The Camp Fire was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history. The fire began Thursday, November 8, 2018 at the Camp Creek Road and was finally contained on November 25, 2018. The cause of the fire was a 100-year-old electrical transmission line owned by Pacific Gas and Electric. High temperatures, gusty winds and parched vegetation contributed to its rapid spread.
The fire burned 153,336 acres of land.The fire destroyed 18,804 structures, with most of the destruction happening in the first 4 hours of the fire. The towns of Paradise and Concow were almost completely destroyed, each losing about 95% of their structures. The fire killed 85 people and 12 civilians and 5 firefighters were injured. The Camp Fire cost a total of $16.65 billion, $16.5 billion in damage and $150 million in fire suppression cost.
Pacific Gas and Electric the company responsible for the fire plead guilty to 84 counts of manslaughter and one count of illegally setting a fire. The company estimated its wildfire liability at $30 billion, much of it for the Camp Fire. PG&E has pledged to improve its practices and reduce the risk of fires by, trimming and cutting trees along its power lines.The company will pay $13.5 billion to those who lost their homes and businesses.
Cities like Paradise have slowly but surely start to recover because of the fire. The task now is to remove the hundreds of dead and dying trees, and then follow the guidelines of the town’s priorities laid out by its long-term recovery plan. The town of Paradise is on a steady path to rebuilding the city but plans have been postponed because of COVID-19. But this has not stopped them from rebuilding their city, residents live in RV’s and work everyday so that they may be able to live again in a place they once called home.
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