that melted in the extreme heat and the ground was littered with toxic chemicals left from the destruction of their possessions? And was Pacific Gas & Electric at fault? Can future fires be prevented despite the climate getting hotter and drier? Recommend.
June 25, 2021
2.5*
Man įdomi ir aktuali tema - gaisrai Kalifornijoje. Šioje knygoje aprašomas 2018 -ųjų gaisras siautęs šiaurės Kalifornijoje, nusinešęs beveik 200 žmonių gyvybių. Žmonės tiesiog nespėjo pabėgt, sudegė mašinose ar belaukiant pagalbos. Jau nekalbu apie paliktus naminius gyvūnus. Man asmeniškai tokio mąsto gaisruose baisiausia yra ugnies tornado. Stebėjau juos per žinias, kuomet prieš porą metų jie sukosi mūsų rajone. Va tada supratau, kad negali būti tikras, kad jie neperšoks per 10-ties juostų greitkelį.
Knygą, beje, užvakar baiginėjau jau net su spec. efektais - netoli namų įsiplieskė gaisras. Tai sėdėdama terasoje stebėjau dūmų kryptį ir lakstančius lėktuvus ir malunsparnius.
Beveik 100 proc. buvau įsitikinusi, kad knyga patiks, kad bus įdomų. Na, bet labai jau nūdnai ji parašyta. Liūdna.
Man įdomi ir aktuali tema - gaisrai Kalifornijoje. Šioje knygoje aprašomas 2018 -ųjų gaisras siautęs šiaurės Kalifornijoje, nusinešęs beveik 200 žmonių gyvybių. Žmonės tiesiog nespėjo pabėgt, sudegė mašinose ar belaukiant pagalbos. Jau nekalbu apie paliktus naminius gyvūnus. Man asmeniškai tokio mąsto gaisruose baisiausia yra ugnies tornado. Stebėjau juos per žinias, kuomet prieš porą metų jie sukosi mūsų rajone. Va tada supratau, kad negali būti tikras, kad jie neperšoks per 10-ties juostų greitkelį.
Knygą, beje, užvakar baiginėjau jau net su spec. efektais - netoli namų įsiplieskė gaisras. Tai sėdėdama terasoje stebėjau dūmų kryptį ir lakstančius lėktuvus ir malunsparnius.
Beveik 100 proc. buvau įsitikinusi, kad knyga patiks, kad bus įdomų. Na, bet labai jau nūdnai ji parašyta. Liūdna.
May 11, 2020
This is a meticulously-researched account of a terrifying moment in U.S. history, and, perhaps, an augury of what climate change might look like. A dry California summer and fall, a powerful dry Diablo wind, and a powerline down -- and a Sierra foothill town wiped off the map in one apocalyptic morning. The West has had great fires before -- see The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America about such an event over a century ago -- but recently California has seen, in recent years, woodland-urban fires grow in frequency, intensity and violence. The book traces the context, the increased pace of fire in Northern California and the problems posed by Pacific Gas & Electric, Northern California's main gas-and-electric utility.
The book is a fast, if frightening, read, and tells the human terror and tragedy in full. An entire town, gone; 86 lives lost; people fleeing through Dantesque scenes; firefighters overwhelmed. This is the most iconic of the recent California fires, but it won't be the last.
The book is a fast, if frightening, read, and tells the human terror and tragedy in full. An entire town, gone; 86 lives lost; people fleeing through Dantesque scenes; firefighters overwhelmed. This is the most iconic of the recent California fires, but it won't be the last.
May 9, 2020
The fact that this book is poorly written causes distraction in reading. Added to that, the author has an agenda to promote his view on "global warming" , his dislike of Trump and his admiration of Bernie Sanders. These views were not necessary to tell the story of these victims and this tragedy, but he added them anyway.
September 17, 2020
Jarring, especially as I read this while wildfires rage across the Pacific Northwest and I am surrounded every day by smoke heavy in the air. It’s been a long time since a book has impacted me so emotionally; I almost gave it 4 stars simply because I was so unsettled by what I had read.
August 25, 2021
Disasters are fascinating to to read about; I think there's a mix of awe, horror, sympathy and anger that makes for a very compelling read. However, Gee and Anguiano's approach leaves me feeling a bit hit/miss with this piece.
I think they should have focused on a few number of people and followed their stories through a longer time frame, including more on the recovery. The authors talk about SO many people (literally 30-40, I'd guess), that it gets super confusing to remember who is who. In Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens, Olson followed fewer people, but I think that meant it was easier to remember those storylines.
Secondly, the authors have poor spatial description abilities. Even the provided maps are kind of crappy. Describing what streets people went down, where they lived in relation to other things, etc. is difficult without a good map, and was almost impossible to follow without any map at all (i.e. as an audiobook). Again, if they had focused on fewer people they could have marked individual houses and escape paths to give readers a better idea of who is where, when.
Lastly, I'd prefer more science and discussion about climate change. The history of the area and of PG&E was quite interesting; I'd have liked more about fires themselves.
Of all the ways to die, going by fire is my most feared. It was difficult to hear about the victims in this book, even knowing what happened - reader be warned, this book will make you very, very sad.
I think they should have focused on a few number of people and followed their stories through a longer time frame, including more on the recovery. The authors talk about SO many people (literally 30-40, I'd guess), that it gets super confusing to remember who is who. In Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens, Olson followed fewer people, but I think that meant it was easier to remember those storylines.
Secondly, the authors have poor spatial description abilities. Even the provided maps are kind of crappy. Describing what streets people went down, where they lived in relation to other things, etc. is difficult without a good map, and was almost impossible to follow without any map at all (i.e. as an audiobook). Again, if they had focused on fewer people they could have marked individual houses and escape paths to give readers a better idea of who is where, when.
Lastly, I'd prefer more science and discussion about climate change. The history of the area and of PG&E was quite interesting; I'd have liked more about fires themselves.
Of all the ways to die, going by fire is my most feared. It was difficult to hear about the victims in this book, even knowing what happened - reader be warned, this book will make you very, very sad.
April 15, 2020
Fire in Paradise is an account of the devastating wildfire that wiped out the town of Paradise California. This book was a personal one as many of my cousins grew up in Paradise and although it had been awhile since I had been the area, I recognized many of the descriptions of various places. Also having grown up in a national forest in California I saw firsthand how the changing conditions of climate change dried out the landscape making a tinder box around houses. This book is a tough one to read if you can relate to having to evacuate from a fire and the chaos that goes around that however it is an important read. This will take you into the personal lives of the people who lost everything, the heroes who helped rescued people and fight the fire and the companies like PG&E who have done nothing to keep their infrastructure up to date in the post deregulation period of the 1980’s where they were no longer regulated to do so. The book covers the chaotic hours of the fires outbreak and the erratic way it jumped around in 70 mph winds. The book looks at the people who tired to defend their houses and who were caught in cars with no way to escape. The later part of the book deals with the aftermath and the struggle to rebuild after everything you know is gone. Overall a very powerful book and if you have an interest in the topic one you will not regret reading.
January 8, 2021
I lived it and wanted to love the book but just didn’t.
February 9, 2025
Excellent and timely look at a major wildfire that devastated a California town.
January 17, 2022
I am really torn on how to rate this. One of my good friends lives in Paradise and lived through this horrific event. She sent so many pictures and videos, and I cried watching the video she recorded from her car as they evacuated; there really was literally fire everywhere. It terrified me for her even after I knew she was safe. So, this is a topic near and dear to my heart.
The fire was so massive and contains so many stories, that I expected more from the book. It came in at 229 pages. How is that possible for the most devastating fire in California’s history, and the sixth worst fire in the history of the United States? The story isn’t even over yet. The window to file a lawsuit just closed five days ago. I don’t understand writing a book when the story isn’t complete yet. The fire happened two and a half years ago so it’s not like it was a rush job to make money off this big tragedy. Why not just wait for some kind of closure to it, then tell the WHOLE story?
Sidenote, my friend’s sister and brother-in-law are mentioned in the book, but some of the information about them is innaccurate so I wonder what else is not correct either.
The fire was so massive and contains so many stories, that I expected more from the book. It came in at 229 pages. How is that possible for the most devastating fire in California’s history, and the sixth worst fire in the history of the United States? The story isn’t even over yet. The window to file a lawsuit just closed five days ago. I don’t understand writing a book when the story isn’t complete yet. The fire happened two and a half years ago so it’s not like it was a rush job to make money off this big tragedy. Why not just wait for some kind of closure to it, then tell the WHOLE story?
Sidenote, my friend’s sister and brother-in-law are mentioned in the book, but some of the information about them is innaccurate so I wonder what else is not correct either.
August 31, 2021
Hmm, let me think, The Paradise Fire? Is that the one where the air was so bad in San Francisco that I couldn’t ride my bike for two weeks? Or maybe it was the “orange day” fire? Or maybe the one where our president suggested California should “rake the forest” (spoiler: it’s this one!). The point is, in the last 5 or so years the historically devastating fires in California have gotten so frequent that it’s hard to keep track of which one did what. (As I write this, the Caldor fire is roaring towards South Lake Tahoe.) So it goes.
Anyhow...
There’s a recognized formula to these types of true-life books where they highlight a few people’s experiences to get a bigger picture of an overall story. This one was skillfully told and was a quick and engaging read. It’s our future so you might want to bone up on what to expect.
Anyhow...
There’s a recognized formula to these types of true-life books where they highlight a few people’s experiences to get a bigger picture of an overall story. This one was skillfully told and was a quick and engaging read. It’s our future so you might want to bone up on what to expect.
June 20, 2020
Horrifying, riveting, tearful, did I mention HORRIFYING! I couldn't stop thinking about it when I was away from it, i listened to audio in the garden, crying in dawn's light as I watched the sky for any discoloration. I have lived rurally in ca for over thirty years, have seen many fires right at my property line, but of late they have become carnivorous monsters devouring at unimaginable speeds. We recently moved to the foothills, south of the paradise fire, I watched what looked like the plume of an atom bomb the morning it started, I stood stock still stunned, shuddering at those in the midst of such total annihilation. You FEEL it all in this book, I'm not sure if this book shook me to the core because I fear daily the very same fate, but I doubt someone from a wet temperate climate could read impassively. My brother lost him home in another devastating California fire the year before paradise, he was lucky to get out alive, on his birthday no doubt, reading these horrific stories makes us all feel our vulnerability, and sad to say I don't think there is a way to prepare for such catastrophes, we are at God's mercy... Meanwhile, I spend countless hours listening to audio books daily while I mow my acreage flat for fire suppression.
September 23, 2020
Fire in Paradise shattered my heart and confounded my brain and outraged my soul. When you learn of the total and utter devastation caused by 2018’s Camp Fire in Northern California, when you read the harrowing accounts of survivors, your heart will break. This book hits me extra hard because I grew up in rural Northern California - I lived out-of-state for the majority of the 2010s and only recently have I returned to my own beloved corner of California. It is with a shocked and sickened heart that I say it is not the California I left. These colossal fires that dominate late summer and fall have spawned over the last decade due to a rapidly warming climate as well as (national) forest mismanagement, overpopulation, and the ultimate malefactor: PG&E.
My brain nearly exploded when I read that the city of Paradise was annihilated thanks to a C-ring that broke on a PG&E tower that hadn’t been climbed or inspected since 2001. Combined with historic high winds and dry, parched forests, one spark from the faulty power line was ultimately all it took to become the most deadly fire in California history.
And yet PG&E’s response? To raise rates in order to pay court-ordered reparations and perform maintenance; to order mandatory “Public Safety Power Shutoffs” (PSPS events) that have become a dreaded reality every year for Californians: days on end where we are forced to live in darkness because PG&E doesn’t want to be blamed for yet another super fire.
This book was published in May of 2020 and already, facts that are stated about the largest fire in California history (the Mendocino Complex Fire, which was also caused by faulty PG&E lines in 2018) are inaccurate. California has yet again made headlines in 2020: the August Complex has become the country’s first mega-fire and spans six counties in Northern California. It is this fire that caused my own family to flee just weeks ago, and it is this reason that I had tears streaming down my face almost the entire time I was reading Fire in Paradise. Your entire world can change in literally an instant; this is why fire is, to me, the most terrifying natural disaster. What is horrifying is that in our modern California, fire is no longer just a “natural” disaster.
The strongest parts of this book are the survivors’ stories. Their accounts of how they escaped, how they helped their neighbors, how they literally thought they would die (and saw their friends and family indeed perish) in a massive inferno - and then how they tried to recover after such immense loss, is the backbone of the book. The political tidbits only serve to enrage (does it honestly surprise anyone that when Donald Trump came to Paradise, he gave an interview in which he couldn’t even recall correctly the name of the leveled city he’d just visited? “Pleasure” he called it) and nothing is ever fully resolved with PG&E (which also shouldn’t surprise anyone).
I stand in solidarity with those brave Paradisians who lost everything. It is hard to believe that this is reality for Californians and West-Coasters in general: every year, for months on end, we live in constant fear of another devastating wildfire. It is my truest hope that maybe, someday soon, we can do something to change this horrible new reality that we live in.
My brain nearly exploded when I read that the city of Paradise was annihilated thanks to a C-ring that broke on a PG&E tower that hadn’t been climbed or inspected since 2001. Combined with historic high winds and dry, parched forests, one spark from the faulty power line was ultimately all it took to become the most deadly fire in California history.
And yet PG&E’s response? To raise rates in order to pay court-ordered reparations and perform maintenance; to order mandatory “Public Safety Power Shutoffs” (PSPS events) that have become a dreaded reality every year for Californians: days on end where we are forced to live in darkness because PG&E doesn’t want to be blamed for yet another super fire.
This book was published in May of 2020 and already, facts that are stated about the largest fire in California history (the Mendocino Complex Fire, which was also caused by faulty PG&E lines in 2018) are inaccurate. California has yet again made headlines in 2020: the August Complex has become the country’s first mega-fire and spans six counties in Northern California. It is this fire that caused my own family to flee just weeks ago, and it is this reason that I had tears streaming down my face almost the entire time I was reading Fire in Paradise. Your entire world can change in literally an instant; this is why fire is, to me, the most terrifying natural disaster. What is horrifying is that in our modern California, fire is no longer just a “natural” disaster.
The strongest parts of this book are the survivors’ stories. Their accounts of how they escaped, how they helped their neighbors, how they literally thought they would die (and saw their friends and family indeed perish) in a massive inferno - and then how they tried to recover after such immense loss, is the backbone of the book. The political tidbits only serve to enrage (does it honestly surprise anyone that when Donald Trump came to Paradise, he gave an interview in which he couldn’t even recall correctly the name of the leveled city he’d just visited? “Pleasure” he called it) and nothing is ever fully resolved with PG&E (which also shouldn’t surprise anyone).
I stand in solidarity with those brave Paradisians who lost everything. It is hard to believe that this is reality for Californians and West-Coasters in general: every year, for months on end, we live in constant fear of another devastating wildfire. It is my truest hope that maybe, someday soon, we can do something to change this horrible new reality that we live in.
May 11, 2020
From the first sign of fire to the aftermath of the blaze, Fire in Paradise puts a human face on a still recent tragedy. Throughout, the authors capture the panic and confusion of a terrifying fire, as well as many beautiful moments in which, even in the midst of danger, the residents of Paradise help one another. Well written and carefully reported, the book is difficult to put down and very moving. Highly recommended!
May 18, 2020
I think this is was an important book to read as a Californian since July 2017 and as an American. Just like the attacks to the country on 9/11, I remember exactly where I was when I heard about the Camp Fire especially in Paradise. This is another natural devastating force of nature that needs to be taken seriously. I feel such sadness and empathy for people who weren't able to evacuate safely or died trying, my heart goes out to those families who lost a loved one.
The first hand accounts in this book were written with compassion and understanding and I am glad to hear Paradise and surrounding towns did have a plan for evacuation if a wildfire went through their area. However, Paradise and surrounding towns were no where near ready for a wildfire on this scope of devastation and wide impact, but at least many lives were saved.
And not to get political because that wasn't the focus of this book at all, but Donald Trump's actions, response and visit to Paradise after this tragedy was incompetent and heinous. Blaming the forest industry when it was a brush/bush fire area that was ignited by downed power line, is moronic, but at least he sent some relief aid to areas affected by the fire. **slow, mocking hand claps to the Donald**
The last half of the book was about recovery, identifying the dead if it was possible and who was to blame. I was balling my eyes out by this point. Paradise was pretty much wiped off the map because of this and it can happen again anywhere in California and other places prone to wildfires.
This is an important book to read and honor and it should be required reading for high school seniors and or college freshman in the U.S. I just cannot say enough how much this book impacted me because I saw and read about the fallout. Just wow and glad I own this book.
The first hand accounts in this book were written with compassion and understanding and I am glad to hear Paradise and surrounding towns did have a plan for evacuation if a wildfire went through their area. However, Paradise and surrounding towns were no where near ready for a wildfire on this scope of devastation and wide impact, but at least many lives were saved.
And not to get political because that wasn't the focus of this book at all, but Donald Trump's actions, response and visit to Paradise after this tragedy was incompetent and heinous. Blaming the forest industry when it was a brush/bush fire area that was ignited by downed power line, is moronic, but at least he sent some relief aid to areas affected by the fire. **slow, mocking hand claps to the Donald**
The last half of the book was about recovery, identifying the dead if it was possible and who was to blame. I was balling my eyes out by this point. Paradise was pretty much wiped off the map because of this and it can happen again anywhere in California and other places prone to wildfires.
This is an important book to read and honor and it should be required reading for high school seniors and or college freshman in the U.S. I just cannot say enough how much this book impacted me because I saw and read about the fallout. Just wow and glad I own this book.
April 24, 2020
A huge thank you to WWNorton and GoodReads for this giveaway.
Going into this book I was only vaguely aware of the details of the fire that destroyed Paradise, having seen it on the news and feeling devastated for those involved, but not really knowing the whole story made all of the information presented in this well researched, well-written book, to be new and educational to me.
As I was reading, and as the flames crept closer and closer, and the authors wrote about the smell of the smoke and the crackle of the flames, my heart broke for all the people who lost so much in this terrible tragedy.
This is definitely not an easy read, but it's an important read. It's a read that we all should read in order to honor all of those who lost everything, all of those who fought for others, all of those who sacrificed selflessly, and all of those who will never come back from this natural disaster.
Going into this book I was only vaguely aware of the details of the fire that destroyed Paradise, having seen it on the news and feeling devastated for those involved, but not really knowing the whole story made all of the information presented in this well researched, well-written book, to be new and educational to me.
As I was reading, and as the flames crept closer and closer, and the authors wrote about the smell of the smoke and the crackle of the flames, my heart broke for all the people who lost so much in this terrible tragedy.
This is definitely not an easy read, but it's an important read. It's a read that we all should read in order to honor all of those who lost everything, all of those who fought for others, all of those who sacrificed selflessly, and all of those who will never come back from this natural disaster.
July 22, 2020
About the massive Camp Creek Fire that wiped out the town of Paradise, CA in 2018 in a hellish inferno that burned over 200 square miles and killed 85 people. It’s nowhere near as good as other disaster tales such as Into Thin Air or Into the Wild or The Big Short or Bad Blood or Lone Survivor or ... (I think I like books about disasters).
This books feels like it was written as a service to the people who were displaced, rather than for readers who want deeper truths. That’s noble, but it makes it far less interesting for a reader who has little connection to the burned region.
It’s merely ok, which is a shame, because there’s much more that could’ve been done with this topic and particular event. Good read if you’re interested in wildfires.
This books feels like it was written as a service to the people who were displaced, rather than for readers who want deeper truths. That’s noble, but it makes it far less interesting for a reader who has little connection to the burned region.
It’s merely ok, which is a shame, because there’s much more that could’ve been done with this topic and particular event. Good read if you’re interested in wildfires.
August 19, 2020
My mom left me a message at work, letting me know she was evacuating what would become the Camp Fire, but everything was fine, just a precaution. By the time I got home and could check in on the fire, it was a horrifying situation. She is elderly and doesn't drive, luckily she has a neighbor that swooped in and got her out. By some miracle, the fire line stopped about a quarter of a mile from her house. I don't normally read stuff like this, but felt compelled to read this one. It was really stressful to read, and I was close to tears for a lot of it. Reliving it, even from afar, had me on edge, and I kept thinking I needed to check up on the fire's status or watch Sheriff Honea's updates. Anyway. Well written, and heartbreaking.
November 18, 2021
I think I would give this book 4 stars or 4.5 stars, mainly because it’s hard to judge a book written so quickly after a tragedy. It was very thorough and well-written but I wonder what other information will or has come out since publication. I assume it must be tricky sometimes to cover such timely and ongoing topics, like the California wildfires and Paradise fire, all in one book. I will say this book gave me nightmares and I dreamt about fire for 3 nights in a row. It is a difficult book to read and even more depressing when realizing that California’s fires are only going to get worse due to climate change.
February 21, 2021
A grim recap of the reckoning facing California and the wider world in the face of radical, unchecked climate change.
February 22, 2023
Well written from the perspective of the victims of this fire, in journalistic fashion. Absolutely heartbreaking though. It was hard to listen to. Im interested to know what the results were from the lawsuits.
I will not be moving to Cali, thats for sure.
I will not be moving to Cali, thats for sure.
May 19, 2020
When I started reading Fire in Paradise last Friday, I had no idea I'd finish it before the weekend was out, but I couldn't put it down. This is a fascinating story, examining both the idiosyncratic conditions that brough the town of Paradise into being as well as how those conditions—many of which acted as the source of charm to its residents— turned it into a powder keg. The firsthand accounts are raw, the fear palpable as people recall a nightmarish inferno appearing seemingly from nowhere to literally chase them from their homes. The day of the Camp Fire is shown to be one of both heroics and tragedy, and the book leaves you with the lingering feeling that days like it are destined to be repeated if we fail to find ways to live with nature more responsibly.
June 13, 2021
While I really liked reading about the individual experiences of people who lived in Paradise and survived the fire or told stories of those who did not, I couldn't help but notice a left-leaning political bias. The authors put the blame on climate change and PG&E with comments making fun of our president at the time, Donald Trump, while heralding Newsome and Jerry Brown for their leadership in California. So many comments and little "jabs" at Trump and those who question climate change were extremely off-putting. Really wasn't necessary for this book. But then, the authors are a part of an "environmental" group so I guess that's what we got stuck with. It's too bad. There were also many other stories of heroism that were never discussed. My friend's uncle, Rudy Melashenko drove a bus full of children through the fire out of town following a firetruck as the bus's tires were melting and he thought he was going to die. No mention whatsoever. Read this with a grain of salt. It was okay if you skipped the politics and environmental braggadocio.
May 30, 2020
I really wanted to like this book. I really wanted to finish it, in fact, but I've been unable to. Living in San Francisco at the time of the Paradise Fire, I was prepared to read a new version of the story I saw unfolding in the papers and on the nightly news. I wanted gripping narrative to tell to the heartbreaking story of such a powerful tragedy that unfolded in Paradise, but this book just didn't capture the scale of it. I expected so much more. I was looking for something new here and didn't find it. Wouldn't recommend.
June 26, 2020
This had moments, but overall did not really impress me. The book is part history of Paradise & wildfires, part human interest, part analysis of the aftermath of the Camp Fire. For the human interest aspect, there were people I liked learning about, but it felt like small glimpses into their lives listening on audiobook. I felt I learned more and was more emotionally moved by news articles and videos I saw on social media about this tragedy.
Thanks Libro FM for the ALC.
Thanks Libro FM for the ALC.
March 3, 2023
Sad af.
July 22, 2020
I learned a lot more about rural Californian life. Prior to this book, I had never conceptualized what life is like in an area that expects to be hit by fire at some point. It was particularly interesting to see how many residents were firefighters at some point.
Reading this, it seems shocking that the death toll was not higher. On that note, so many people survived because they happened on a fire truck or other rescue vehicles and managed to be picked up. It is insane to think that people were forced to leave their cars and start running from the fire on foot because that was the better option. I also do not see how any town could completely evacuate its citizens within such a short time frame, and the fire came from everywhere. This would be particularly true for such a remote wild location where just building roads there is a massive undertaking. To see that, you need to only consider that the first started near Camp Creek Road, which was impassable for fire trucks. Firefighters had to sit there and watch the fire to grow, suspecting that this might become a huge fire but not being able to do anything about it.
The deaths were particularly hard to read about as you get to picture what their last moments might have been. I suppose it should not be surprising at all, but the impact of the fire hit hardest on the old and disabled. This went beyond being more likely to have perished in the fire to dying in the months after from heart attacks, strokes and cancer. It is likely they lost their ability to fight.
I wanted a bit more from this book, like more about PG&E than the basic explanation that it is a private company or more on the science of fires. I applaud what this book has done though by making the fire feel so personal.
Reading this, it seems shocking that the death toll was not higher. On that note, so many people survived because they happened on a fire truck or other rescue vehicles and managed to be picked up. It is insane to think that people were forced to leave their cars and start running from the fire on foot because that was the better option. I also do not see how any town could completely evacuate its citizens within such a short time frame, and the fire came from everywhere. This would be particularly true for such a remote wild location where just building roads there is a massive undertaking. To see that, you need to only consider that the first started near Camp Creek Road, which was impassable for fire trucks. Firefighters had to sit there and watch the fire to grow, suspecting that this might become a huge fire but not being able to do anything about it.
The deaths were particularly hard to read about as you get to picture what their last moments might have been. I suppose it should not be surprising at all, but the impact of the fire hit hardest on the old and disabled. This went beyond being more likely to have perished in the fire to dying in the months after from heart attacks, strokes and cancer. It is likely they lost their ability to fight.
I wanted a bit more from this book, like more about PG&E than the basic explanation that it is a private company or more on the science of fires. I applaud what this book has done though by making the fire feel so personal.
July 18, 2021
As a California native, I’ve watched the news about wildfires in my state with growing concern. Though I don’t live in an immediate danger area, still I understand what drought is doing to so much of the terrain in CA. Water conservation has become a normal way of life here and of course rising temperatures are becoming too hard to ignore. So watching the scenes play out in the small NorCal town of Paradise almost 3 years ago felt like a terrible turning point in the increasing escalation of severity these fires are taking. I watched in horror, videos made by people in their own cars trying to outrace the flames as it became increasingly clear that many of them would not be making it out alive. And if those videos didn’t take this tragedy close enough to the personal level in a very graphic way, this book brings the focus on the real people of Paradise even sharper. The result of which is knowing that these people could easily be any of us in any other climate induced disaster: a flood, a hurricane, or even an extreme heatwave. Taking us back to the day in November of 2018 when the fire began, the authors profile and pay tribute to many of the town’s residents: people just living their lives, enjoying their community ties, running their businesses, raising their kids; all of the things people everywhere can relate to and understand. I’m sure none of them even dreamed that their town would become the scene of the deadliest fire in CA history. A fire maybe, but not like this one. The underlying message here is clear without a lot of preaching: we can no longer afford to be complacent about the climate crisis that is facing us.
September 30, 2020
Very well researched book and it’s very close to home since Camp Fire only happened a few years ago and recently there was wildfire due to the lightening near Paradise and some residents had to evacuate again. I remember the air quality in NorCal was really bad during Camp Fire and watching horrific images on TV. The agency I work provides volunteers to work on the cleanup projects and they started phase 2 to clean out the tree debris. It takes really long time to clean and recover the town. I really hope these wildfires won’t happen but it seems it’s annual occurrence lately. People need to learn from this tragedy and evacuate when told, you cannot save the house but you can save yourself.
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