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00:00:00,700 --> 00:00:03,723
- We wanted to find out what
some of our peers thought.

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Downloaded from
YTS.MX

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00:00:04,670 --> 00:00:07,723
So we asked a few PHS students.

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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(static sound)

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00:00:11,493 --> 00:00:14,326
(slow calm music)

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(strong winds blowing)

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- Well, here's our house,

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00:00:28,067 --> 00:00:30,177
(fire crackling)

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00:00:30,177 --> 00:00:33,833
everything around us is on fire.

11
00:00:36,494 --> 00:00:38,077
Oh man this is bad.

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Can't really see very
well, oh man, this is bad.

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There goes our house,
it's all engulfed now.

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(fire crackling)

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Well, don't know what to say,

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just thought I would video
this in case it's the last time

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some of you guys see me.

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- [Ev Durán] For my entire life,

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whenever someone asked me where I was from

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and I would respond,
"Oh, I'm from Paradise,"

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they would always look at me kinda weird.

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They're never really quite sure
what to do with that answer.

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So they'd say something
like, "No... really?"

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And I'd say, "Yeah, no,
really, it's a town,

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it's called Paradise." And
they'd laugh and tell me

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they thought I was joking and I'd smile

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that same polite smile that we all have

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when you're in a conversation you've had

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a thousand times before,
and the follow up question

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would always be, without fail,

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"Well, is it really Paradise?"

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- Here on this area and like here

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where the trees are around,

34
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but don't go any further than that okay,

35
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'cause there's (indistinct)

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- [Ev Durán] This is the Rauscher family.

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Parents: Richie and Savannah,

38
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kids: Anneliese and Richard.

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On November 8th, 2018, the Camp Fire

40
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took their entire home
and everything in it.

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For the kids, this is
their first time visiting

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their property since the fire.

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- What do you think?

44
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- It's still good, just put a net.

45
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- Yeah, just put a net in it,
clean it off a little bit.

46
00:02:38,642 --> 00:02:40,660
- Yeah, it's a little
rusty, maybe paint it red.

47
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- Nah, leave the paint,
just put a new net on.

48
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- Am I allowed to touch it?

49
00:02:49,744 --> 00:02:53,093
- Nah, I wouldn't touch
it, not without gloves on.

50
00:02:56,750 --> 00:02:58,810
There's something else I wanna show you.

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00:02:58,810 --> 00:03:01,560
(metal creaking)

52
00:03:05,825 --> 00:03:07,242
Yeah, stay there.

53
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Hey bud,

54
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all three of our face cages.

55
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- Wait, where's my hockey bag?

56
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- Dude, your hockey bag did not survive.

57
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Did you wanna try and
move some of the roof

58
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to look for the ring?

59
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- Yeah.

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(moving metal)

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- [Ev Durán] The Rauschers are here today

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hoping to find Savannah's wedding ring,

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buried somewhere in the
twisted metal and mucky ash

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that was once their family home.

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- Watch for nails.

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- This ceramic thing, is that the toilet?

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- Maybe, what was this, do you know?

68
00:03:59,410 --> 00:04:01,389
- No, it's so weird there's so much stuff

69
00:04:01,389 --> 00:04:04,040
but I can't figure out
what the hell it is.

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- It could be stuff that was

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00:04:05,030 --> 00:04:07,903
part of the attic's construction, so.

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- I was like, oh my gosh, this ring set

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is the most beautiful
ring set I've ever seen,

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I just love it, it was
like from the 1930's

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and it was like very
vintage, it's beautiful.

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00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,860
And then Richie went back
and the jeweler remembered

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that I liked this ring
and so Richie was able to

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literally the exact ring that I wanted

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without me knowing or...

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- You guys come and
check this out down here.

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Check out our new view.

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- Is this where the fire came up?

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- Yeah, it came up from this way.

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- Dad wait, where's Concow, is it like?

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- It's way in that direction.

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Watch your step.

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- What is this?

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Oh, this is part of Richie's computer.

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It's got like, there's
some kind of circuits.

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It's been an ongoing, it's very ongoing.

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Everyday you hear about somebody moving.

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(slow eerie music)

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You think of something
that you left behind

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that was sentimental to you.

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Some days you feel so happy and grateful

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and then other days you feel
like you can't stop crying.

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It's like mourning a death.

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I have lost someone very
close to me in my life

99
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and it was very similar
to that kind of grief.

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It was like very much
that level of heartbreak

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to lose Paradise.

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(slow instrumental music)

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(indistinct)

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- Claim your space.

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- Where's Max?

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- It's video, you can move.

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- It's Christmas Eve and I'm in Aptos

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and we're celebrating
Christmas here at a home

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we rented, it's near the beach.

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We've never done this before.

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- Do you wanna film me screaming at my kid

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to get him in here for dinner?

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It's about to happen.

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- Get in here!

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- Hi Clayton.

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- You should probably get his name right

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if you're gonna make a
real run at Klay Thompson.

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- It's not Thompson. I
thought it was Thomas.

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- No, it's Thompson.

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Clayton Thomas is not a basketball player.

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- That is who I was talking to online.

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- Klay Thompson, Thompson.

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- I don't think we're coordinated.

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We shoulda rehearsed.

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- Good luck, Ron Howard.

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- So our family tradition has been,

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at least for the last 27
years that I can count

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is that everyone comes
to my home for Christmas.

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But it was obvious then
that we weren't gonna have

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Christmas in Paradise, which is hard

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because that's sort of just
part of the family fabric.

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And you know, when you're
facing change, you think,

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'well, it's never gonna be the same,

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that's not the way we do it.'

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And it's turned out to
really be very lovely.

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Oh my gosh, it's beautiful.

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It's bittersweet because we
miss the Paradise Christmas

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but this is a beautiful place too

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and hopefully in another
year or two or three,

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we'll be celebrating
Christmas in Paradise again.

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- [Ev Durán] Despite the
historically destructive fire

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just six weeks earlier

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there was a version of
Christmas in Paradise.

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The annual ice skating rink was built

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and many traveled a great distance

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for this small taste of familiarity.

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For many of these
suddenly homeless people,

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this was their first
time visiting the town

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they love since it was
almost completely destroyed.

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- Thank you for coming and
what a great time to be here,

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00:09:22,163 --> 00:09:25,790
it's so fun to see
people and I don't know,

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I don't shake hands much
anymore, seems we hug each other

153
00:09:28,616 --> 00:09:30,943
more than anything else,
have you noticed that?

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- Five, four, three, two, one, woo,

155
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(crowd cheering)

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00:09:40,073 --> 00:09:41,940
- [Ev Durán] While it may
seem like a simple event

157
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from an outside perspective,

158
00:09:43,750 --> 00:09:46,360
even something as
inauspicious as a community

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Christmas tree lighting feels
like a tremendous victory

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00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:50,640
for these residents.

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For the people of Paradise,
like the Rauschers

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and Susan Davis, chaos and uncertainty

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are now the defining
characteristics of every single day.

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In the span of a few short hours,

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on a day seemingly like any
other, their homes gone,

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their things gone, their jobs gone,

167
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their entire sense of
community and history

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and even reality itself, gone.

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What would you do?

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How do you replace Paradise?

171
00:10:19,930 --> 00:10:22,763
(slow calm music)

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People are drawn to live in Paradise

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for a great many reasons.

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For Susan it was an opportunity
for her and her husband

175
00:10:32,410 --> 00:10:34,690
to move their young
family from the Bay Area

176
00:10:34,690 --> 00:10:37,070
to a smaller, safer community.

177
00:10:37,070 --> 00:10:39,733
A great place to raise
kids and someday retire.

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In 1991 they did just that.

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Her daughter, 11 years old at the time,

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wasn't particularly thrilled
at the prospect of leaving

181
00:10:48,930 --> 00:10:51,050
all of her friends
behind and starting over.

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00:10:51,050 --> 00:10:54,630
But her son, who had just
turned seven, was excited,

183
00:10:54,630 --> 00:10:56,830
like, super excited.

184
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And I can tell you that with confidence

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00:10:58,530 --> 00:11:01,700
because that handsome
little second grader was me.

186
00:11:01,700 --> 00:11:04,640
I'm Susan's son, my name is Ev Durán,

187
00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:06,707
I made this movie, hi.

188
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And it's true, I can always
remember loving Paradise.

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My earliest memories of the town

190
00:11:12,300 --> 00:11:15,500
are visiting my uncle and aunt
and cousins in the eighties

191
00:11:15,500 --> 00:11:19,320
and being completely transfixed
by how green everything was,

192
00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:23,740
how many trees there were, how
the roads were all so hilly.

193
00:11:23,740 --> 00:11:25,120
I thought driving through Paradise

194
00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:27,750
was like being on a roller coaster.

195
00:11:27,750 --> 00:11:30,310
To a little kid from San
Jose, Paradise seemed

196
00:11:30,310 --> 00:11:33,200
like a far away magical
town in the forest.

197
00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:36,440
We first lived in a rental on
lower Sawmill until my parents

198
00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:39,840
bought our house on Starlight
Court, off of Neal Road.

199
00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:42,771
We lived there for seven
years and I loved that place.

200
00:11:42,771 --> 00:11:44,200
- I'll save you!

201
00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:45,960
- I made a lot of really
good Kung Fu movies

202
00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:47,513
with my friends in the garage.

203
00:11:48,479 --> 00:11:51,920
When my parents divorced, my
mother and I moved into a home

204
00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:53,800
she bought on Sesame Street.

205
00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:55,316
Yes, Sesame Street.

206
00:11:55,316 --> 00:11:56,490
See uh, this here's the kitchen.

207
00:11:56,490 --> 00:11:59,380
It's a small street off of
Dean Road on upper Pentz.

208
00:11:59,380 --> 00:12:01,290
It's where my mother has lived since.

209
00:12:01,290 --> 00:12:03,580
I attended Paradise Elementary School,

210
00:12:03,580 --> 00:12:06,380
Paradise Intermediate School and in 2002,

211
00:12:06,380 --> 00:12:08,390
I graduated from Paradise High School.

212
00:12:08,390 --> 00:12:11,960
- Senior pranks, have they gone too far?

213
00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:14,300
- Paradise was a wonderful
place to grow up.

214
00:12:14,300 --> 00:12:16,620
I loved weekend visits
to All the Best Video,

215
00:12:16,620 --> 00:12:19,180
or summer days spent
swimming at local river spots

216
00:12:19,180 --> 00:12:21,470
or being dragged behind
a boat at Lake Oroville.

217
00:12:21,470 --> 00:12:24,340
- Oh shit.

218
00:12:24,340 --> 00:12:26,440
- I loved riding my bike
with my friends to Hootch Hut

219
00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:29,000
for candies and sodas or
hanging out at the Duck Pond

220
00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,540
or at the hot trails or at
the Safeway parking lot.

221
00:12:32,540 --> 00:12:35,010
I loved going to Paradise
High School Football games and

222
00:12:35,010 --> 00:12:39,010
feeling the unmatched energy
of an entire town at my back.

223
00:12:39,010 --> 00:12:40,320
I just loved it all.

224
00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:43,050
And although some of my
particular affections for the town

225
00:12:43,050 --> 00:12:44,980
might just be specific to me.

226
00:12:44,980 --> 00:12:46,980
The general sentiment of loving Paradise

227
00:12:46,980 --> 00:12:49,710
is almost universal, trust me.

228
00:12:49,710 --> 00:12:52,060
I've talked to a lot of people.

229
00:12:52,060 --> 00:12:54,130
(water flowing)

230
00:12:54,130 --> 00:12:56,750
But for those of you watching
who aren't from Paradise,

231
00:12:56,750 --> 00:12:58,900
you probably won't know
any of these things.

232
00:12:58,900 --> 00:13:01,110
You might not even know where Paradise is.

233
00:13:01,110 --> 00:13:03,050
- I knew nothing about
Paradise, as a matter of fact

234
00:13:03,050 --> 00:13:05,210
I had to look it up on a map.

235
00:13:05,210 --> 00:13:07,800
- We'll get back to him
though, he's a good guy.

236
00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:10,300
Here's a little background
on the town of Paradise.

237
00:13:10,300 --> 00:13:12,940
Just the basics that you need to know.

238
00:13:12,940 --> 00:13:14,990
To tell you about them
I'm gonna turn you over

239
00:13:14,990 --> 00:13:17,420
to Mark Thorp, the Executive Director

240
00:13:17,420 --> 00:13:19,340
of the Golden Nugget Museum,

241
00:13:19,340 --> 00:13:22,250
the town's primary historical archive.

242
00:13:22,250 --> 00:13:25,380
Mark, in true small town Paradise fashion

243
00:13:25,380 --> 00:13:27,223
also happens to be my cousin.

244
00:13:28,260 --> 00:13:31,590
Here he is in 1987,
helping me put my shoes on.

245
00:13:31,590 --> 00:13:33,390
And here he is today.

246
00:13:33,390 --> 00:13:34,940
- Paradise being in the foothills

247
00:13:34,940 --> 00:13:39,670
of the Sierra Nevada Mountains,
a town of 26, 27,000 people,

248
00:13:39,670 --> 00:13:41,880
which grows at about 3% per year,

249
00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:46,880
cooler by about five degrees
from the valley floor.

250
00:13:46,900 --> 00:13:50,860
Close enough to a lot of
international activity

251
00:13:50,860 --> 00:13:53,110
associated with the Chico State Campus

252
00:13:53,110 --> 00:13:55,280
a university town of Chico.

253
00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:58,040
But still just 10 miles away
where you could come back up

254
00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:00,290
to the community and again seeking out

255
00:14:00,290 --> 00:14:03,460
the quiet, kind of slower paced life.

256
00:14:03,460 --> 00:14:08,460
I love Paradise because
it's a beautiful area.

257
00:14:08,470 --> 00:14:12,960
You are close to any
river you'd like to go to,

258
00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:15,350
you're close to the mountains,
you're close to the valley.

259
00:14:15,350 --> 00:14:16,990
There's a lot of history in this area

260
00:14:16,990 --> 00:14:18,730
and I kind of like researching the history

261
00:14:18,730 --> 00:14:21,773
and being able to go explore these places.

262
00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:24,850
- [Ev Durán] Jason's right,
there is a ton of history

263
00:14:24,850 --> 00:14:25,810
in this area.

264
00:14:25,810 --> 00:14:28,030
I'm actually ashamed to admit
that I didn't know that much

265
00:14:28,030 --> 00:14:31,090
about it, at least not until
I started making this film.

266
00:14:31,090 --> 00:14:34,300
Guys like Donald Criswell
helped set me straight.

267
00:14:34,300 --> 00:14:35,740
- I think this was a little known,

268
00:14:35,740 --> 00:14:38,640
little explored area until
John Bidwell came here.

269
00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:41,760
He led the first wagon
train into California.

270
00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:44,020
Paradise still was the outback.

271
00:14:44,020 --> 00:14:47,760
It was on the way to Butte
Meadows and Colby Meadows,

272
00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:51,420
where cattle pastured in the
spring and summer months,

273
00:14:51,420 --> 00:14:53,130
then they were brought
back down into the valley

274
00:14:53,130 --> 00:14:56,960
in the fall by ranchers like
Clark and Neal and Pentz.

275
00:14:56,960 --> 00:15:00,283
Paradise was kind of on the
way and then the Gold Rush hit.

276
00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:04,400
- [Ev Durán] In 1859,
a 54 pound gold nugget,

277
00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:07,060
the largest ever found, was
discovered in the rivers

278
00:15:07,060 --> 00:15:11,750
surrounding Paradise, making
the town a popular place.

279
00:15:11,750 --> 00:15:14,390
- There were still mines
when I was a kid being worked

280
00:15:14,390 --> 00:15:17,510
in Paradise actually,
down off of Bille Road

281
00:15:17,510 --> 00:15:19,157
and, Lucky John mine for example,

282
00:15:19,157 --> 00:15:21,077
(loud explosion)

283
00:15:21,077 --> 00:15:21,910
- Wow.

284
00:15:21,910 --> 00:15:24,453
- But it was such a beautiful place to be.

285
00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:28,280
The climate certainly is
like the best in the world

286
00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:29,950
or right up there with it.

287
00:15:29,950 --> 00:15:32,870
And it turns out that you
can roll up a newspaper

288
00:15:32,870 --> 00:15:34,900
and stick it in the ground
in Paradise and it will grow.

289
00:15:34,900 --> 00:15:38,620
I mean, it's a great
fertile agricultural place.

290
00:15:38,620 --> 00:15:41,100
- [Ev Durán] Orchards sprung
up all across Paradise

291
00:15:41,100 --> 00:15:43,430
and the area was soon populated
by ranchers and farmers

292
00:15:43,430 --> 00:15:47,360
- Among one of those first early ranchers

293
00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:50,730
was this gentleman who came
up what's now Neal Road.

294
00:15:50,730 --> 00:15:53,860
I live right off of Neal
Road and as they arrived into

295
00:15:53,860 --> 00:15:57,270
town, it gets to be a
100° in Paradise sometimes

296
00:15:57,270 --> 00:16:00,410
he apparently plopped down
under a tree and said,

297
00:16:00,410 --> 00:16:01,680
boys this is Paradise.

298
00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:04,540
And that's the version that I believe

299
00:16:04,540 --> 00:16:06,550
is probably most accurate.

300
00:16:06,550 --> 00:16:08,840
The other one was the old mining thing,

301
00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:12,350
the pair o' dice, you know that two dice

302
00:16:12,350 --> 00:16:13,813
that you roll on the table.

303
00:16:15,580 --> 00:16:17,180
Yeah, I don't know.

304
00:16:17,180 --> 00:16:19,060
- [Ev Durán] No matter
how the town got its name,

305
00:16:19,060 --> 00:16:21,620
the name stuck, it felt appropriate.

306
00:16:21,620 --> 00:16:24,820
As Paradise evolved into and
throughout the 20th century

307
00:16:24,820 --> 00:16:27,210
it became an appealing
place to raise a family

308
00:16:27,210 --> 00:16:29,580
for people from all walks of life.

309
00:16:29,580 --> 00:16:32,873
- I'm Dorothy Fallen and this
is my husband, Don Fallen.

310
00:16:34,050 --> 00:16:37,640
We moved to Paradise in 1962.

311
00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:41,040
We lived in Chico and we
used to go up to Paradise

312
00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:45,050
so we could bowl on their four
lane bowling alley on Skyway.

313
00:16:45,050 --> 00:16:47,820
And they had a nice
drive-in theater back then

314
00:16:47,820 --> 00:16:50,420
that we really enjoyed
so we spent a lot of time

315
00:16:50,420 --> 00:16:51,900
going to Paradise.

316
00:16:51,900 --> 00:16:54,500
And when the kids got
old enough for school,

317
00:16:54,500 --> 00:16:57,550
we moved up there and Don,

318
00:16:57,550 --> 00:16:59,340
his parents followed construction.

319
00:16:59,340 --> 00:17:02,920
He didn't want his kids to be
moved from school to school.

320
00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:04,630
So he always said, when they start school

321
00:17:04,630 --> 00:17:06,640
we was gonna stay in one place.

322
00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:08,930
So he says we can starve
to death in Paradise

323
00:17:08,930 --> 00:17:11,580
as well as anywhere else,
that's where we're staying.

324
00:17:13,070 --> 00:17:17,070
When we moved there,
there was 9,000 people.

325
00:17:17,070 --> 00:17:19,769
There was... - On the whole Ridge,

326
00:17:19,769 --> 00:17:22,570
there was two four-way stop signs,

327
00:17:22,570 --> 00:17:24,380
one at Pearson and Clark

328
00:17:24,380 --> 00:17:28,396
and one at Elliott and Skyway, wasn't it.

329
00:17:28,396 --> 00:17:31,620
There was no stoplights
or anything like that.

330
00:17:31,620 --> 00:17:34,093
And it's changed a lot.

331
00:17:36,710 --> 00:17:39,150
- [Ev Durán] Even as
Paradise changed and grew

332
00:17:39,150 --> 00:17:41,190
it never lost that small town spirit

333
00:17:41,190 --> 00:17:43,380
that so many of its residents loved.

334
00:17:43,380 --> 00:17:46,590
- You have groups of families

335
00:17:46,590 --> 00:17:48,510
that have been born and raised here

336
00:17:48,510 --> 00:17:50,360
over generation over generation.

337
00:17:50,360 --> 00:17:54,970
So even though you may not
know the person next to you,

338
00:17:54,970 --> 00:17:57,910
your grandparents may be
friends with their grandparents,

339
00:17:57,910 --> 00:18:00,810
which automatically connects you.

340
00:18:00,810 --> 00:18:02,640
- From you know a demographic standpoint

341
00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:05,290
I think a lot of people
equated it to a retirement

342
00:18:05,290 --> 00:18:07,030
community, I don't know if that's a

343
00:18:07,030 --> 00:18:09,260
fully accurate description.

344
00:18:09,260 --> 00:18:11,660
It was a vibrant town,
there were lots of people

345
00:18:11,660 --> 00:18:13,920
there from different generations

346
00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:15,970
and different walks of life,

347
00:18:15,970 --> 00:18:19,440
but all in all, a great small town,

348
00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:22,863
American community filled
with some really great people.

349
00:18:23,700 --> 00:18:26,150
- You could go down the
road and wave at people

350
00:18:26,150 --> 00:18:28,980
because it was small enough
that you'd see lot of say

351
00:18:28,980 --> 00:18:30,560
it five or six cars you'd at least

352
00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:32,037
know one or two of the people.

353
00:18:32,037 --> 00:18:33,000
- You could walk down the road

354
00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:35,710
and people would smile and wave to you

355
00:18:35,710 --> 00:18:38,090
instead of looking at you like this

356
00:18:38,090 --> 00:18:40,670
and putting their head down.

357
00:18:40,670 --> 00:18:44,290
- It was beautiful, the
trees, it was a forest.

358
00:18:44,290 --> 00:18:48,600
It was a very close knit, small town.

359
00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:51,510
So just the fact that
everybody knew everybody,

360
00:18:51,510 --> 00:18:54,483
everybody was friendly, I
just fell in love with it.

361
00:18:56,080 --> 00:18:57,670
We would tell people even on trips

362
00:18:57,670 --> 00:18:59,180
or when we lived on the East coast

363
00:18:59,180 --> 00:19:01,970
we would describe it
as this really pretty,

364
00:19:01,970 --> 00:19:05,130
super clean, that we'd always
say the tap water tastes like

365
00:19:05,130 --> 00:19:08,890
bottled water, there's
this really no litter,

366
00:19:08,890 --> 00:19:12,150
just the cleanest air
and very nice people,

367
00:19:12,150 --> 00:19:13,580
but a little bit remote.

368
00:19:13,580 --> 00:19:14,740
But I liked how free it felt.

369
00:19:14,740 --> 00:19:17,010
That was the big thing as
we would always tell people,

370
00:19:17,010 --> 00:19:19,570
you know, we live on this road
and there's horses going by

371
00:19:19,570 --> 00:19:21,060
and we have a bear that
knocks our trash can

372
00:19:21,060 --> 00:19:24,020
over every night and people's
chickens come in our yard

373
00:19:24,020 --> 00:19:25,137
and things like that.

374
00:19:25,137 --> 00:19:27,860
- But the beauty was in
the trees and the hills,

375
00:19:27,860 --> 00:19:32,860
we had the canyon like on one
side was the Feather River,

376
00:19:33,060 --> 00:19:35,360
the other side we had Butte Creek Canyon

377
00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:37,160
so that's the reason why
we call it the Ridge.

378
00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:40,080
- Beautiful and amazing,
wonderful place to grow up.

379
00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:42,890
I always told people that
you had a lake below you,

380
00:19:42,890 --> 00:19:46,220
lakes above you, a canyon
on both sides with rivers,

381
00:19:46,220 --> 00:19:47,360
like a childhood dream.

382
00:19:47,360 --> 00:19:48,910
You could go hunting up in the mountains

383
00:19:48,910 --> 00:19:51,450
and then Chico was eight
miles away so you could get

384
00:19:51,450 --> 00:19:53,450
some city life if you wanted.

385
00:19:53,450 --> 00:19:55,958
- And it was a place where your kids,

386
00:19:55,958 --> 00:19:58,970
they'd get up in the morning,
they'd get on their bicycles

387
00:19:58,970 --> 00:20:02,610
they'd run down to Kunkle
Lake, fish all day, you know,

388
00:20:02,610 --> 00:20:04,450
run around town, come home.

389
00:20:04,450 --> 00:20:07,920
You didn't worry about anything
happening to them, you know,

390
00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:10,163
you knew they'd be home
in time for dinner.

391
00:20:15,310 --> 00:20:18,490
- [Ev Durán] What were some
things, pre-fire obviously,

392
00:20:18,490 --> 00:20:22,400
either landmarks or businesses
or just like Paradise things

393
00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:23,770
that you guys really liked?

394
00:20:23,770 --> 00:20:28,770
- Oh wow, well right off
the bat, Juice & Java, yeah.

395
00:20:29,893 --> 00:20:31,140
- Juice & Java.

396
00:20:31,140 --> 00:20:32,570
- Of course Juice & Java.

397
00:20:32,570 --> 00:20:37,570
- I went to that coffee shop
for literally, gosh 20 years.

398
00:20:38,460 --> 00:20:40,530
- We grew up going to Juice & Java,

399
00:20:40,530 --> 00:20:41,997
going to Juice & Java in high school,

400
00:20:41,997 --> 00:20:42,830
skipping class to go to Juice & Java.

401
00:20:42,830 --> 00:20:44,240
- And now were able to
take our daughter there

402
00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:45,323
to get a smoothie.

403
00:20:48,380 --> 00:20:50,070
- [Ev Durán] For many people in Paradise

404
00:20:50,070 --> 00:20:53,660
Juice & Java was an
institution. Delicious coffee,

405
00:20:53,660 --> 00:20:57,000
tons of seating, stellar
personalized service...

406
00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:00,530
J & J was a favorite of
Paradisians of all ages.

407
00:21:00,530 --> 00:21:02,443
The owner is a man named Geoffrey Greitzer

408
00:21:02,443 --> 00:21:05,090
and I've known him for
what feels like forever.

409
00:21:05,090 --> 00:21:07,050
My older sister used
to work at Juice & Java

410
00:21:07,050 --> 00:21:09,350
when I was a kid and
Geoffrey would sometimes come

411
00:21:09,350 --> 00:21:11,130
to our family birthday parties.

412
00:21:11,130 --> 00:21:14,550
Here's a picture of he and
I at my mom's 40th in 1997.

413
00:21:14,550 --> 00:21:16,720
I'm dressed as a clown for some reason...?

414
00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:19,920
When I got older, I worked at
Juice & Java for five years.

415
00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:22,810
It's probably my most
favorite job I've ever had.

416
00:21:22,810 --> 00:21:24,443
Geoffrey is a character
through and through

417
00:21:24,443 --> 00:21:26,320
and never boring.

418
00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:29,480
I'll let one of my former
co-workers explain a bit further.

419
00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:31,270
- Oh Geoffrey.

420
00:21:31,270 --> 00:21:34,050
You know, when I sat
down for my interview,

421
00:21:34,050 --> 00:21:36,150
which was on the spot,
I was not expecting it.

422
00:21:36,150 --> 00:21:38,860
But I walked in and he sat
me down and interviewed me,

423
00:21:38,860 --> 00:21:41,490
I was not prepared for it
all, my now mother-in-law

424
00:21:41,490 --> 00:21:43,330
was in the car waiting
for me and so I'm like,

425
00:21:43,330 --> 00:21:46,640
can I go tell my ride that
I'm going in for an interview?

426
00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:48,580
But during the interview one
thing that always stuck with me

427
00:21:48,580 --> 00:21:50,660
is he looks at me and
he says, "I'm a Gemini,

428
00:21:50,660 --> 00:21:52,783
and I'm a childish asshole."

429
00:21:54,185 --> 00:21:56,685
And I was like, who says
that during an interview?

430
00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:02,800
And he definitely could
be, which I'm okay saying,

431
00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,177
he said it himself, so I'm
just not arguing with him.

432
00:22:07,250 --> 00:22:10,240
But he also, Geoffrey has a huge heart.

433
00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:11,420
- [Ev Durán] And I can vouch for that.

434
00:22:11,420 --> 00:22:13,210
Geoffrey once reached
into the cash register

435
00:22:13,210 --> 00:22:16,193
and just gave me $900 to buy
a truck, like out of the blue.

436
00:22:17,100 --> 00:22:18,260
- I think when you can work anywhere

437
00:22:18,260 --> 00:22:20,110
and you kind of feel like it's a family,

438
00:22:20,110 --> 00:22:21,830
that's not something that everybody gets.

439
00:22:21,830 --> 00:22:24,580
And for Geoffrey, I think that,
that was really big for him

440
00:22:24,580 --> 00:22:27,063
is to be able to support each other.

441
00:22:28,340 --> 00:22:32,993
- Hello, I'm Geoffrey Greitzer,
owner of Juice & Java.

442
00:22:34,150 --> 00:22:37,670
I've been here 23 years,
I've been in Paradise 24

443
00:22:37,670 --> 00:22:40,840
and built this restaurant 23 years ago

444
00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:44,310
and this is what it looks like now.

445
00:22:44,310 --> 00:22:49,300
It's, lost everything,
we lost two businesses

446
00:22:49,300 --> 00:22:53,720
with this building and our house

447
00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:56,680
and a lot of great memories.

448
00:22:56,680 --> 00:23:00,060
When this fire came down
I heard a lot of comments

449
00:23:00,060 --> 00:23:04,500
from ex-employees and how
much they miss this place

450
00:23:04,500 --> 00:23:08,341
and how much it meant to them.

451
00:23:08,341 --> 00:23:10,210
'Cause it was a pretty tight group.

452
00:23:10,210 --> 00:23:13,640
It wasn't just, hey, I'm going to work,

453
00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:15,850
the boss is an asshole, blah, blah, blah.

454
00:23:15,850 --> 00:23:17,720
You know what I'm saying? I'm
sure there was plenty of that

455
00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:21,303
but there was, God the
memories, the different,

456
00:23:22,930 --> 00:23:26,030
some of the things...
going bowling together,

457
00:23:26,030 --> 00:23:27,890
getting a limo with all the employees

458
00:23:27,890 --> 00:23:29,440
and going out for Christmas dinner

459
00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:33,610
and employees projectile
vomiting at nice restaurants

460
00:23:33,610 --> 00:23:35,830
and things like that, oh yeah.

461
00:23:35,830 --> 00:23:39,740
I wanted to create like a
"Cheers" type of atmosphere

462
00:23:39,740 --> 00:23:41,300
where people would know everybody.

463
00:23:41,300 --> 00:23:43,700
And that definitely came to fruition.

464
00:23:43,700 --> 00:23:48,350
I mean, it's great to feel
that close to the community

465
00:23:48,350 --> 00:23:53,350
and it's quite an honor
to have that opportunity.

466
00:23:58,660 --> 00:23:59,990
- [Ev Durán] If it's not
obvious from the look

467
00:23:59,990 --> 00:24:02,310
on Geoffrey's face, Juice & Java shared

468
00:24:02,310 --> 00:24:04,870
a special connection with
the town of Paradise.

469
00:24:04,870 --> 00:24:07,950
Many customers would visit
every single day of the week.

470
00:24:07,950 --> 00:24:11,330
And then when Friday rolled
around and the sun began to set,

471
00:24:11,330 --> 00:24:13,050
there was something else very important

472
00:24:13,050 --> 00:24:14,509
to the people of Paradise.

473
00:24:14,509 --> 00:24:17,425
- Well, it's a football
crazy town obviously.

474
00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:21,293
It's interesting with football because,

475
00:24:21,293 --> 00:24:23,850
when I first got up there
in the mid nineties,

476
00:24:23,850 --> 00:24:26,670
they were not good, but
people still came to games

477
00:24:26,670 --> 00:24:28,550
- Go Bobcats!

478
00:24:28,550 --> 00:24:31,710
- And then Rick came along
and they started to win.

479
00:24:31,710 --> 00:24:33,460
- I don't know the win/loss record

480
00:24:33,460 --> 00:24:36,840
but we've been, in 20 years,
we've been in the section

481
00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:41,230
championship 12 times,
we've won it six times,

482
00:24:41,230 --> 00:24:45,070
we've been in the playoffs
18 years out of the 20

483
00:24:45,070 --> 00:24:47,928
and we've won 10 league championships.

484
00:24:47,928 --> 00:24:49,163
- And then it became something

485
00:24:49,163 --> 00:24:50,560
you had to be a part of the football team.

486
00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:52,640
It wasn't quite Texas football,

487
00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:55,413
but there was a happening, right.

488
00:24:57,552 --> 00:25:00,710
- Football was really,
at least for my boy,

489
00:25:00,710 --> 00:25:02,520
it was the reason he went to school.

490
00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:05,950
It was the reason he got
grades that were good enough

491
00:25:05,950 --> 00:25:07,210
to stay on the football team.

492
00:25:07,210 --> 00:25:09,290
It was really important to him.

493
00:25:09,290 --> 00:25:11,930
- This whole town seems
like they're so involved.

494
00:25:11,930 --> 00:25:14,620
It's almost like a movie
that you would see that,

495
00:25:14,620 --> 00:25:16,440
it's Friday night, "Friday Night Lights,"

496
00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:18,130
the whole town comes out.

497
00:25:18,130 --> 00:25:21,050
- Those four seconds that
we get in between whistles,

498
00:25:21,050 --> 00:25:22,780
we were gonna get after people.

499
00:25:22,780 --> 00:25:25,300
And we created a reputation that,

500
00:25:25,300 --> 00:25:28,830
I mean, you heard all kinds of rumors

501
00:25:28,830 --> 00:25:31,740
and oh, they're doing this
up there, they're doing that,

502
00:25:31,740 --> 00:25:34,650
no, we had a passion for the game.

503
00:25:34,650 --> 00:25:37,570
- Whenever I thought of
Paradise and now especially,

504
00:25:37,570 --> 00:25:40,070
I think it's a football town,
that's how I describe it.

505
00:25:40,070 --> 00:25:44,164
Football is really important
and it's important to me,

506
00:25:44,164 --> 00:25:47,313
and it's important to the
community, and to our high school.

507
00:25:48,190 --> 00:25:51,490
- The culture was so great,
what Coach Prinz built there

508
00:25:51,490 --> 00:25:54,780
and it continues, to
be able to sustain that

509
00:25:54,780 --> 00:25:59,430
for that many years and
have kids continually

510
00:25:59,430 --> 00:26:01,100
coming through the program and bought in,

511
00:26:01,100 --> 00:26:03,003
is something that's really special.

512
00:26:04,490 --> 00:26:06,520
- [Ev Durán] So that's
Paradise in a nutshell.

513
00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:08,420
A pretty wonderful place to grow up.

514
00:26:08,420 --> 00:26:10,170
Not perfect by any stretch,

515
00:26:10,170 --> 00:26:12,100
like every town we had our problems,

516
00:26:12,100 --> 00:26:15,160
but by and large, it
was just a good place.

517
00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:18,280
A tight knit town with a
strong sense of community.

518
00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:21,150
The kind of small town where
high school football was King

519
00:26:21,150 --> 00:26:23,260
or a local coffee shop could feel like

520
00:26:23,260 --> 00:26:25,230
the center of the universe.

521
00:26:25,230 --> 00:26:27,570
It was our own personal
hideaway in the woods.

522
00:26:27,570 --> 00:26:30,270
And I'd wager to say that most
of the residents of Paradise

523
00:26:30,270 --> 00:26:34,010
felt connected to one another,
a part of a larger whole.

524
00:26:34,010 --> 00:26:35,300
It was beautiful.

525
00:26:35,300 --> 00:26:36,590
It was safe.

526
00:26:36,590 --> 00:26:38,200
It was home.

527
00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:41,940
There was only one real
omnipresent threat to Paradise,

528
00:26:41,940 --> 00:26:44,593
but you know that, that's why we're here.

529
00:26:45,900 --> 00:26:48,395
- Oh, we always knew there
was gonna be a big one.

530
00:26:48,395 --> 00:26:51,812
(slow suspenseful music)

531
00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:01,550
- During my tenure in Paradise,

532
00:27:01,550 --> 00:27:06,060
I've probably had to
evacuate at least four times

533
00:27:06,060 --> 00:27:07,213
that I'm sure of.

534
00:27:08,310 --> 00:27:12,500
- We knew we lived in a fire-prone area.

535
00:27:12,500 --> 00:27:14,750
I don't think the fear consumed us,

536
00:27:14,750 --> 00:27:17,060
but we were always aware of it,

537
00:27:17,060 --> 00:27:19,260
there were always fires nearby.

538
00:27:19,260 --> 00:27:21,800
- In my experience there
was always fires around.

539
00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:23,080
Nothing ever got close.

540
00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:25,550
I kinda thought of Paradise
to be like a safe haven

541
00:27:25,550 --> 00:27:27,080
from all natural disasters.

542
00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:28,560
That's truly how I looked at it.

543
00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:30,590
Like no earthquakes, no floods,

544
00:27:30,590 --> 00:27:32,483
no fire is gonna burn the whole town.

545
00:27:33,730 --> 00:27:38,500
- When you have what's called
the wildland urban interface,

546
00:27:38,500 --> 00:27:41,630
which is basically building
your homes in the forest,

547
00:27:41,630 --> 00:27:42,973
there is a lot of risk.

548
00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:48,210
We know the situation that
we're in here is always been

549
00:27:48,210 --> 00:27:51,260
a potential major wildland fire.

550
00:27:51,260 --> 00:27:54,287
I always said, and many people
would quote me as saying,

551
00:27:54,287 --> 00:27:55,400
"Oh, chief, he always says,

552
00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:56,993
it's not a matter of if, it's when."

553
00:27:56,993 --> 00:27:58,570
- It's not if, but when.

554
00:27:58,570 --> 00:27:59,910
- It wasn't if, it was when.

555
00:27:59,910 --> 00:28:02,940
We all knew that it was
imminent, there had been threats.

556
00:28:02,940 --> 00:28:07,530
And if you look at it over an overlay,

557
00:28:07,530 --> 00:28:10,000
over the last 150 years,
you'll notice that

558
00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:12,050
there have been several fires
that have encroached upon

559
00:28:12,050 --> 00:28:15,970
the plateau, which we
are, between large canyons

560
00:28:15,970 --> 00:28:18,030
that generate large winds.

561
00:28:18,030 --> 00:28:21,070
- I frankly think I was a
little too blasé about it.

562
00:28:21,070 --> 00:28:22,840
Like, oh, it's not going to happen to us,

563
00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:25,511
despite having been here in 2008.

564
00:28:25,511 --> 00:28:29,530
(slow suspenseful music continues)

565
00:28:29,530 --> 00:28:32,050
- [Ev Durán] In 2008, the Humboldt Fire,

566
00:28:32,050 --> 00:28:33,640
started by an arsonist,

567
00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:36,220
wreaked tremendous havoc on Paradise.

568
00:28:36,220 --> 00:28:40,510
That fire destroyed 87
homes, 167 outbuildings

569
00:28:40,510 --> 00:28:42,660
and over 100 vehicles.

570
00:28:42,660 --> 00:28:45,100
For those of us who lived
in Paradise at the time,

571
00:28:45,100 --> 00:28:47,330
it was a truly frightening event.

572
00:28:47,330 --> 00:28:50,870
When it was over, I can
remember thinking, 'Man, I hope

573
00:28:50,870 --> 00:28:53,370
that was the big one they've
always talked about.'

574
00:28:53,370 --> 00:28:56,090
- We were evacuated in 2008.

575
00:28:56,090 --> 00:28:58,620
We were evacuated for about a week,

576
00:28:58,620 --> 00:29:01,170
and I think everyone's awareness of fire

577
00:29:01,170 --> 00:29:03,640
was really heightened that season.

578
00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:08,430
- 2008 was a lot of ways a,
I called it a close call.

579
00:29:08,430 --> 00:29:10,350
Even though I'm sure the people who,

580
00:29:10,350 --> 00:29:13,860
the 74 people who lost their
homes in lower Paradise area,

581
00:29:13,860 --> 00:29:15,710
don't feel like it was a close call.

582
00:29:15,710 --> 00:29:18,200
From the standpoint of
what the potential was,

583
00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:19,653
it was a close call.

584
00:29:22,530 --> 00:29:27,530
- The impact of that fire
was maybe an eyeopener

585
00:29:28,500 --> 00:29:30,760
for a lot of people.

586
00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:33,450
- That I think was my
first real experience with,

587
00:29:33,450 --> 00:29:34,820
Oh my gosh!

588
00:29:34,820 --> 00:29:36,700
We live on a mountain and
we're kind of stuck here

589
00:29:36,700 --> 00:29:40,630
type of thing, where I had
not necessarily a fear,

590
00:29:40,630 --> 00:29:44,065
but an enlightening moment, I suppose.

591
00:29:44,065 --> 00:29:47,160
- 2008 was very scary.

592
00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:49,780
And that's a time that many, many people

593
00:29:49,780 --> 00:29:52,720
evacuated, including us.

594
00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:56,260
In that particular instance,
I think we were away from home

595
00:29:56,260 --> 00:30:01,260
for several nights before the
fire was eventually contained.

596
00:30:03,193 --> 00:30:08,140
- In 2008, and I mean every
square inch of this ranch,

597
00:30:08,140 --> 00:30:12,310
and the 27,000 acres around it, burned...

598
00:30:12,310 --> 00:30:15,113
if it wasn't rock or metal, it was ash.

599
00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:18,863
10 years later, this place burned again.

600
00:30:20,710 --> 00:30:24,010
- Normal day, about 6:30 in the morning,

601
00:30:24,010 --> 00:30:29,003
I went out the front door and
there was a plume of smoke,

602
00:30:30,150 --> 00:30:32,890
coming in that corner over there.

603
00:30:32,890 --> 00:30:37,890
And being here in Paradise,
you're used to having fires.

604
00:30:40,010 --> 00:30:42,230
And so that was a fire,

605
00:30:42,230 --> 00:30:43,890
but didn't look like it was that ominous,

606
00:30:43,890 --> 00:30:47,403
like the entire town was
gonna be wiped off the map.

607
00:30:48,820 --> 00:30:51,920
- So I was up probably by
about quarter to seven,

608
00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:54,590
I'd made coffee, sitting
in my favorite chair,

609
00:30:54,590 --> 00:30:57,190
and sipping my coffee, and
just sort of looking back

610
00:30:57,190 --> 00:30:58,960
over my shoulder, out through the windows,

611
00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:02,773
toward the backyard and
seeing it was so smoky.

612
00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:05,130
- It started out as a normal day.

613
00:31:05,130 --> 00:31:07,920
I have two morning classes, the
first one starts at 5:00 am.

614
00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:11,710
So got here, opened up
the gym, do our workout,

615
00:31:11,710 --> 00:31:15,204
6:00am another class comes
in, by the time they're done,

616
00:31:15,204 --> 00:31:19,830
I walk them out 'cause it's
about 7:15, nice sunny day,

617
00:31:19,830 --> 00:31:22,490
and we see a big cloud
of smoke over there.

618
00:31:22,490 --> 00:31:23,790
Because we're kind of
immune to it, we're like,

619
00:31:23,790 --> 00:31:25,060
oh, wonder where the fire's at?

620
00:31:25,060 --> 00:31:26,160
But that was about it.

621
00:31:27,583 --> 00:31:31,910
- About 7:30, we heard there was a fire

622
00:31:31,910 --> 00:31:36,290
in the canyon, but didn't
even think twice about that,

623
00:31:36,290 --> 00:31:38,440
'cause there's always
a fire in the canyon.

624
00:31:40,110 --> 00:31:42,340
I'd gotten a text message about 7:30

625
00:31:42,340 --> 00:31:45,390
from the Town Manager,
something they'd passed on

626
00:31:45,390 --> 00:31:48,730
from CalFire, that there
was a fire at Pulga.

627
00:31:48,730 --> 00:31:51,900
They were watching it
and they were hitting it

628
00:31:51,900 --> 00:31:53,153
with everything they had.

629
00:31:54,550 --> 00:31:57,420
- I was listening to KCHO
as I do every morning,

630
00:31:57,420 --> 00:31:59,260
and they said, there's a fire in Pulga,

631
00:31:59,260 --> 00:32:01,610
which wasn't particularly alarming because

632
00:32:01,610 --> 00:32:04,120
that's so far away.

633
00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:05,950
- The perspective was basically,

634
00:32:05,950 --> 00:32:07,720
we're gonna just gonna do this again.

635
00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:10,930
And then in fact, yeah, there are warnings

636
00:32:10,930 --> 00:32:13,100
that are coming out, there
are people, neighbors

637
00:32:13,100 --> 00:32:17,630
coming by expressing concern,
the fire's over in Pulga,

638
00:32:17,630 --> 00:32:20,210
that's a distance away,
we've seen this before

639
00:32:20,210 --> 00:32:23,063
in different locations and
treated it just like that.

640
00:32:24,050 --> 00:32:24,927
- My son said,

641
00:32:24,927 --> 00:32:26,600
"Mommy, I thought it was
supposed to be sunny today."

642
00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:27,810
And I said, "It is."

643
00:32:27,810 --> 00:32:29,120
He said "But the sun's a weird color."

644
00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:30,420
And I walked out and I said,

645
00:32:30,420 --> 00:32:32,077
"I wonder if there's a
fire," and I smelled the air,

646
00:32:32,077 --> 00:32:34,270
and it was a little smoky.

647
00:32:34,270 --> 00:32:37,400
And we get so many fires
in Northern California

648
00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:40,870
that I really wasn't
that worried about it.

649
00:32:40,870 --> 00:32:43,090
Fires all the way up in
Shasta will sometimes make

650
00:32:43,090 --> 00:32:45,210
the sun hazy or whatever.

651
00:32:45,210 --> 00:32:46,610
- It seemed pretty relaxed.

652
00:32:46,610 --> 00:32:48,670
I was a little scared that
there's a bunch of smoke,

653
00:32:48,670 --> 00:32:52,680
but nothing like out of the normal,

654
00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:56,203
I didn't feel scared in any way.

655
00:32:57,380 --> 00:32:58,887
- Me and my girlfriend
woke up that morning

656
00:32:58,887 --> 00:33:00,750
and we went outside and just heard

657
00:33:00,750 --> 00:33:03,770
the wind going through the
canyon like a freight train.

658
00:33:03,770 --> 00:33:07,160
I turned to her and said, "This
isn't good, this scares me."

659
00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:10,360
- I was at home when I
first learned of a fire,

660
00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:12,800
wildfire up in the Pulga area.

661
00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:15,300
And initially it didn't
cause me a lot of concern

662
00:33:15,300 --> 00:33:17,970
because that's a fairly
remote part of the county,

663
00:33:17,970 --> 00:33:19,943
it's not heavily populated.

664
00:33:20,780 --> 00:33:23,120
But I did think to myself, I can't believe

665
00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:25,323
it's November and we're having a wildfire.

666
00:33:26,681 --> 00:33:29,848
(fire sparks crackle)

667
00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:35,110
- The dynamics of this
fire are really unique.

668
00:33:35,110 --> 00:33:39,200
Picture this: a fire is burning
to the east of Paradise.

669
00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:42,510
It's burning in an area that
has a significant fire history,

670
00:33:42,510 --> 00:33:45,000
the Concow area, Yankee Hill/Concow area.

671
00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:48,160
This fire had occurred from
the same location and burned

672
00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:51,740
in one night, it burned
five miles back in 2008,

673
00:33:51,740 --> 00:33:53,430
to the edge of Paradise,

674
00:33:53,430 --> 00:33:55,670
there's a history of fire moving quickly.

675
00:33:55,670 --> 00:33:59,220
Part of the dilemma of
this fire was the fact that

676
00:33:59,220 --> 00:34:01,940
most of those fuels
had burned 10 years ago

677
00:34:01,940 --> 00:34:05,110
and were in a 10 year,
sort of ripe condition

678
00:34:05,110 --> 00:34:07,550
because when a forest goes away,

679
00:34:07,550 --> 00:34:09,780
it's replaced by lighter fuels.

680
00:34:09,780 --> 00:34:11,710
So the regrowth that occurred
over the last 10 years,

681
00:34:11,710 --> 00:34:13,850
created a lot of fuel load.

682
00:34:13,850 --> 00:34:16,930
So now this fuel load's
on fire and what happens

683
00:34:16,930 --> 00:34:20,240
with the fuel load, is
that it was very dry,

684
00:34:20,240 --> 00:34:23,520
record setting levels for
the month of November,

685
00:34:23,520 --> 00:34:26,080
ready to burn, under a
heavy wind condition,

686
00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:28,960
not just the Jarbo Gap
wind which we locals know,

687
00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:31,040
is a nightly occurrence in the summer,

688
00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:33,290
but also a huge gradient wind

689
00:34:33,290 --> 00:34:34,950
that was from a high pressure

690
00:34:34,950 --> 00:34:37,870
to low pressure, that
created a much higher stack

691
00:34:37,870 --> 00:34:40,000
of wind. That comes into play

692
00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:43,750
in that, when the fire developed
in this really dry fuel,

693
00:34:43,750 --> 00:34:46,010
it sends up a column.

694
00:34:46,010 --> 00:34:49,290
In this case it went
up with all that energy

695
00:34:49,290 --> 00:34:50,580
and it hit somewhere around,

696
00:34:50,580 --> 00:34:52,570
I'm gonna say about the 5,000 foot level.

697
00:34:52,570 --> 00:34:55,860
It hit shearing winds that
were probably exceeded

698
00:34:55,860 --> 00:34:57,260
a 100 miles an hour.

699
00:34:57,260 --> 00:35:00,340
Not the surface winds that
were being measured at 42 to 45

700
00:35:00,340 --> 00:35:02,880
on Jarbo Gap, but over a
100 mile an hour winds.

701
00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:07,623
So this superheated air full
of debris is sheared off

702
00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:12,060
and launches thousands of embers

703
00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:15,420
in a blowtorch that keeps them hot.

704
00:35:15,420 --> 00:35:18,200
Because typically what
happens with embers is that,

705
00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:20,080
you'll get some ember fallout

706
00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:22,980
and that ember fallout will ignite fires.

707
00:35:22,980 --> 00:35:25,893
But as the air rises like a thunderstorm,

708
00:35:26,730 --> 00:35:28,940
the fuels have an opportunity to cool.

709
00:35:28,940 --> 00:35:30,770
And as they come back down, not near,

710
00:35:30,770 --> 00:35:34,480
as many of them are, are hot embers.

711
00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:37,300
Well, in this case, they were
in the middle of a blowtorch

712
00:35:37,300 --> 00:35:41,240
being launched by these
above surface winds,

713
00:35:41,240 --> 00:35:43,343
right at the town of Paradise.

714
00:35:45,823 --> 00:35:48,406
(siren sounds)

715
00:35:54,430 --> 00:35:57,560
We also knew because we have
an elaborate evacuation plan,

716
00:35:57,560 --> 00:35:59,140
had and still have,

717
00:35:59,140 --> 00:36:01,770
that we had potential
problems getting people out

718
00:36:01,770 --> 00:36:03,890
because of the sheer
number of people versus

719
00:36:03,890 --> 00:36:06,110
the number of road options that we had.

720
00:36:06,110 --> 00:36:09,440
- Concow, Magalia, and Paradise,

721
00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:12,440
you're talking about maybe 60,000 people,

722
00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:14,140
that's a lot of people to get out.

723
00:36:14,140 --> 00:36:18,850
And Paradise isn't really
built for a mass evacuation

724
00:36:18,850 --> 00:36:19,920
at the very same time,

725
00:36:19,920 --> 00:36:21,680
which is why they developed their plan.

726
00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:24,380
This is why they did that
'cause they learned in 2008.

727
00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:28,020
If you gotta get everybody
out, it's gonna be a mess.

728
00:36:28,020 --> 00:36:30,163
And it was.

729
00:36:32,330 --> 00:36:35,030
- There were a couple of young men,

730
00:36:35,030 --> 00:36:36,910
running through the nearby property

731
00:36:36,910 --> 00:36:41,293
and they were yelling,
"Fire! Fire! Get out!"

732
00:36:43,570 --> 00:36:45,650
So I yelled back, "How close is it?"

733
00:36:45,650 --> 00:36:47,623
And they said, "We can see the flames."

734
00:36:49,610 --> 00:36:52,340
- You started to see cars
kind of backing up on Skyway

735
00:36:52,340 --> 00:36:54,770
or whatever and I was getting annoyed.

736
00:36:54,770 --> 00:36:55,950
I'm like, what's going on?

737
00:36:55,950 --> 00:36:58,010
Why are we already backed up on this road?

738
00:36:58,010 --> 00:37:01,220
So I had to go up on
the sidewalk to drive,

739
00:37:01,220 --> 00:37:04,253
to get to my house, which is
like five minutes from here.

740
00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:08,150
- My daughter Brielle was
born the morning before

741
00:37:08,150 --> 00:37:11,800
on the seventh at 8:18, November 7th.

742
00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:15,080
We were in the hospital & because
I had to have a C-section,

743
00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:17,200
I was hooked up to an IV, I
was hooked up to a catheter,

744
00:37:17,200 --> 00:37:20,693
I had only gotten out of bed
once in the previous 24 hours.

745
00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:26,290
- Then I heard it was at
Ponderosa School at about 8:45.

746
00:37:26,290 --> 00:37:29,237
And I'm like, uh oh, this is different.

747
00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:35,260
- My 24 hour old baby and
I were escorted outside,

748
00:37:35,260 --> 00:37:37,420
we were put in the back
of a Sheriff's vehicle.

749
00:37:37,420 --> 00:37:40,170
And so I look over and you
could just see the flames

750
00:37:40,170 --> 00:37:42,520
coming over the canyon
towards the hospital.

751
00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:46,140
- And we could hear, like, the fire,

752
00:37:46,140 --> 00:37:48,230
we could hear people screaming,

753
00:37:48,230 --> 00:37:50,340
we could hear propane tanks exploding.

754
00:37:50,340 --> 00:37:55,340
So I took one last picture
of the house from over here,

755
00:37:56,270 --> 00:37:58,670
right before we got in the car,

756
00:37:58,670 --> 00:38:01,600
and, 'cause it dawned on me
it would be the last time

757
00:38:07,410 --> 00:38:09,170
that we'd see it.

758
00:38:09,170 --> 00:38:11,480
- So if the fire was
coming from the canyon,

759
00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:15,450
it should have moved
progressively, well it leapfrogged

760
00:38:15,450 --> 00:38:18,860
and was into town very quickly.

761
00:38:18,860 --> 00:38:22,580
- So I threw some clothes on
over my pajamas and got the dog

762
00:38:22,580 --> 00:38:26,570
and I grabbed an afghan of
my mom's and I pulled out

763
00:38:26,570 --> 00:38:29,420
and I could see in a distance
that there was a police car.

764
00:38:29,420 --> 00:38:30,560
And I thought, I'm gonna go check with him

765
00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:33,590
to see how much time
we have, like an hour?

766
00:38:33,590 --> 00:38:38,580
He says, he said, "You have no time."

767
00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:43,083
You have to get out.

768
00:38:45,590 --> 00:38:46,890
- [Man] Holy shit dude.

769
00:38:46,890 --> 00:38:47,967
Just be safe.

770
00:38:47,967 --> 00:38:51,843
- Fly, fly, fly.

771
00:38:53,959 --> 00:38:55,109
- Holy shit, holy shit.

772
00:38:56,719 --> 00:39:00,297
- So it's just a mad panic to get out.

773
00:39:00,297 --> 00:39:03,027
You have flames on your
left and your right

774
00:39:03,027 --> 00:39:08,027
and you see houses and trees
and you can feel the heat

775
00:39:08,210 --> 00:39:09,920
coming through the car.

776
00:39:09,920 --> 00:39:14,090
- [Woman] It's so hot,
it's so hot, keep going!

777
00:39:14,090 --> 00:39:15,570
- It sounds like the whole world

778
00:39:15,570 --> 00:39:16,910
was avalanching toward us.

779
00:39:16,910 --> 00:39:19,350
It was the craziest sound I'd ever heard.

780
00:39:19,350 --> 00:39:20,820
It sounded like Armageddon.

781
00:39:20,820 --> 00:39:23,380
Exactly like I would picture Armageddon.

782
00:39:23,380 --> 00:39:26,090
- It's getting darker and
darker to a point where

783
00:39:26,090 --> 00:39:30,970
it's now like black and you
see the white ash coming down,

784
00:39:30,970 --> 00:39:33,460
you're hearing more and more that popping.

785
00:39:33,460 --> 00:39:35,650
People are all stuck,
people are freaking out.

786
00:39:35,650 --> 00:39:38,940
- [Woman] This is Pentz
Road, this is Pentz!

787
00:39:39,780 --> 00:39:42,090
- And I remember
specifically one transmission

788
00:39:42,090 --> 00:39:44,590
from a deputy talking about
how the road was blocked

789
00:39:44,590 --> 00:39:46,130
and they were being overtaken by fire,

790
00:39:46,130 --> 00:39:47,810
they were gonna have to
get out of their vehicles

791
00:39:47,810 --> 00:39:50,453
and find a way to shelter in place.

792
00:39:52,809 --> 00:39:54,640
I honestly believed that,
that was the last time

793
00:39:54,640 --> 00:39:56,207
I would ever hear that deputy.

794
00:39:56,207 --> 00:39:59,124
(slow eerie music)

795
00:40:21,738 --> 00:40:23,210
- You know the correct
side to go down Skyway,

796
00:40:23,210 --> 00:40:25,973
as you get past Neal then
you start your descent.

797
00:40:27,060 --> 00:40:29,110
And you can see the canyon,
that's where the canyon starts.

798
00:40:29,110 --> 00:40:31,090
You can see the fire and
the flames right... and

799
00:40:31,090 --> 00:40:35,620
people are just, trying to,
like cattle going to slaughter.

800
00:40:35,620 --> 00:40:39,690
I'm like, I don't think I
want to get into that lane,

801
00:40:39,690 --> 00:40:42,600
so I decided to go around a couple of cars

802
00:40:42,600 --> 00:40:43,650
and go to the opposite way.

803
00:40:43,650 --> 00:40:45,530
'Cause I know there
was two lanes coming up

804
00:40:45,530 --> 00:40:47,710
and emergency vehicles
could still make it up.

805
00:40:47,710 --> 00:40:50,850
So I scooted around and went that way,

806
00:40:50,850 --> 00:40:53,620
I went, drove around, there
was a little building,

807
00:40:53,620 --> 00:40:56,163
maybe 200 yards, everything was clear,

808
00:40:57,013 --> 00:40:58,600
and then everything changed.

809
00:40:58,600 --> 00:41:02,230
Everything got dark, I
mean completely black,

810
00:41:02,230 --> 00:41:04,290
darker than night.

811
00:41:04,290 --> 00:41:08,150
And then you see trees on
both sides of the road,

812
00:41:08,150 --> 00:41:11,150
just on fire and things
flying over the road,

813
00:41:11,150 --> 00:41:12,490
and you're looking everywhere,

814
00:41:12,490 --> 00:41:14,820
and all of a sudden you're
just surrounded by fire.

815
00:41:14,820 --> 00:41:17,840
Like, well, wait a
minute, I was just, oops,

816
00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:18,940
I made a wrong turn.

817
00:41:18,940 --> 00:41:20,460
That's what it felt like.

818
00:41:20,460 --> 00:41:22,730
And so you had to keep
driving, you can't get out.

819
00:41:22,730 --> 00:41:24,893
So I start to drive through the fire

820
00:41:24,893 --> 00:41:27,420
and you're kind of doing
this and you're looking

821
00:41:27,420 --> 00:41:29,163
'cause it's like, wow, this is,

822
00:41:30,428 --> 00:41:31,753
the light bulb is starting to come on and

823
00:41:31,753 --> 00:41:34,570
you're going, oh, wait a
minute, this is dangerous.

824
00:41:34,570 --> 00:41:36,127
And so I get around this little building

825
00:41:36,127 --> 00:41:39,150
and there's an opening from
this side of the canyon

826
00:41:39,150 --> 00:41:42,910
to this side, whoom, there
comes a tunnel of fire,

827
00:41:42,910 --> 00:41:45,460
and it engulfs my car.

828
00:41:45,460 --> 00:41:47,720
You can see it on the
hood, the windshield,

829
00:41:47,720 --> 00:41:51,250
behind you, I'm in a tunnel
of fire, I'm thinking

830
00:41:51,250 --> 00:41:56,250
oh my goodness, crap, I'm
dead, I'm gonna die here.

831
00:41:58,690 --> 00:42:01,280
Just keep driving, keep
driving and keep driving.

832
00:42:01,280 --> 00:42:02,830
And it's getting hotter.

833
00:42:02,830 --> 00:42:05,060
And then now you're
getting pelted by embers

834
00:42:05,060 --> 00:42:07,050
that are the size of bricks.

835
00:42:07,050 --> 00:42:07,972
You could hear it going,

836
00:42:07,972 --> 00:42:08,910
(pounds hand with fist)

837
00:42:08,910 --> 00:42:10,820
and your car is going, slowing down,

838
00:42:10,820 --> 00:42:12,460
and I'm thinking, please my tires

839
00:42:12,460 --> 00:42:13,553
don't pop, don't pop.

840
00:42:15,440 --> 00:42:16,970
And then the other things coming up

841
00:42:16,970 --> 00:42:21,130
were, you're starting to
say, well, I hope the smoke

842
00:42:21,130 --> 00:42:22,640
takes me first, before I die,

843
00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:25,660
And I'm thinking, shit
I don't wanna get out

844
00:42:25,660 --> 00:42:27,760
and run in this thing. It's gonna hurt.

845
00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:30,110
I don't want to stop and so

846
00:42:30,110 --> 00:42:35,090
and when that fire came
and hit my windshield,

847
00:42:35,090 --> 00:42:37,670
your natural reaction
is to duck because it's,

848
00:42:37,670 --> 00:42:42,040
so I ducked and as I
ducked under, I got this,

849
00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:44,480
like tiger came out of me
and all I could think about

850
00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:45,700
was my son and I yelled out,

851
00:42:45,700 --> 00:42:48,260
"Charlie! I'm not gonna die here!"

852
00:42:48,260 --> 00:42:50,300
Sit up, put it in third gear, punched it,

853
00:42:50,300 --> 00:42:53,523
I didn't care what I hit, I
had to get out of the fire

854
00:42:53,523 --> 00:42:54,951
'cause it was starting to get hot.

855
00:42:54,951 --> 00:42:58,779
So I just kept going and going and going

856
00:42:58,779 --> 00:43:01,520
and probably another 60, 70 yards

857
00:43:01,520 --> 00:43:04,780
just before the Paradise sign
with "all its name implies"

858
00:43:04,780 --> 00:43:07,500
remember that one? I come out
just a little bit past it,

859
00:43:07,500 --> 00:43:08,710
actually, not before.

860
00:43:08,710 --> 00:43:13,250
And it's open, it's clear, it's open.

861
00:43:13,250 --> 00:43:15,173
Ah, yeeeeeeah!.

862
00:43:17,620 --> 00:43:20,765
But to come out of that
fire and, and to yell

863
00:43:20,765 --> 00:43:23,603
like a banshee is like, oh, I made it.

864
00:43:24,550 --> 00:43:27,880
And for a while there even
though it wasn't such a,

865
00:43:27,880 --> 00:43:30,083
it was just less than a minute.

866
00:43:31,664 --> 00:43:34,880
It felt like an eternity
because I'm pretty,

867
00:43:34,880 --> 00:43:37,080
pretty sure I was gonna die.

868
00:43:37,080 --> 00:43:38,823
I mean, just almost, just, yeah.

869
00:43:46,630 --> 00:43:49,660
- My mom left to go get my
brother and sister-in-law's

870
00:43:49,660 --> 00:43:52,090
dogs and she forgot her phone.

871
00:43:52,090 --> 00:43:55,080
So it was like, I don't
know four and a half hours

872
00:43:55,080 --> 00:43:56,750
of just like not knowing where she was

873
00:43:56,750 --> 00:43:59,300
and just hearing that people
are dying on Edgewood.

874
00:44:02,860 --> 00:44:05,763
- I wanna say it was
like this driveway here,

875
00:44:06,829 --> 00:44:08,550
we were stopped and we
had a clear view up it.

876
00:44:08,550 --> 00:44:11,200
And we're just sitting here
and waiting for the cars

877
00:44:11,200 --> 00:44:13,580
to one by one merge on to Pearson.

878
00:44:13,580 --> 00:44:16,860
And it was pitch, it was like
midnight, it was so dark.

879
00:44:16,860 --> 00:44:19,240
- We finally made it up the
road to right in front of the

880
00:44:19,240 --> 00:44:22,617
Lutheran daycare in time
to watch that ignite.

881
00:44:25,910 --> 00:44:28,870
And we sat there and watched
it burn to the ground

882
00:44:29,850 --> 00:44:34,080
with, the little girl I had
just picked up from there

883
00:44:35,490 --> 00:44:38,750
sat there and watched her
school burn to the ground.

884
00:44:38,750 --> 00:44:40,800
At that same time while I'm
sitting there in traffic

885
00:44:40,800 --> 00:44:42,123
with my two little girls,

886
00:44:43,430 --> 00:44:47,300
I had a, she was a lady
probably mid 40's or so

887
00:44:47,300 --> 00:44:50,410
came running down the middle
of Pentz Road by my truck,

888
00:44:50,410 --> 00:44:52,420
screaming "There's people
on fire back there!"

889
00:44:52,420 --> 00:44:53,930
"There's people on fire back there!"

890
00:44:53,930 --> 00:44:56,080
"Somebody help them,
there's people on fire!"

891
00:44:59,060 --> 00:45:01,300
- I was wondering how we
were gonna make it out

892
00:45:01,300 --> 00:45:05,320
and how fast the fire would come.

893
00:45:05,320 --> 00:45:07,973
And if our, if we would
have to get out on foot.

894
00:45:09,054 --> 00:45:11,426
- [Woman] I'm not dying right here!

895
00:45:11,426 --> 00:45:14,087
(fast dramatic music)

896
00:45:14,087 --> 00:45:16,693
- There was a mobile home park over here

897
00:45:16,693 --> 00:45:20,850
that was fully engulfed
and watched that burn

898
00:45:22,930 --> 00:45:27,880
and then we watched this
side of the road start also,

899
00:45:27,880 --> 00:45:31,550
and we just kind of watched
it creep through these houses

900
00:45:31,550 --> 00:45:34,293
and these yards getting
closer and closer and closer.

901
00:45:35,260 --> 00:45:37,030
Meanwhile, we're not able to go anywhere

902
00:45:37,030 --> 00:45:38,880
we're just sitting there in the truck

903
00:45:41,420 --> 00:45:44,120
kind of wondering if we were
gonna be able to get out.

904
00:45:46,710 --> 00:45:49,880
- You never want to, as a
parent, look at your kids

905
00:45:49,880 --> 00:45:51,670
and go, 'I don't know how
to save you right now,'

906
00:45:51,670 --> 00:45:53,133
like I don't...

907
00:45:53,133 --> 00:45:55,550
And all I could think of as
the fire was getting closer,

908
00:45:55,550 --> 00:45:58,540
it was getting hotter and
the car started overheating.

909
00:45:58,540 --> 00:46:00,280
And I kept thinking like,

910
00:46:00,280 --> 00:46:03,660
I'm gonna watch my kids choke
and burn to death in front

911
00:46:03,660 --> 00:46:05,780
of me and I don't know what to do.

912
00:46:05,780 --> 00:46:08,573
Like, I don't know what to do.

913
00:46:16,670 --> 00:46:19,190
- I sat there for, had to be 45 minutes

914
00:46:19,190 --> 00:46:22,110
while the world was
burning down around us.

915
00:46:22,110 --> 00:46:23,743
And I had to think to myself,

916
00:46:26,230 --> 00:46:27,990
'Am I really gonna sit here and watch

917
00:46:27,990 --> 00:46:29,433
my girls burn to death?'

918
00:46:31,760 --> 00:46:32,740
And that kind of

919
00:46:35,350 --> 00:46:38,470
got me moving, and I
wasn't going to sit there

920
00:46:38,470 --> 00:46:40,540
and I wasn't gonna let that happen.

921
00:46:40,540 --> 00:46:42,630
So I pulled off in to a little side road

922
00:46:42,630 --> 00:46:44,580
where I wasn't going to block anyone in

923
00:46:45,440 --> 00:46:48,310
and I got the girls out of
the truck and I just said,

924
00:46:48,310 --> 00:46:50,460
"Come on girls, we're
going on a field trip."

925
00:46:51,500 --> 00:46:54,910
And you know, they're
scared out of their minds,

926
00:46:54,910 --> 00:46:58,440
but I tried to make it as
relaxed and fun as I could

927
00:46:59,420 --> 00:47:01,163
while I'm panicking inside.

928
00:47:02,140 --> 00:47:06,123
And we just walked up the road
and kind of ran for a ways.

929
00:47:07,010 --> 00:47:10,290
And we got, finally caught
up to where my uncle was

930
00:47:10,290 --> 00:47:13,473
in my grandpa's classic truck and he was,

931
00:47:13,473 --> 00:47:15,127
20 cars ahead of us or so.

932
00:47:15,127 --> 00:47:16,740
And I turned to him and I just said,

933
00:47:16,740 --> 00:47:19,190
"I'm getting my girls outta
here, if fire gets any closer,

934
00:47:19,190 --> 00:47:22,260
you get out of here too, I love you."

935
00:47:22,260 --> 00:47:25,730
And we took off, and I
had to go up to my dad

936
00:47:25,730 --> 00:47:30,730
who was ahead of all of them
and say "Dad, I love you,

937
00:47:31,840 --> 00:47:33,615
I'm getting the girls out here."

938
00:47:33,615 --> 00:47:35,515
He said, "You're doing the right thing."

939
00:47:39,290 --> 00:47:41,297
- And my son just said,
"There's the fire."

940
00:47:41,297 --> 00:47:43,410
And we looked, and you could just see,

941
00:47:43,410 --> 00:47:47,340
like over the crest of that
hill, it was just bright

942
00:47:47,340 --> 00:47:52,090
and then you'd see like the
flames kind of coming up

943
00:47:52,090 --> 00:47:56,463
one by one and then after a
moment just full-on flames.

944
00:47:57,450 --> 00:48:01,730
- So we almost had to jump
out of the car, but if we did

945
00:48:01,730 --> 00:48:06,730
we'd probably burn up because
the fire was right there,

946
00:48:06,750 --> 00:48:10,400
like super close and was moving very fast.

947
00:48:10,400 --> 00:48:12,510
- Richie, started saying,

948
00:48:12,510 --> 00:48:13,900
"Why aren't we using this other lane?"

949
00:48:13,900 --> 00:48:15,240
like, "there's nobody's coming back."

950
00:48:15,240 --> 00:48:16,900
"You're an idiot If you're
coming back at this point,

951
00:48:16,900 --> 00:48:19,390
like you got, no one should be
coming back to their houses."

952
00:48:19,390 --> 00:48:22,790
And we look over and the fire
was gonna catch all the leaves

953
00:48:22,790 --> 00:48:25,150
and branches and bushes
on the right next to us

954
00:48:25,150 --> 00:48:27,870
and then the car was gonna catch on fire.

955
00:48:27,870 --> 00:48:30,150
And so Richie said "Fuck this."

956
00:48:30,150 --> 00:48:31,700
"We're not gonna die right here."

957
00:48:32,730 --> 00:48:36,340
"We're not doing this" & he
said "It only takes one person."

958
00:48:36,340 --> 00:48:38,770
And he turned out in the
lane and just hit the gas.

959
00:48:38,770 --> 00:48:40,570
And he said it was terrifying,
because he didn't know

960
00:48:40,570 --> 00:48:42,620
we were on this hill, we
couldn't see over the hill.

961
00:48:42,620 --> 00:48:44,930
We didn't know if someone
was going to be bombing down

962
00:48:44,930 --> 00:48:46,360
the hill coming back
into the neighborhood,

963
00:48:46,360 --> 00:48:49,300
trying to get to their house
and luckily there wasn't

964
00:48:49,300 --> 00:48:50,810
and we looked behind us
in the rear-view mirror

965
00:48:50,810 --> 00:48:52,900
and just all the people
started pouring into

966
00:48:52,900 --> 00:48:54,143
the open lane behind us.

967
00:48:55,501 --> 00:48:58,110
- And when we got up
to the top of Edgewood,

968
00:48:58,110 --> 00:49:02,270
the cars up here were
just slowly merging on

969
00:49:02,270 --> 00:49:05,160
one at a time, taking their
time, waiting for someone

970
00:49:05,160 --> 00:49:06,620
to give them an opening.

971
00:49:06,620 --> 00:49:08,840
And while it's real nice to be polite,

972
00:49:08,840 --> 00:49:12,200
they didn't realize how
close the fire was back here.

973
00:49:12,200 --> 00:49:14,780
And so we just cut in and
started telling people,

974
00:49:14,780 --> 00:49:17,710
"Make three lanes on
Pearson, it's wide enough."

975
00:49:17,710 --> 00:49:19,560
- I started knocking on
people's doors and I was like

976
00:49:19,560 --> 00:49:20,640
"You gotta make a third lane."

977
00:49:20,640 --> 00:49:22,293
"You gotta get people out of here."

978
00:49:24,180 --> 00:49:25,360
And they all started squeezing together

979
00:49:25,360 --> 00:49:27,300
and squeezing together and
we just kept going up cars

980
00:49:27,300 --> 00:49:29,820
and beating on doors
and I would tell people,

981
00:49:29,820 --> 00:49:30,960
roll your window down and I would say,

982
00:49:30,960 --> 00:49:32,230
"We gotta make a third lane," I said

983
00:49:32,230 --> 00:49:33,810
"Edgewood lane is on fire we have to get

984
00:49:33,810 --> 00:49:34,810
people off Edgewood."

985
00:49:35,823 --> 00:49:37,250
- [Ev Durán] What did
you think about the way

986
00:49:37,250 --> 00:49:39,520
your parents acted on that day?

987
00:49:39,520 --> 00:49:43,103
- They felt like heroes
basically to me and I felt,

988
00:49:44,510 --> 00:49:49,510
I just felt better that we
were gonna get more people out.

989
00:49:50,010 --> 00:49:55,010
And yeah, they just felt like
heroes and that we've had the

990
00:49:55,020 --> 00:49:58,603
chance at surviving this,
which I didn't think before.

991
00:50:00,130 --> 00:50:02,200
- It took us an hour and a
half to get from our house

992
00:50:02,200 --> 00:50:05,090
to outside of Paradise which
is only about three miles.

993
00:50:05,090 --> 00:50:08,320
And I can't imagine for the
people that were in there all

994
00:50:08,320 --> 00:50:13,320
day and you know, the people
that never even made it out...

995
00:50:17,640 --> 00:50:22,640
- Well, here's our house,
everything around us is on fire.

996
00:50:29,450 --> 00:50:31,353
Oh man this is bad.

997
00:50:34,423 --> 00:50:39,423
Can't really see very
well, ah man this is bad.

998
00:50:42,299 --> 00:50:44,583
There goes our house,
it's all engulfed now.

999
00:50:56,510 --> 00:51:01,510
Well don't know what to say,
just thought I would video this

1000
00:51:02,260 --> 00:51:06,303
in case it's the last time
some of you guys see me.

1001
00:51:12,380 --> 00:51:14,860
It's kind of a weird feeling
when you honestly think

1002
00:51:14,860 --> 00:51:16,252
you're gonna die.

1003
00:51:16,252 --> 00:51:20,430
Little update I guess, everything's
exploded on this house.

1004
00:51:20,430 --> 00:51:24,141
I had only initially
taken the video because

1005
00:51:24,141 --> 00:51:26,900
there was one time in
particular where I could hear

1006
00:51:26,900 --> 00:51:29,890
the explosions and animals
were running into me.

1007
00:51:29,890 --> 00:51:31,740
And I really thought I was gonna die.

1008
00:51:33,460 --> 00:51:36,570
I thought it was a really bad
decision to stay up there.

1009
00:51:36,570 --> 00:51:40,290
And I figured if I made the
video that Laurie would see it.

1010
00:51:40,290 --> 00:51:43,290
(slow music)

1011
00:51:46,694 --> 00:51:48,480
I don't know, it's kind
of silly when I say it,

1012
00:51:48,480 --> 00:51:51,480
but a buddy of mine, Tom, he
had dropped off a day or two

1013
00:51:51,480 --> 00:51:53,770
before, this little four by six trailer

1014
00:51:53,770 --> 00:51:55,063
and it was full of sod.

1015
00:51:56,180 --> 00:51:59,570
And when that one time when
the explosions were loud,

1016
00:51:59,570 --> 00:52:01,390
it got dark and I really thought that

1017
00:52:01,390 --> 00:52:04,163
man this was it, I'm gone.

1018
00:52:05,380 --> 00:52:07,760
I rolled out that sod.

1019
00:52:07,760 --> 00:52:12,003
Here, got this little sod house
right here and small hose,

1020
00:52:13,380 --> 00:52:17,040
keep watering it I guess, someplace to go.

1021
00:52:17,040 --> 00:52:19,250
And so I just wet down the sod and

1022
00:52:19,250 --> 00:52:20,900
I'd wet down underneath of it.

1023
00:52:20,900 --> 00:52:22,467
And I figured I would
jump underneath there

1024
00:52:22,467 --> 00:52:25,360
and it would buy me about 15 minutes.

1025
00:52:25,360 --> 00:52:28,850
I said a prayer and figured
well, if God wants me to die

1026
00:52:28,850 --> 00:52:32,410
it's my time, but apparently
it wasn't my time then.

1027
00:52:32,410 --> 00:52:34,190
And I'm still here.

1028
00:52:36,262 --> 00:52:38,859
It's in God's hands now.

1029
00:52:38,859 --> 00:52:40,337
That's all the power I need,

1030
00:52:40,337 --> 00:52:42,841
We can always replace this material stuff

1031
00:52:42,841 --> 00:52:44,391
but you can't replace you. Amen.

1032
00:52:48,817 --> 00:52:51,650
(fire crackling)

1033
00:52:59,580 --> 00:53:02,620
- We started our evacuation
at 7:45 in the morning

1034
00:53:02,620 --> 00:53:05,370
and I made it to Chico around 2:30,

1035
00:53:05,370 --> 00:53:09,260
met up with my daughter's
mom and my step mom

1036
00:53:09,260 --> 00:53:11,623
and my girlfriend at
the Raley's parking lot.

1037
00:53:13,040 --> 00:53:15,553
And we still hadn't heard
from my dad and my uncle.

1038
00:53:17,570 --> 00:53:19,450
And I didn't see how they
could have made it out

1039
00:53:19,450 --> 00:53:23,320
if they left after I
did. I thought they had

1040
00:53:24,630 --> 00:53:27,513
possibly died to come
save my travel trailer.

1041
00:53:28,490 --> 00:53:32,210
So that was very heavy on my mind

1042
00:53:32,210 --> 00:53:35,460
until about an hour and a half later

1043
00:53:35,460 --> 00:53:37,780
they finally made it down to Chico

1044
00:53:37,780 --> 00:53:39,670
and were able to give me
a call and let me know

1045
00:53:39,670 --> 00:53:40,503
they were safe.

1046
00:53:42,080 --> 00:53:47,080
- We got separated, that
was the toughest part was

1047
00:53:50,190 --> 00:53:53,600
I in this big box van weaseled through

1048
00:53:54,480 --> 00:53:58,268
and got down to Chico where we had talked

1049
00:53:58,268 --> 00:54:03,268
that we were going to meet
and my wife wasn't there

1050
00:54:03,770 --> 00:54:06,990
I'm walking back and forth
like at the bottom of the hill,

1051
00:54:06,990 --> 00:54:11,717
looking for her, like freaking
out, pissed off at myself.

1052
00:54:14,110 --> 00:54:18,397
It was incredibly emotional,
incredibly heart wrenching.

1053
00:54:21,050 --> 00:54:26,050
Just thinking that I had left
her and so it worked out okay.

1054
00:54:26,840 --> 00:54:30,713
We found each other a couple hours later.

1055
00:54:33,600 --> 00:54:36,770
- So after about 2:30 was
when they were able to start

1056
00:54:36,770 --> 00:54:41,490
flowing people out of the
temporary refuge areas

1057
00:54:41,490 --> 00:54:43,480
between 2:30 and 3:30 I'll say the town

1058
00:54:43,480 --> 00:54:45,070
pretty much cleared out.

1059
00:54:45,070 --> 00:54:48,540
So from then on, I was just
checking on what was left

1060
00:54:48,540 --> 00:54:49,660
and what was gone.

1061
00:54:49,660 --> 00:54:51,510
I remember the first time
I gave them the answer

1062
00:54:51,510 --> 00:54:54,313
to how much do you think
has gone and I said "80%."

1063
00:54:55,740 --> 00:54:57,610
I'm sure that was their, oh shit moment,

1064
00:54:57,610 --> 00:54:58,970
'cause they hadn't been there, right.

1065
00:54:58,970 --> 00:55:00,787
They hadn't seen it and they're going,

1066
00:55:00,787 --> 00:55:03,637
and you can hear it in their
voice going "how much?"

1067
00:55:03,637 --> 00:55:06,193
And I said, "I think 80% is gone."

1068
00:55:07,470 --> 00:55:09,780
And that was, you know, the reality of it,

1069
00:55:09,780 --> 00:55:11,770
it got worse, actually.

1070
00:55:11,770 --> 00:55:14,770
(slow somber music)

1071
00:56:09,890 --> 00:56:13,390
- The operation to locate
people who perished in the fire,

1072
00:56:13,390 --> 00:56:16,120
all told when it's all said
and done, we used about

1073
00:56:16,120 --> 00:56:20,590
10,000 people from agencies
throughout California

1074
00:56:20,590 --> 00:56:22,770
as well as five states.

1075
00:56:22,770 --> 00:56:26,790
They searched 18,000 locations,
some of those locations

1076
00:56:26,790 --> 00:56:28,620
were searched twice.

1077
00:56:28,620 --> 00:56:32,110
We used coroners' investigators
and law enforcement officers

1078
00:56:32,110 --> 00:56:34,700
and National Guard, Search & Rescue,

1079
00:56:34,700 --> 00:56:36,480
Urban Search & Rescue, firefighters,

1080
00:56:36,480 --> 00:56:39,470
forensic anthropologists, cadaver dogs,

1081
00:56:39,470 --> 00:56:42,290
all of those resources
were brought together.

1082
00:56:42,290 --> 00:56:43,460
And as it stands today,

1083
00:56:43,460 --> 00:56:46,133
it looks like 85 individuals
perished in the fire.

1084
00:56:47,406 --> 00:56:49,130
And I certainly don't want to discount

1085
00:56:49,130 --> 00:56:54,130
or lessen the traumatic
impact of that fact,

1086
00:56:54,750 --> 00:56:57,090
but it does stand in stark contrast

1087
00:56:57,090 --> 00:56:58,980
to the number of people
that had to be evacuated.

1088
00:56:58,980 --> 00:57:01,920
I mean I think the estimate
is some 46,000 people

1089
00:57:01,920 --> 00:57:03,370
were evacuated out of the area.

1090
00:57:03,370 --> 00:57:07,700
And the fact that the fatality
is 85 when you consider

1091
00:57:07,700 --> 00:57:10,883
how much worse it could
have been is remarkable.

1092
00:57:11,830 --> 00:57:15,710
- As bad as it was & as how
terrible it is to lose 85 lives

1093
00:57:20,030 --> 00:57:22,530
It's hard to use the term
successful, 'cause I wouldn't

1094
00:57:22,530 --> 00:57:23,940
say it was successful, but it was,

1095
00:57:23,940 --> 00:57:26,390
let's just say it was probably
better than most people

1096
00:57:26,390 --> 00:57:29,120
anticipated that day, knowing
how many people lived up there

1097
00:57:29,120 --> 00:57:30,870
and how bad it was.

1098
00:57:30,870 --> 00:57:33,640
'Cause I remember sitting
here a couple of days

1099
00:57:33,640 --> 00:57:35,220
after the fire thinking
there's going to be at least

1100
00:57:35,220 --> 00:57:37,070
two to three thousand
dead in this whole thing.

1101
00:57:38,220 --> 00:57:42,960
- I also thought that
thousands of people were dead

1102
00:57:42,960 --> 00:57:46,900
because I thought once
I got through that flame

1103
00:57:46,900 --> 00:57:48,710
then everything behind me was burning.

1104
00:57:48,710 --> 00:57:51,960
I that's what i thought and
all these cars behind me.

1105
00:57:51,960 --> 00:57:54,730
- Just knowing how the
fire was coming this way

1106
00:57:54,730 --> 00:57:59,730
I thought it was gonna engulf
just every car on Pearson

1107
00:57:59,980 --> 00:58:01,520
that was behind us.

1108
00:58:01,520 --> 00:58:06,037
I'm really legitimately shocked
that more people didn't die.

1109
00:58:10,460 --> 00:58:14,180
- I'm absolutely amazed
that the fatality rate

1110
00:58:14,180 --> 00:58:16,020
is as low as it is.

1111
00:58:16,020 --> 00:58:18,453
It is sad that we lost people, absolutely.

1112
00:58:23,830 --> 00:58:26,130
- [Ev Durán] As of one
year after the Camp Fire

1113
00:58:26,130 --> 00:58:27,283
here's what we know.

1114
00:58:28,200 --> 00:58:30,690
It is the deadliest and
most destructive fire in the

1115
00:58:30,690 --> 00:58:34,110
recorded history of California, so far.

1116
00:58:34,110 --> 00:58:37,830
It immediately claimed 85
lives and is responsible for

1117
00:58:37,830 --> 00:58:40,360
taking at least several more since.

1118
00:58:40,360 --> 00:58:45,360
It burned over 153,000 acres
and destroyed 18,800 structures

1119
00:58:46,470 --> 00:58:51,070
including 14,000 homes and
more than 500 businesses.

1120
00:58:51,070 --> 00:58:54,010
The fire started on November
8th and was not formally

1121
00:58:54,010 --> 00:58:58,140
extinguished until November
25th, more than two weeks later.

1122
00:58:58,140 --> 00:59:00,380
The cause of the fire was a spark,

1123
00:59:00,380 --> 00:59:03,460
cast down to the dry earth
from a poorly maintained

1124
00:59:03,460 --> 00:59:06,280
electric transmission line
belonging to California

1125
00:59:06,280 --> 00:59:08,183
power giant, PG&E.

1126
00:59:09,180 --> 00:59:11,490
But in the days immediately
following the fire,

1127
00:59:11,490 --> 00:59:14,180
we knew none of this,
the people of Paradise

1128
00:59:14,180 --> 00:59:16,300
didn't know the full extent of the damage

1129
00:59:16,300 --> 00:59:18,630
and not being allowed
to return to their town

1130
00:59:18,630 --> 00:59:21,230
they poured over their
computers and their phones

1131
00:59:21,230 --> 00:59:24,050
for any news or status
updates of their home,

1132
00:59:24,050 --> 00:59:27,260
their neighborhood,
their beloved community.

1133
00:59:27,260 --> 00:59:29,990
- Honestly, I'm not even
sure what day it was,

1134
00:59:29,990 --> 00:59:33,223
maybe it might've been day three.

1135
00:59:35,420 --> 00:59:38,740
It seemed an eternity,
but I got a photograph

1136
00:59:38,740 --> 00:59:43,740
of my property and you just
kind of drop to your knees.

1137
00:59:44,240 --> 00:59:47,080
- It seemed like an eternal waiting period

1138
00:59:47,080 --> 00:59:49,410
because even once we knew
the status of the house,

1139
00:59:49,410 --> 00:59:51,960
and even once we had a photograph of that,

1140
00:59:51,960 --> 00:59:56,410
of course we were very eager, like many,

1141
00:59:56,410 --> 00:59:58,780
I would say not everyone,
but many, many people

1142
00:59:58,780 --> 01:00:00,650
so eager to get up there.

1143
01:00:00,650 --> 01:00:05,650
And part of that is the
hope that amongst the rubble

1144
01:00:06,090 --> 01:00:08,040
you'll find something.

1145
01:00:08,040 --> 01:00:11,040
(slow somber music)

1146
01:00:35,457 --> 01:00:39,707
- I went up on Saturday
after the fire with CalFire

1147
01:00:41,530 --> 01:00:46,030
and I was not, I knew it was
bad from what I had heard

1148
01:00:50,510 --> 01:00:52,675
and what have you, but
I really didn't expect

1149
01:00:52,675 --> 01:00:55,939
the level of devastation that there was.

1150
01:00:55,939 --> 01:00:59,689
Driving through, it was
like a total war zone.

1151
01:01:07,360 --> 01:01:11,340
- I lost everything,
everything I had of my mom's,

1152
01:01:12,700 --> 01:01:16,140
everything from the day my kids was born,

1153
01:01:16,140 --> 01:01:18,493
the day we were married, everything.

1154
01:01:20,850 --> 01:01:23,650
When I went back up there I broke down

1155
01:01:23,650 --> 01:01:27,520
because it looks so terrible,
you know all the burnin',

1156
01:01:27,520 --> 01:01:28,583
it was so bad.

1157
01:01:29,490 --> 01:01:31,733
It was nothing left, nothing.

1158
01:01:35,084 --> 01:01:37,010
- You know what's crazy is,
to be fully honest it didn't

1159
01:01:37,010 --> 01:01:38,470
occur to me until two days after the fire.

1160
01:01:38,470 --> 01:01:40,340
I couldn't even process everything

1161
01:01:40,340 --> 01:01:42,510
I wasn't even thinking about
and then one of my friends

1162
01:01:42,510 --> 01:01:46,130
said, "Oh man I'm so glad I
grabbed my kid's baby books."

1163
01:01:46,130 --> 01:01:50,300
And the second she said
that I just fell apart

1164
01:01:50,300 --> 01:01:52,873
and realized how much I had lost.

1165
01:02:00,830 --> 01:02:05,830
- We had hazmat suits and
masks and gloves and booties

1166
01:02:06,120 --> 01:02:10,383
and goggles and tried to
be as prepared as we could.

1167
01:02:12,100 --> 01:02:14,350
It was, as they said, very hazardous.

1168
01:02:14,350 --> 01:02:19,240
I mean shards of metal and glass and muck

1169
01:02:19,240 --> 01:02:20,583
because it had rained.

1170
01:02:28,020 --> 01:02:30,340
- I was able to take
my camera into Paradise

1171
01:02:30,340 --> 01:02:33,230
about a week before the town
re-opened to the public.

1172
01:02:33,230 --> 01:02:35,470
And this is video I
took with my cell phone

1173
01:02:35,470 --> 01:02:38,670
as I approached my mother's
home for the first time.

1174
01:02:38,670 --> 01:02:41,520
I can tell you firsthand
your brain doesn't really

1175
01:02:41,520 --> 01:02:43,060
know what to do.

1176
01:02:43,060 --> 01:02:45,689
Mine felt like it was
backfiring, sputtering,

1177
01:02:45,689 --> 01:02:47,640
trying to load.

1178
01:02:47,640 --> 01:02:50,560
I couldn't even really feel
sad about what I was seeing

1179
01:02:50,560 --> 01:02:52,810
because it didn't feel like reality.

1180
01:02:52,810 --> 01:02:55,350
This couldn't be real, it's a mistake.

1181
01:02:55,350 --> 01:02:57,510
Someone is playing a trick on me.

1182
01:02:57,510 --> 01:03:00,340
This does not compute.

1183
01:03:00,340 --> 01:03:02,620
In the days following I
was able to help my mom

1184
01:03:02,620 --> 01:03:06,000
dig through the ashes of
what were once our things

1185
01:03:06,000 --> 01:03:08,450
and as I would look at
my mom I would wonder,

1186
01:03:08,450 --> 01:03:10,330
what's going to happen to her?

1187
01:03:10,330 --> 01:03:12,080
Where's she gonna go?

1188
01:03:12,080 --> 01:03:15,860
- Hold on, hold on,
we're gonna go this way,

1189
01:03:15,860 --> 01:03:18,370
We're gonna go this way, yeah, good girl.

1190
01:03:19,257 --> 01:03:21,390
Do you wanna go see Jim?

1191
01:03:21,390 --> 01:03:23,093
Just a minute, just a minute.

1192
01:03:27,110 --> 01:03:29,667
Okay go, oh, she's so excited.

1193
01:03:38,380 --> 01:03:40,650
And she's so good, she's so good

1194
01:03:40,650 --> 01:03:43,210
she just comes even off
leash which we never do.

1195
01:03:43,210 --> 01:03:45,653
Hello, go see him, go see him.

1196
01:03:48,790 --> 01:03:52,493
- Yes, there he is, there he is.

1197
01:03:53,860 --> 01:03:58,600
- We have lived in a hotel
of one sort or another since

1198
01:03:58,600 --> 01:04:03,520
November 9th and today is
March 17th, St. Patrick's Day.

1199
01:04:03,520 --> 01:04:08,520
So, longer, well I shouldn't say that,

1200
01:04:09,100 --> 01:04:10,610
I was gonna say longer than we thought

1201
01:04:10,610 --> 01:04:11,750
but who knew what to think?

1202
01:04:11,750 --> 01:04:13,360
Nobody knew what to think.

1203
01:04:13,360 --> 01:04:16,450
If I stand in central location,
I can show you the kitchen

1204
01:04:19,260 --> 01:04:22,380
and I can show you the dining area

1205
01:04:23,670 --> 01:04:27,380
and the great room,
living room, family room,

1206
01:04:27,380 --> 01:04:30,620
den, dog place.

1207
01:04:30,620 --> 01:04:32,063
This is the office.

1208
01:04:33,160 --> 01:04:36,470
The secret to the office
is there are lots of things

1209
01:04:36,470 --> 01:04:40,810
underneath the table, like
a big box with all the FEMA

1210
01:04:40,810 --> 01:04:44,809
papers and all the binders
with the insurance info.

1211
01:04:44,809 --> 01:04:49,520
And on top of the office
you can see house plans

1212
01:04:49,520 --> 01:04:53,230
that are hopefully gonna
be in the works soon.

1213
01:04:53,230 --> 01:04:55,163
So that's our next big step.

1214
01:04:56,650 --> 01:04:59,290
So when we were originally displaced

1215
01:04:59,290 --> 01:05:03,570
we were in a motel room
which we were over the moon

1216
01:05:03,570 --> 01:05:04,490
thankful to have.

1217
01:05:04,490 --> 01:05:05,820
We were there for two months

1218
01:05:05,820 --> 01:05:09,190
and then we moved here
at the Residence Inn.

1219
01:05:09,190 --> 01:05:13,673
So we have this whole living
area and the bedroom/bathroom,

1220
01:05:15,150 --> 01:05:18,940
it's 504 square feet and
it feels like a mansion.

1221
01:05:18,940 --> 01:05:21,943
We have just been so, so lucky.

1222
01:05:23,200 --> 01:05:25,160
- [Ev Durán] Under ordinary circumstances,

1223
01:05:25,160 --> 01:05:27,480
it may seem strange to
consider being forced to live

1224
01:05:27,480 --> 01:05:30,830
in a hotel room for
five months as "lucky."

1225
01:05:30,830 --> 01:05:33,150
But these aren't ordinary circumstances.

1226
01:05:33,150 --> 01:05:36,590
And my mother was incredibly
lucky. For many others,

1227
01:05:36,590 --> 01:05:41,000
housing, temporary or
otherwise, was far less certain.

1228
01:05:41,000 --> 01:05:44,420
Many, like my uncle, were
forced to live in their cars

1229
01:05:44,420 --> 01:05:46,740
or in tent cities that
sprang up in the parking lots

1230
01:05:46,740 --> 01:05:48,500
of Chico businesses.

1231
01:05:48,500 --> 01:05:52,220
Some, like Dorothy and Don and
their large extended family,

1232
01:05:52,220 --> 01:05:55,263
were able to stay with relatives
in the surrounding areas.

1233
01:05:57,210 --> 01:06:00,450
- We have approximately a
100 plus family members that

1234
01:06:00,450 --> 01:06:05,450
lived in Paradise and in
our family alone 22 homes

1235
01:06:06,880 --> 01:06:10,220
were burned and lost, 22 families.

1236
01:06:10,220 --> 01:06:14,457
- So we've opened up
our house after the fire

1237
01:06:14,457 --> 01:06:19,457
and we had out of the 22
families that lost their homes.

1238
01:06:19,480 --> 01:06:23,470
We had 11 of the families
living here at one point

1239
01:06:23,470 --> 01:06:26,003
and some 45 people.

1240
01:06:28,050 --> 01:06:29,540
- [Ev Durán] As the months go by

1241
01:06:29,540 --> 01:06:31,700
these shell-shocked
residents struggle to find

1242
01:06:31,700 --> 01:06:35,280
some degree of normalcy,
which is exceedingly difficult

1243
01:06:35,280 --> 01:06:38,720
when nearly everything you've
ever known has disappeared,

1244
01:06:38,720 --> 01:06:41,643
even those things you
once thought indomitable.

1245
01:06:42,869 --> 01:06:44,330
(whistle blown )

1246
01:06:44,330 --> 01:06:45,873
- Hey, bring it up you guys.

1247
01:06:49,500 --> 01:06:51,180
Guys get on a knee.

1248
01:06:51,180 --> 01:06:53,190
Here we go, on a knee, let's go.

1249
01:06:53,190 --> 01:06:54,910
We're gonna get in six teams,

1250
01:06:54,910 --> 01:06:56,870
we're gonna have three games going on.

1251
01:06:56,870 --> 01:07:00,950
This is Ev Durán, he is a
graduate of Paradise High School,

1252
01:07:00,950 --> 01:07:03,660
and he's doing a
documentary on the Camp Fire

1253
01:07:03,660 --> 01:07:05,660
and we're gonna be a part of that, okay?

1254
01:07:07,270 --> 01:07:08,990
- [Ev Durán] The Camp Fire struck Paradise

1255
01:07:08,990 --> 01:07:12,020
one day before the High School
Football Playoffs were set to

1256
01:07:12,020 --> 01:07:15,720
begin and PHS Football,
with its players and coaches

1257
01:07:15,720 --> 01:07:19,049
scattered and homeless, was
forced to forfeit their season.

1258
01:07:19,049 --> 01:07:23,460
Now, like the entire town,
they face an uncertain future,

1259
01:07:23,460 --> 01:07:25,603
both as a school and as a team.

1260
01:07:29,020 --> 01:07:32,730
- Numbers wise we're about
half the size, our school is

1261
01:07:32,730 --> 01:07:36,470
and that's the same with
football players on campus.

1262
01:07:36,470 --> 01:07:40,080
A lot of adjustments every
day, a lot of change.

1263
01:07:40,080 --> 01:07:41,651
You're not playing tackle.

1264
01:07:41,651 --> 01:07:44,280
- Damn.

1265
01:07:44,280 --> 01:07:45,330
They always say that.

1266
01:07:48,760 --> 01:07:51,260
- You guys are on film you
bunch of mountain boys.

1267
01:07:53,300 --> 01:07:57,030
- We have a home game August
23rd and I think about it

1268
01:07:57,030 --> 01:07:58,253
every day right now.

1269
01:08:00,589 --> 01:08:04,550
And I know our kids do and
our football team does.

1270
01:08:04,550 --> 01:08:06,320
- [Ev Durán] Despite having
their first game back

1271
01:08:06,320 --> 01:08:09,190
at PHS on the schedule,
there is no guarantee

1272
01:08:09,190 --> 01:08:10,710
that the campus will be ready.

1273
01:08:10,710 --> 01:08:13,150
- The kids have to be safe
to be able to go up there.

1274
01:08:13,150 --> 01:08:15,780
So the trees, the water,
the soil sampling,

1275
01:08:15,780 --> 01:08:18,500
things like that, has to be deemed safe.

1276
01:08:18,500 --> 01:08:22,110
The goal for the school
is to have graduation

1277
01:08:22,110 --> 01:08:23,290
up there this year.

1278
01:08:23,290 --> 01:08:25,990
So if they get graduation up there,

1279
01:08:25,990 --> 01:08:27,713
I'll breathe a sigh of relief.

1280
01:08:30,696 --> 01:08:31,529
- PHS

1281
01:08:33,170 --> 01:08:37,230
- This is our old home, this
is a business my wife and I

1282
01:08:37,230 --> 01:08:39,260
started, Custom Made CrossFit.

1283
01:08:39,260 --> 01:08:41,790
It's weird to be back, we
haven't been here for a while.

1284
01:08:41,790 --> 01:08:45,250
We came right after the fire
but now, what's it been?

1285
01:08:45,250 --> 01:08:49,900
- We had a bunch of
house stuff in our attic,

1286
01:08:49,900 --> 01:08:53,440
like all of our house
possessions up in our attic.

1287
01:08:53,440 --> 01:08:56,410
And so like one little
coffee mug we found made it.

1288
01:08:56,410 --> 01:08:58,210
- Oh, there's another one right there.

1289
01:08:58,210 --> 01:08:59,590
- That's oh, that's the coffee mug.

1290
01:08:59,590 --> 01:09:02,053
- Oh, that's it.

1291
01:09:03,190 --> 01:09:05,270
- [Ev Durán] For too many
residents of Paradise

1292
01:09:05,270 --> 01:09:08,100
like the Delgados and Geoffrey Greitzer,

1293
01:09:08,100 --> 01:09:10,640
they didn't just lose their
homes, they lost their

1294
01:09:10,640 --> 01:09:14,300
businesses, their jobs,
their financial security.

1295
01:09:14,300 --> 01:09:16,480
But yes, also their houses.

1296
01:09:16,480 --> 01:09:19,350
Imagine you woke up tomorrow
and you didn't have a house

1297
01:09:19,350 --> 01:09:21,120
and you didn't have a job.

1298
01:09:21,120 --> 01:09:22,173
What would you do?

1299
01:09:23,160 --> 01:09:25,310
It's almost unfathomable.

1300
01:09:25,310 --> 01:09:27,430
But that's what these
people are living through

1301
01:09:27,430 --> 01:09:29,320
every single day.

1302
01:09:29,320 --> 01:09:34,240
- We have been incredibly lucky,

1303
01:09:34,240 --> 01:09:37,930
blessed, compared to some
other people around here.

1304
01:09:37,930 --> 01:09:42,923
We had insurance and we had,
we ended up finding a place,

1305
01:09:44,210 --> 01:09:46,210
but there's a lot of people that didn't.

1306
01:09:47,257 --> 01:09:50,270
That's really tough, really, really tough.

1307
01:09:50,270 --> 01:09:55,270
The hardest thing was, or
is, this was ultimately

1308
01:10:00,650 --> 01:10:02,610
gonna be retirement.

1309
01:10:02,610 --> 01:10:07,180
I just finished paying off
this entire building, land

1310
01:10:07,180 --> 01:10:08,560
and everything.

1311
01:10:08,560 --> 01:10:12,283
This would be the entrance
to the front of the building.

1312
01:10:13,230 --> 01:10:15,330
The first part, as you walked in you would

1313
01:10:16,350 --> 01:10:18,610
get the full experience of chocolate.

1314
01:10:18,610 --> 01:10:21,320
You would come into the store,

1315
01:10:21,320 --> 01:10:24,220
get that heavenly aroma of chocolate.

1316
01:10:24,220 --> 01:10:25,840
- [Ev Durán] Just like Geoffrey Greitzer,

1317
01:10:25,840 --> 01:10:28,790
Pam and Bill Hartley owned
and operated a quintessential

1318
01:10:28,790 --> 01:10:31,750
Paradise business, Joy Lyn's Candies.

1319
01:10:31,750 --> 01:10:34,000
This iconic candy shop
was known to collect

1320
01:10:34,000 --> 01:10:36,280
international awards for their sweets.

1321
01:10:36,280 --> 01:10:39,283
All of which were manufactured
here at this location.

1322
01:10:40,820 --> 01:10:42,890
As you guys stand here right now,

1323
01:10:42,890 --> 01:10:46,040
I know this has to still
be a little surreal.

1324
01:10:46,040 --> 01:10:48,010
How long, I mean, since the fire,

1325
01:10:48,010 --> 01:10:50,100
has it taken you to get
to a point where you can,

1326
01:10:50,100 --> 01:10:51,840
I mean and maybe it's still not here,

1327
01:10:51,840 --> 01:10:56,310
but where you can be here
and not just be overcome?

1328
01:10:56,310 --> 01:10:58,820
- Yeah, you go there a little bit

1329
01:10:58,820 --> 01:11:01,260
but then you can't spend
a lot of time there,

1330
01:11:01,260 --> 01:11:04,950
at least for me and so I'll
pop my brain back out of it

1331
01:11:05,860 --> 01:11:09,253
and visit it, like now I'm
visiting it, thinking...

1332
01:11:16,450 --> 01:11:17,673
And then you can't talk.

1333
01:11:18,760 --> 01:11:21,760
- And I was saying that
as we drove up today,

1334
01:11:21,760 --> 01:11:24,720
I said, you know, it's a
little easier with every trip

1335
01:11:24,720 --> 01:11:27,600
into town as we drive
through this devastation

1336
01:11:27,600 --> 01:11:30,120
to get a little more
accustomed to it because

1337
01:11:30,120 --> 01:11:32,380
now we're seeing things cleared off,

1338
01:11:32,380 --> 01:11:34,220
now we're seeing good things happening.

1339
01:11:34,220 --> 01:11:37,730
And so some of that, the
ugliness is all disappearing

1340
01:11:37,730 --> 01:11:41,520
and we're transitioning to another phase.

1341
01:11:41,520 --> 01:11:46,103
So it's a little bit easier,
but we do have those moments,

1342
01:11:47,020 --> 01:11:49,420
that crying time where you just realize

1343
01:11:49,420 --> 01:11:51,920
how quickly life changes.

1344
01:11:51,920 --> 01:11:53,780
You're upside down in a couple of hours

1345
01:11:53,780 --> 01:11:56,590
and it's hard to sometimes
go back and reflect on that.

1346
01:11:56,590 --> 01:11:59,740
You wanna try and keep your
mind in a positive mode

1347
01:11:59,740 --> 01:12:03,360
and say, "What can we do now
to help this town rebuild

1348
01:12:03,360 --> 01:12:05,500
and make it a better place than it was?"

1349
01:12:05,500 --> 01:12:07,580
"How can we be a part of that?"

1350
01:12:07,580 --> 01:12:09,580
And let's get active in doing that,

1351
01:12:09,580 --> 01:12:12,940
and then that keeps us in
a positive frame of mind,

1352
01:12:12,940 --> 01:12:15,240
and we're able to deal
with this a lot better.

1353
01:12:17,500 --> 01:12:19,170
- [Ev Durán] Pam and Bill
have already picked out

1354
01:12:19,170 --> 01:12:22,980
a new location and are
rebuilding Joy Lyn's in Paradise.

1355
01:12:22,980 --> 01:12:25,580
As the town continues
its attempt to recover,

1356
01:12:25,580 --> 01:12:27,360
the people who are probably happiest

1357
01:12:27,360 --> 01:12:30,030
about every announced
rebuild are the folks

1358
01:12:30,030 --> 01:12:32,150
who didn't have to themselves.

1359
01:12:32,150 --> 01:12:35,040
Almost everyone in
Paradise lost their homes.

1360
01:12:35,040 --> 01:12:37,410
What about the people who didn't?

1361
01:12:37,410 --> 01:12:39,440
- What frustrates me
is people say Paradise

1362
01:12:39,440 --> 01:12:41,160
was wiped off the map.

1363
01:12:41,160 --> 01:12:43,030
No, it was not wiped off the map.

1364
01:12:43,030 --> 01:12:47,270
I'm still here and a lot
of people are still here

1365
01:12:47,270 --> 01:12:48,850
and Paradise...

1366
01:12:48,850 --> 01:12:49,683
- Still exists.

1367
01:12:49,683 --> 01:12:52,980
- Paradise is my home,
and so it's like no,

1368
01:12:52,980 --> 01:12:54,770
we're not off the map, we're here.

1369
01:12:54,770 --> 01:12:59,180
We're clinging to the map
and will continue to cling.

1370
01:12:59,180 --> 01:13:01,220
- [Ev Durán] For these
people clinging to the map,

1371
01:13:01,220 --> 01:13:04,850
whose homes didn't burn, it's
a uniquely confusing situation

1372
01:13:04,850 --> 01:13:06,330
that they find themselves in,

1373
01:13:06,330 --> 01:13:09,430
filled with a lot of conflicting emotions.

1374
01:13:09,430 --> 01:13:12,143
- It was hard for us,
like "oh, that's great."

1375
01:13:14,820 --> 01:13:16,820
And we didn't share it
with a lot of people

1376
01:13:16,820 --> 01:13:21,710
because we did have kind
of that survivor's guilt.

1377
01:13:21,710 --> 01:13:23,760
It took us a while to really decide,

1378
01:13:23,760 --> 01:13:25,810
a lot of people were like, hey
you guys need to just clean

1379
01:13:25,810 --> 01:13:27,800
your house up, because
it was smoke damaged

1380
01:13:27,800 --> 01:13:29,330
and just get back up there.

1381
01:13:29,330 --> 01:13:31,130
And it's like well, there's no water,

1382
01:13:32,450 --> 01:13:35,940
we didn't get power for a long time

1383
01:13:35,940 --> 01:13:38,593
so how are you gonna
start repairing a house?

1384
01:13:40,360 --> 01:13:42,060
- It's very strange being homeless.

1385
01:13:42,060 --> 01:13:46,200
It's really, to know you do not
have anything to go back to,

1386
01:13:46,200 --> 01:13:48,273
but it's pretty final and
I feel worse for people

1387
01:13:48,273 --> 01:13:50,470
that have their houses standing.
I think that's a much worse

1388
01:13:50,470 --> 01:13:53,600
situation to be in, you can't
reinhabit them right now,

1389
01:13:53,600 --> 01:13:56,270
they need to be repaired
and you're in limbo.

1390
01:13:56,270 --> 01:13:58,340
- This finality that Savannah speaks of

1391
01:13:58,340 --> 01:13:59,870
can be a valuable thing.

1392
01:13:59,870 --> 01:14:01,770
For folks like her and my mom

1393
01:14:01,770 --> 01:14:04,060
who lost their homes and
all their possessions

1394
01:14:04,060 --> 01:14:06,770
but we're fortunate enough
to have good insurance,

1395
01:14:06,770 --> 01:14:09,360
they get to decide how they move forward.

1396
01:14:09,360 --> 01:14:13,170
They have that choice:
rebuild, buy nearby,

1397
01:14:13,170 --> 01:14:15,960
or buy far away and start completely over.

1398
01:14:15,960 --> 01:14:19,090
But if you didn't lose your
home, imagine that reality.

1399
01:14:19,090 --> 01:14:21,790
What if overnight your home
was dropped into the middle of

1400
01:14:21,790 --> 01:14:23,720
an unrecognizable landscape,

1401
01:14:23,720 --> 01:14:26,370
far removed from the community you loved

1402
01:14:26,370 --> 01:14:30,310
and everything around you
appears toxic and dangerous.

1403
01:14:30,310 --> 01:14:33,280
It's hard to imagine. Burned or spared,

1404
01:14:33,280 --> 01:14:35,170
there are no winners here.

1405
01:14:35,170 --> 01:14:36,360
- It's been tough.

1406
01:14:36,360 --> 01:14:38,950
It's been a battle
financially with insurance,

1407
01:14:38,950 --> 01:14:41,060
they don't wanna pay for
things that they should.

1408
01:14:41,060 --> 01:14:46,060
And so that's been really
hard and then just the whole,

1409
01:14:46,220 --> 01:14:49,664
like the first week
for me was really hard.

1410
01:14:49,664 --> 01:14:54,100
It sunk in and was like,
this is our new reality.

1411
01:14:54,100 --> 01:14:57,350
Every window I look out, it's a war zone.

1412
01:14:57,350 --> 01:15:00,327
- Every day you're like,
you just can't believe it.

1413
01:15:00,327 --> 01:15:03,810
You think it's got to
get better, like easier,

1414
01:15:03,810 --> 01:15:04,643
but it doesn't.

1415
01:15:05,630 --> 01:15:07,700
- There's no family anymore around,

1416
01:15:07,700 --> 01:15:10,490
there's no neighbors, there's no friends,

1417
01:15:10,490 --> 01:15:13,230
a hospital if something happens, you know.

1418
01:15:13,230 --> 01:15:15,443
So that's been tough.

1419
01:15:16,490 --> 01:15:19,560
- You know and the decision's
kinda made for you,

1420
01:15:19,560 --> 01:15:22,790
the one, our home survived.

1421
01:15:22,790 --> 01:15:24,280
Whether we would have been better off

1422
01:15:24,280 --> 01:15:27,530
if it had burnt, maybe.

1423
01:15:27,530 --> 01:15:29,050
- Yeah there was thoughts
actually at times

1424
01:15:29,050 --> 01:15:29,930
it was like, you know what?

1425
01:15:29,930 --> 01:15:31,660
Make it easier if it was gone.

1426
01:15:31,660 --> 01:15:35,700
That's what I kept thinking
because she kept telling me,

1427
01:15:35,700 --> 01:15:39,023
she's like "I won't, I can't
go back, there's no way."

1428
01:15:41,790 --> 01:15:44,477
And there's still thoughts,

1429
01:15:45,380 --> 01:15:48,220
but we're so tied to the community,

1430
01:15:48,220 --> 01:15:51,283
this is where our life has been.

1431
01:15:52,180 --> 01:15:53,330
So how do you leave it?

1432
01:15:54,590 --> 01:15:56,650
- We'll never understand
what it feels like

1433
01:15:56,650 --> 01:15:58,340
to have our home burn to the ground.

1434
01:15:58,340 --> 01:15:59,870
We'll never know that pain.

1435
01:15:59,870 --> 01:16:03,670
And I feel awful for everyone
that went through that,

1436
01:16:03,670 --> 01:16:05,540
almost everyone I know.

1437
01:16:05,540 --> 01:16:07,690
And those people will never know

1438
01:16:07,690 --> 01:16:09,430
what it's like to live here

1439
01:16:09,430 --> 01:16:14,050
while the town tries to come back.

1440
01:16:14,050 --> 01:16:16,050
- [Ev Durán] Paradise is coming back,

1441
01:16:16,050 --> 01:16:19,370
but with a tragedy this
monumental, the challenges facing

1442
01:16:19,370 --> 01:16:22,120
these resilient people are unprecedented

1443
01:16:22,120 --> 01:16:23,303
and far from over.

1444
01:16:24,450 --> 01:16:28,180
- We try to focus on the
positive, like, looking at,

1445
01:16:28,180 --> 01:16:30,170
we lost trees but we gained views

1446
01:16:30,170 --> 01:16:32,910
or you know we lost this,
but we're gonna gain this.

1447
01:16:32,910 --> 01:16:35,570
And it's like, you can focus
on the positive all you want

1448
01:16:35,570 --> 01:16:38,010
but at the same time you're still living

1449
01:16:38,010 --> 01:16:40,940
in like a destruction zone
and you have to see it.

1450
01:16:40,940 --> 01:16:43,840
We don't ever get to have like
our normal daily life back.

1451
01:16:44,970 --> 01:16:48,560
- The longer people are out of the area

1452
01:16:48,560 --> 01:16:51,260
the more they settle into their new life,

1453
01:16:51,260 --> 01:16:54,690
in the new house, the new
rental, they get into that mode

1454
01:16:54,690 --> 01:16:56,250
and they may not come back.

1455
01:16:56,250 --> 01:16:59,603
- You know, even if 50% come back,

1456
01:17:01,460 --> 01:17:03,053
is the town gonna be solvent?

1457
01:17:04,010 --> 01:17:05,990
Will it be able to sustain?

1458
01:17:05,990 --> 01:17:08,828
Are we gonna have the services?

1459
01:17:08,828 --> 01:17:10,450
A lot things that they
don't have the answers,

1460
01:17:10,450 --> 01:17:11,700
they don't know.

1461
01:17:12,940 --> 01:17:15,480
- And not having the
hospital now and not sure

1462
01:17:15,480 --> 01:17:16,860
what they're doing,

1463
01:17:16,860 --> 01:17:20,060
that was a big factor
into Paradise's income

1464
01:17:20,060 --> 01:17:21,430
and the schools.

1465
01:17:21,430 --> 01:17:25,210
So that's, I don't know
what's gonna come of all that.

1466
01:17:25,210 --> 01:17:26,960
- You do have to do some different things

1467
01:17:26,960 --> 01:17:29,270
in terms of how you build the town,

1468
01:17:29,270 --> 01:17:32,690
but you don't wanna do things
that make it so expensive

1469
01:17:32,690 --> 01:17:36,140
and so difficult that people
who want to come home just

1470
01:17:36,140 --> 01:17:37,390
don't, 'cause they can't.

1471
01:17:39,150 --> 01:17:42,080
- Most of the problem with
the hitches we have is

1472
01:17:42,080 --> 01:17:44,870
the enormity of this disaster
and the uniqueness of it.

1473
01:17:44,870 --> 01:17:48,440
We've not really seen a
fire as huge as this is

1474
01:17:48,440 --> 01:17:51,423
where it's basically almost
burned out an entire culture.

1475
01:17:53,600 --> 01:17:56,510
- The Federal Government
and the State, yeah.

1476
01:17:56,510 --> 01:17:57,810
They'll help for a short time,

1477
01:17:57,810 --> 01:18:00,303
but what happens at the end of that?

1478
01:18:01,270 --> 01:18:02,910
So there's a lot of uncertainties,

1479
01:18:02,910 --> 01:18:05,210
still, moving forward.

1480
01:18:05,210 --> 01:18:07,350
- [Ev Durán] In the midst
of this uncertainty,

1481
01:18:07,350 --> 01:18:11,160
another challenge arises,
how to address the scars,

1482
01:18:11,160 --> 01:18:12,963
that hide just beneath the surface.

1483
01:18:14,150 --> 01:18:17,620
- It's very difficult to put that

1484
01:18:17,620 --> 01:18:19,010
and then losing everything you have.

1485
01:18:19,010 --> 01:18:21,430
And then now you're on top of that,

1486
01:18:21,430 --> 01:18:25,020
you're thinking about
finances, where do you live?

1487
01:18:25,020 --> 01:18:27,270
I'm still homeless, five months later.

1488
01:18:27,270 --> 01:18:29,540
That's nobody's fault but my own.

1489
01:18:29,540 --> 01:18:34,540
But still, all this wrapped up together,

1490
01:18:36,820 --> 01:18:39,200
it goes like this,
emotions go up and down.

1491
01:18:39,200 --> 01:18:42,050
Yeah, there's post traumatic
stress with it, absolutely.

1492
01:18:42,050 --> 01:18:44,590
And it's gonna continue
because there's a lot of

1493
01:18:44,590 --> 01:18:46,180
uncertainty still going on.

1494
01:18:46,180 --> 01:18:48,130
- [Ev Durán] While interviewing
people for this film,

1495
01:18:48,130 --> 01:18:50,760
I heard the phrase "post
traumatic stress disorder,"

1496
01:18:50,760 --> 01:18:54,910
or PTSD, quite frequently,
and understandably so.

1497
01:18:54,910 --> 01:18:56,550
I wanted to speak to
someone who could offer

1498
01:18:56,550 --> 01:18:58,250
valuable insight on the subject,

1499
01:18:58,250 --> 01:19:01,300
and maybe recommendations
on how to work through it.

1500
01:19:01,300 --> 01:19:04,580
Fortunately, I was able
to find Dr. Steven Thorp,

1501
01:19:04,580 --> 01:19:07,010
who is not just a Paradise
High School graduate,

1502
01:19:07,010 --> 01:19:10,130
but also an expert in the field of PTSD.

1503
01:19:10,130 --> 01:19:13,343
And yes, this is Paradise,
so obviously he's my cousin.

1504
01:19:15,900 --> 01:19:18,000
- PTSD is from a traumatic event,

1505
01:19:18,000 --> 01:19:20,880
which almost always is a
life or death situation.

1506
01:19:20,880 --> 01:19:24,480
So it's either a serious
injury or a risk of death

1507
01:19:24,480 --> 01:19:27,237
or the witnessing of
death or serious injury.

1508
01:19:32,180 --> 01:19:33,550
One of the most common symptoms

1509
01:19:33,550 --> 01:19:35,290
is what we call hyper-vigilance,

1510
01:19:35,290 --> 01:19:37,300
which is a sense of being
on guard all the time

1511
01:19:37,300 --> 01:19:38,690
after a traumatic event.

1512
01:19:38,690 --> 01:19:41,300
And that's very common
in people with PTSD.

1513
01:19:41,300 --> 01:19:45,393
And so they're more
edgy, they're more alert.

1514
01:19:46,290 --> 01:19:48,940
The people that I treat that have PTSD,

1515
01:19:48,940 --> 01:19:50,120
when they walk into a building,

1516
01:19:50,120 --> 01:19:53,650
can't just walk into a building
and relax in that room.

1517
01:19:53,650 --> 01:19:54,483
They walk into the building

1518
01:19:54,483 --> 01:19:56,730
and they're immediately
searching for exits,

1519
01:19:56,730 --> 01:19:58,920
they're immediately scanning
the people in the room,

1520
01:19:58,920 --> 01:20:02,070
to see if the people are
dangerous or if they have weapons,

1521
01:20:02,070 --> 01:20:04,383
and so they can never truly relax.

1522
01:20:06,170 --> 01:20:09,620
Not being able stop thinking
about the traumatic event

1523
01:20:09,620 --> 01:20:11,210
and yet not wanting to think about it.

1524
01:20:11,210 --> 01:20:13,220
So having these unwanted memories

1525
01:20:13,220 --> 01:20:15,400
coming into mind is common.

1526
01:20:15,400 --> 01:20:20,400
Being worried about any stressors
or what we call triggers.

1527
01:20:20,910 --> 01:20:22,940
So these are reminders of the event.

1528
01:20:22,940 --> 01:20:26,180
And so that's also very common with PTSD,

1529
01:20:26,180 --> 01:20:29,020
that they will avoid
anything that reminds them

1530
01:20:29,020 --> 01:20:30,670
and the consequence is that their world

1531
01:20:30,670 --> 01:20:32,330
kind of gets smaller and smaller,

1532
01:20:32,330 --> 01:20:34,360
and sometimes ultimately so that they

1533
01:20:34,360 --> 01:20:36,150
can't leave the house anymore.

1534
01:20:36,150 --> 01:20:38,260
And so that's how we help people,

1535
01:20:38,260 --> 01:20:40,000
is kind of encouraging
them to get back out

1536
01:20:40,000 --> 01:20:42,100
into the world even though
it feels uncomfortable

1537
01:20:42,100 --> 01:20:43,000
in the short term.

1538
01:20:44,530 --> 01:20:47,060
One thing that we know
is that people ironically

1539
01:20:47,060 --> 01:20:50,440
that do their best to avoid
anything to do with that memory,

1540
01:20:50,440 --> 01:20:52,160
or anything to do with that situation

1541
01:20:52,160 --> 01:20:54,027
are the people who are
most likely to get PTSD.

1542
01:20:54,027 --> 01:20:56,420
And so some people who survived the fires,

1543
01:20:56,420 --> 01:20:57,410
don't wanna think about it,

1544
01:20:57,410 --> 01:20:58,360
don't wanna talk about it,

1545
01:20:58,360 --> 01:21:02,100
don't wanna go back up to
Paradise, understandably,

1546
01:21:02,100 --> 01:21:05,293
but that actually might
make them more susceptible.

1547
01:21:07,550 --> 01:21:10,610
Now, anybody who goes
through a really serious

1548
01:21:10,610 --> 01:21:13,600
traumatic event is
gonna have some symptoms

1549
01:21:13,600 --> 01:21:15,677
from that even if they
don't have full PTSD.

1550
01:21:15,677 --> 01:21:18,850
On the good side, as you're
talking about, people

1551
01:21:18,850 --> 01:21:22,160
went through this as a
group and the upside of that

1552
01:21:22,160 --> 01:21:24,760
is that they can support
one another afterwards.

1553
01:21:24,760 --> 01:21:26,450
And one of the best predictors we have

1554
01:21:26,450 --> 01:21:30,220
for people being resilient
to developing PTSD,

1555
01:21:30,220 --> 01:21:31,150
is social support.

1556
01:21:31,150 --> 01:21:36,150
It's one of the strongest
predictors of not getting PTSD.

1557
01:21:36,250 --> 01:21:37,930
- [Ev Durán] Many victims of the Camp Fire

1558
01:21:37,930 --> 01:21:40,570
have found strength and
solace in each other

1559
01:21:40,570 --> 01:21:43,030
aided by the largely
unwavering social support

1560
01:21:43,030 --> 01:21:44,483
of neighboring communities.

1561
01:21:47,110 --> 01:21:52,110
- The surrounding community
support was really amazing.

1562
01:21:52,420 --> 01:21:55,810
I mean, just all the free
meals, free clothing,

1563
01:21:55,810 --> 01:21:57,540
so many donations that they literally

1564
01:21:57,540 --> 01:21:59,800
had to send donations back.

1565
01:21:59,800 --> 01:22:02,860
- If you go anywhere, if you
talk to anyone that's not here,

1566
01:22:02,860 --> 01:22:05,703
they know what Paradise is
and they have such empathy,

1567
01:22:05,703 --> 01:22:07,940
and they have such compassion.

1568
01:22:07,940 --> 01:22:11,050
People have given so much, so much,

1569
01:22:11,050 --> 01:22:12,500
I just can't even believe it.

1570
01:22:13,490 --> 01:22:15,390
- The people around here keep finding ways

1571
01:22:15,390 --> 01:22:16,550
to help each other out.

1572
01:22:16,550 --> 01:22:20,980
I'm just so proud of them
and their resourcefulness,

1573
01:22:20,980 --> 01:22:24,160
the way they put things aside
and they bring too much.

1574
01:22:24,160 --> 01:22:27,210
They were having to turn
stuff away until later need

1575
01:22:27,210 --> 01:22:29,540
and the need it isn't
just a one day, one week,

1576
01:22:29,540 --> 01:22:31,883
one month need as we see.

1577
01:22:33,110 --> 01:22:37,460
- We had a Thanksgiving
with probably 60 people here

1578
01:22:37,460 --> 01:22:39,870
and they all, and the community, local

1579
01:22:39,870 --> 01:22:42,603
and extended community
brought every bit of it.

1580
01:22:44,090 --> 01:22:49,090
So it's been really
nice to see that people

1581
01:22:49,590 --> 01:22:51,393
will come together when it counts.

1582
01:22:52,300 --> 01:22:54,160
- We had a couple of big truckloads

1583
01:22:54,160 --> 01:22:55,973
of stuff come up from Vacaville.

1584
01:22:56,870 --> 01:22:59,960
Everything, just about all
the clothes that I have,

1585
01:22:59,960 --> 01:23:02,040
all I had was what I had on.

1586
01:23:02,040 --> 01:23:06,696
And he's got more clothes than
he's ever had at one time.

1587
01:23:06,696 --> 01:23:07,753
- Seems that way.

1588
01:23:09,170 --> 01:23:14,170
- It just, is mind blowing
to me the level of support,

1589
01:23:14,760 --> 01:23:18,560
not only locally, but globally.

1590
01:23:18,560 --> 01:23:20,660
- [Ev Durán] As the story
of Paradise began to spread

1591
01:23:20,660 --> 01:23:24,690
far and wide, our little town
grew internationally famous.

1592
01:23:24,690 --> 01:23:27,350
And the generous spirit of
total strangers from around

1593
01:23:27,350 --> 01:23:31,510
the world became the silver
lining of this terrible tragedy.

1594
01:23:31,510 --> 01:23:34,350
The PHS baseball team was
invited to play a game

1595
01:23:34,350 --> 01:23:37,083
on the same field as the
San Francisco Giants.

1596
01:23:39,590 --> 01:23:41,470
The basketball teams were invited to watch

1597
01:23:41,470 --> 01:23:43,753
the Golden State Warriors up close.

1598
01:23:46,330 --> 01:23:49,520
And PHS football got an
experience they'll never forget,

1599
01:23:49,520 --> 01:23:52,700
while visiting the San Francisco 49ers.

1600
01:23:52,700 --> 01:23:55,360
These are but a few of
the examples of love

1601
01:23:55,360 --> 01:23:58,030
that was shared with Paradise.

1602
01:23:58,030 --> 01:24:00,100
- Rotary clubs all over the United States

1603
01:24:00,100 --> 01:24:04,940
are sending money, and
it's just very encouraging

1604
01:24:04,940 --> 01:24:07,370
and it makes you feel
really good about people.

1605
01:24:07,370 --> 01:24:10,110
- It restores your faith in humanity.

1606
01:24:10,110 --> 01:24:13,410
It's wonderful, the
support that we've gotten,

1607
01:24:13,410 --> 01:24:16,500
not just locally with
things like our Chamber,

1608
01:24:16,500 --> 01:24:19,670
pretty much taking in any
business that wants to join now,

1609
01:24:19,670 --> 01:24:20,950
not even charging them

1610
01:24:20,950 --> 01:24:24,970
and doing this Ridge Rising
campaign, that's fabulous,

1611
01:24:24,970 --> 01:24:27,640
to Chico providing us with offices

1612
01:24:27,640 --> 01:24:29,380
for three months I think.

1613
01:24:29,380 --> 01:24:32,320
To the ladies in Ireland
who heard me on the news,

1614
01:24:32,320 --> 01:24:36,620
saying I really was so sad
that I lost all my recipes,

1615
01:24:36,620 --> 01:24:39,003
and they sent me four cookbooks.

1616
01:24:39,950 --> 01:24:41,613
It's just all over the world.

1617
01:24:46,940 --> 01:24:48,020
- [Ev Durán] There's one more example

1618
01:24:48,020 --> 01:24:50,500
of the widespread generosity
that the Mayor speaks of

1619
01:24:50,500 --> 01:24:52,050
that I'd like to share with you.

1620
01:24:52,050 --> 01:24:53,990
He's a man named Bob Wilson.

1621
01:24:53,990 --> 01:24:56,040
Like most people prior to the Camp Fire,

1622
01:24:56,040 --> 01:24:58,210
Bob had never even heard of Paradise.

1623
01:24:58,210 --> 01:25:00,350
You remember him from earlier?

1624
01:25:00,350 --> 01:25:02,600
- I knew nothing about
Paradise, as a matter of fact,

1625
01:25:02,600 --> 01:25:04,860
I had to look it up on a map.

1626
01:25:04,860 --> 01:25:06,710
- [Ev Durán] When I visited
Bob at his beautiful home

1627
01:25:06,710 --> 01:25:08,100
in Southern California,

1628
01:25:08,100 --> 01:25:10,270
I discovered that he
is a prolific collector

1629
01:25:10,270 --> 01:25:13,290
of firefighter related
keepsakes and memorabilia.

1630
01:25:13,290 --> 01:25:15,820
Which seems appropriate
since he is now a hero

1631
01:25:15,820 --> 01:25:17,860
to countless victims of fire.

1632
01:25:17,860 --> 01:25:19,520
- I was reading the paper one morning

1633
01:25:19,520 --> 01:25:21,690
and there was an article.

1634
01:25:21,690 --> 01:25:25,710
This was a whole article about
what these high school kids

1635
01:25:25,710 --> 01:25:28,690
would be missing as a result of the fire

1636
01:25:28,690 --> 01:25:32,433
and not being able to go
back to Paradise High School.

1637
01:25:34,560 --> 01:25:37,970
For me, I got so much out of high school.

1638
01:25:37,970 --> 01:25:41,230
I really thought about
these kids and the fact that

1639
01:25:41,230 --> 01:25:45,317
they were missing this
particular episode in their life.

1640
01:25:45,317 --> 01:25:48,163
That's what prompted me
to wanna do something.

1641
01:25:49,675 --> 01:25:53,430
I've always contended
that good intentions,

1642
01:25:53,430 --> 01:25:57,560
unless acted upon are
just good intentions.

1643
01:25:57,560 --> 01:26:00,320
So I decided I would act on this

1644
01:26:00,320 --> 01:26:05,320
and I decided to write
a letter to the kids.

1645
01:26:06,260 --> 01:26:09,440
Then I thought, gee, I better
put some substance behind it.

1646
01:26:09,440 --> 01:26:11,280
And the more I thought about it, I said,

1647
01:26:11,280 --> 01:26:12,220
I know what I'll do,

1648
01:26:12,220 --> 01:26:14,670
I'll just write a check
for a thousand dollars

1649
01:26:14,670 --> 01:26:17,800
to each one, 980 kids.

1650
01:26:17,800 --> 01:26:19,140
- [Ev Durán] Yeah, you
didn't mishear that,

1651
01:26:19,140 --> 01:26:22,000
980 kids times a thousand.

1652
01:26:22,000 --> 01:26:23,140
He also wrote checks to each

1653
01:26:23,140 --> 01:26:25,890
of the 105 staff members at PHS.

1654
01:26:25,890 --> 01:26:28,820
That's almost 1.1 million
dollars given to people

1655
01:26:28,820 --> 01:26:31,320
in a town he had no prior connection to.

1656
01:26:31,320 --> 01:26:33,390
What'd I say? Hero.

1657
01:26:33,390 --> 01:26:36,230
- [Ev Durán] If you were
invited back up for once

1658
01:26:36,230 --> 01:26:38,807
Paradise High School reopens,

1659
01:26:38,807 --> 01:26:41,460
would that'd be a trip that
you would consider making?

1660
01:26:41,460 --> 01:26:43,580
- Well, as a matter of fact, I got a call

1661
01:26:43,580 --> 01:26:46,420
from the superintendent of schools.

1662
01:26:46,420 --> 01:26:49,910
She said, "we want you at the graduation."

1663
01:26:49,910 --> 01:26:53,177
And I had replied to her,

1664
01:26:53,177 --> 01:26:57,620
"look, even if you hadn't invited me,

1665
01:26:57,620 --> 01:26:59,520
I would have been at your graduation."

1666
01:27:01,053 --> 01:27:04,053
(fast upbeat music)

1667
01:27:09,830 --> 01:27:11,730
- [Ev Durán] As you can
see, with the help of

1668
01:27:11,730 --> 01:27:13,920
countless volunteers from the community,

1669
01:27:13,920 --> 01:27:15,410
the school district was able to make

1670
01:27:15,410 --> 01:27:17,510
the campus safe and secure enough

1671
01:27:17,510 --> 01:27:20,290
to host the Paradise
High School graduation.

1672
01:27:20,290 --> 01:27:22,190
The event drew a large crowd,

1673
01:27:22,190 --> 01:27:23,830
eager to celebrate the accomplishments

1674
01:27:23,830 --> 01:27:25,060
of these young people

1675
01:27:25,060 --> 01:27:27,523
and the continuing
accomplishments of the town.

1676
01:27:35,669 --> 01:27:37,963
- Absolutely, absolutely.

1677
01:27:40,330 --> 01:27:42,300
I got this, this is gotta
be your only picture

1678
01:27:42,300 --> 01:27:43,253
with a cop you got.

1679
01:27:45,450 --> 01:27:47,510
Hey, it's good seeing you,
glad you're doing well.

1680
01:27:49,020 --> 01:27:52,370
- The reality of what has happened to us,

1681
01:27:52,370 --> 01:27:54,623
is that we will grieve forever.

1682
01:27:55,960 --> 01:27:59,280
We will not get over the
loss of our community

1683
01:28:00,450 --> 01:28:02,150
but we will learn to live with it.

1684
01:28:03,480 --> 01:28:07,090
We will heal and we will rebuild ourselves

1685
01:28:07,090 --> 01:28:09,581
around the loss we have suffered.

1686
01:28:09,581 --> 01:28:13,414
(fast upbeat music continues)

1687
01:28:18,070 --> 01:28:21,880
- We will always carry
a piece of PHS with us,

1688
01:28:21,880 --> 01:28:26,130
a memory of where we came
from and what we overcame,

1689
01:28:26,130 --> 01:28:29,489
as we take off on our
next great adventures.

1690
01:28:29,489 --> 01:28:32,239
(crowd chanting)

1691
01:28:37,064 --> 01:28:39,814
(crowd cheering)

1692
01:28:43,610 --> 01:28:44,673
- This is your night.

1693
01:28:45,760 --> 01:28:50,240
You are the ones to be
commended for staying the course

1694
01:28:50,240 --> 01:28:53,364
despite the adversity that
overtook your community.

1695
01:28:53,364 --> 01:28:56,114
(crowd cheering)

1696
01:29:02,410 --> 01:29:05,110
- You are the first generation of

1697
01:29:05,110 --> 01:29:07,860
Paradise High School graduates,

1698
01:29:07,860 --> 01:29:11,253
to rise from the ashes of what life was

1699
01:29:12,270 --> 01:29:16,703
and take a bold step
forward into a new future.

1700
01:29:16,703 --> 01:29:19,041
- [Announcer] It is with
great honor that we present

1701
01:29:19,041 --> 01:29:23,208
the Paradise High School
graduating class of 2019.

1702
01:29:24,469 --> 01:29:27,036
You may now move your
tassels to the left side

1703
01:29:27,036 --> 01:29:28,702
of your cap (indistinct)

1704
01:29:28,702 --> 01:29:31,027
(large crowd cheering)

1705
01:29:31,027 --> 01:29:33,777
(crowd clapping)

1706
01:29:41,450 --> 01:29:42,283
- We did it bro.

1707
01:29:42,283 --> 01:29:43,116
- We did it.

1708
01:29:43,116 --> 01:29:43,949
- Ben?

1709
01:29:43,949 --> 01:29:44,782
- Ben.

1710
01:29:44,782 --> 01:29:45,615
- He wanted to meet you,
can we do a picture?

1711
01:29:45,615 --> 01:29:47,403
- Oh, I'd love to do a
picture yeah, absolutely.

1712
01:29:48,390 --> 01:29:49,550
- How was graduation?

1713
01:29:49,550 --> 01:29:51,290
It was the best.

1714
01:29:51,290 --> 01:29:52,983
It was absolutely the best.

1715
01:29:56,450 --> 01:29:57,450
- Don't look at Ev's.

1716
01:30:00,620 --> 01:30:03,270
- [Ev Durán] Where do you
think we are as a town?

1717
01:30:03,270 --> 01:30:05,170
Looking back at what happened

1718
01:30:05,170 --> 01:30:07,213
and sort of looking forward as well,

1719
01:30:08,715 --> 01:30:10,320
what have you learned?

1720
01:30:10,320 --> 01:30:12,083
What has the town learned?

1721
01:30:13,000 --> 01:30:15,260
- Well, I'm actually glad this happened

1722
01:30:15,260 --> 01:30:17,960
that I'm able to talk to you
today because last night,

1723
01:30:19,220 --> 01:30:22,750
you and I were both at the
high school graduation,

1724
01:30:22,750 --> 01:30:23,800
Paradise High School.

1725
01:30:25,020 --> 01:30:26,420
And that gave me great hope.

1726
01:30:27,270 --> 01:30:29,510
When I heard the words
from the student speakers,

1727
01:30:29,510 --> 01:30:31,130
it was powerful.

1728
01:30:31,130 --> 01:30:33,540
And it was the words that,

1729
01:30:33,540 --> 01:30:35,020
there's a bunch of people in this town

1730
01:30:35,020 --> 01:30:40,020
that are working every day
to bring back our community.

1731
01:30:40,210 --> 01:30:43,520
They're out there grinding every day,

1732
01:30:43,520 --> 01:30:45,730
and they're making a difference.

1733
01:30:45,730 --> 01:30:48,370
Because of that spirit I saw last night,

1734
01:30:48,370 --> 01:30:50,910
and because that spirit of
these people that I know

1735
01:30:50,910 --> 01:30:54,020
that are working with the
town, working with the county,

1736
01:30:54,020 --> 01:30:57,420
working with fellow
residents to make it happen,

1737
01:30:57,420 --> 01:31:00,040
I have great faith in the
resilience of the community.

1738
01:31:00,040 --> 01:31:03,160
We're going to rebuild,
hopefully in the long run,

1739
01:31:03,160 --> 01:31:06,010
we can make an even better
place than it was before.

1740
01:31:06,010 --> 01:31:09,400
But we have a long road, this
is a marathon, not a sprint,

1741
01:31:09,400 --> 01:31:12,467
but we have the people here
that can make that happen.

1742
01:31:12,467 --> 01:31:15,310
And I truly believe in the
spirit of this community.

1743
01:31:15,310 --> 01:31:17,900
Paradise Strong, it's been said a lot,

1744
01:31:17,900 --> 01:31:20,550
but the spirit of this community is,

1745
01:31:20,550 --> 01:31:23,200
a depth that I don't think
we'll reach the bottom of.

1746
01:31:26,860 --> 01:31:30,790
- Now we're at the point
where all of these things that

1747
01:31:30,790 --> 01:31:35,690
you never thought would
be impacted by this fire,

1748
01:31:35,690 --> 01:31:36,590
have been impacted.

1749
01:31:36,590 --> 01:31:38,743
And life is just so much more complicated.

1750
01:31:39,770 --> 01:31:43,030
It sounds cliche to say
that the world changed,

1751
01:31:43,030 --> 01:31:48,030
but the world changed. When
Paradise and Magalia and Concow

1752
01:31:48,457 --> 01:31:51,083
and all those other communities that were,

1753
01:31:52,970 --> 01:31:56,430
burned through, come back.

1754
01:31:56,430 --> 01:31:59,250
I know they'll come back eventually,

1755
01:31:59,250 --> 01:32:00,483
but it won't be the same,

1756
01:32:00,483 --> 01:32:03,030
there's just no way it can be the same.

1757
01:32:03,030 --> 01:32:05,380
But that's not to say that what we have

1758
01:32:05,380 --> 01:32:06,910
or what we will be able to do,

1759
01:32:06,910 --> 01:32:08,993
won't be great in its own right.

1760
01:32:13,870 --> 01:32:15,970
- People come here, they
don't really wanna leave.

1761
01:32:15,970 --> 01:32:17,160
Even having lost their home,

1762
01:32:17,160 --> 01:32:20,900
even not knowing how
certain the future might be,

1763
01:32:20,900 --> 01:32:22,200
they wanna be in Paradise.

1764
01:32:23,766 --> 01:32:26,610
They're gonna work that out
here, not somewhere else,

1765
01:32:26,610 --> 01:32:29,903
and I really admire that spirit
and that love of Paradise.

1766
01:32:37,560 --> 01:32:40,350
- I wanna see my family remain in Paradise

1767
01:32:40,350 --> 01:32:43,503
and I want to watch Paradise rebuild.

1768
01:32:46,440 --> 01:32:51,283
- Life is always in
flux, it always changes,

1769
01:32:52,490 --> 01:32:56,453
and what you do with that,
defines who you are as a person.

1770
01:32:59,720 --> 01:33:01,900
We've reinvented ourselves
down here in Chico,

1771
01:33:01,900 --> 01:33:03,530
until we can get back up into Paradise,

1772
01:33:03,530 --> 01:33:06,023
and it's gonna be a lot of fun.

1773
01:33:07,140 --> 01:33:09,080
- It'll be the things
that attracted us here

1774
01:33:09,080 --> 01:33:09,913
in the first place.

1775
01:33:09,913 --> 01:33:12,200
It still be, they'll be back.

1776
01:33:12,200 --> 01:33:15,290
The slower pace of life, the friendliness,

1777
01:33:15,290 --> 01:33:17,370
all the volunteerism in this community,

1778
01:33:17,370 --> 01:33:20,136
it's tons of people
getting involved in making

1779
01:33:20,136 --> 01:33:21,920
this community a better place,

1780
01:33:21,920 --> 01:33:23,590
and all those things will be remembered,

1781
01:33:23,590 --> 01:33:26,270
and it'll be a driving
force to bring people back.

1782
01:33:26,270 --> 01:33:27,843
They're going to want that again.

1783
01:33:30,070 --> 01:33:32,507
- We're pioneers, we're starting all over

1784
01:33:32,507 --> 01:33:34,920
and just like some of
the names you'd see down

1785
01:33:34,920 --> 01:33:37,883
at the museum that were
the first ones to come up.

1786
01:33:39,480 --> 01:33:41,800
That's us, it's our time.

1787
01:33:41,800 --> 01:33:42,870
It's why we need to engage,

1788
01:33:42,870 --> 01:33:46,207
we need to be involved and
love on your community,

1789
01:33:46,207 --> 01:33:48,310
and the people that are here.

1790
01:33:48,310 --> 01:33:51,530
- Paradise is a very
resilient and strong town,

1791
01:33:51,530 --> 01:33:53,960
and there's a lot that
don't wanna leave that hill.

1792
01:33:53,960 --> 01:33:56,210
And they're gonna do
whatever they have to,

1793
01:33:56,210 --> 01:33:58,360
to be able to rebuild
and live there again.

1794
01:34:06,197 --> 01:34:08,120
- And I always kind of
approach things from here

1795
01:34:08,120 --> 01:34:10,060
because I'm trying to envision,

1796
01:34:10,060 --> 01:34:14,180
how is it going to be
to walk into the house?

1797
01:34:14,180 --> 01:34:17,000
So the beginning, here's the
beginnings of the new house,

1798
01:34:17,000 --> 01:34:20,843
but here's the thing that just, I love.

1799
01:34:24,165 --> 01:34:26,265
In the whole backyard, we had a lawn, deck

1800
01:34:28,310 --> 01:34:31,390
and kind of a walkway
Jim and I had put in,

1801
01:34:31,390 --> 01:34:36,390
and at this end of it, we had
this small grove of bamboo.

1802
01:34:39,327 --> 01:34:42,110
Here's the bamboo.

1803
01:34:42,110 --> 01:34:47,110
It's like, it's been through
fire, construction, bulldozers,

1804
01:34:49,700 --> 01:34:53,803
I mean the lot's been scraped
clean, soil compacted,

1805
01:34:55,110 --> 01:34:57,190
and here's this dang bamboo coming up.

1806
01:34:57,190 --> 01:35:00,530
And I check on it every time,
'cause I just feel like,

1807
01:35:00,530 --> 01:35:04,103
Oh my gosh, it survived.

1808
01:35:10,650 --> 01:35:11,663
- [Ev Durán] Is there anything
else I didn't ask you?

1809
01:35:11,663 --> 01:35:13,140
Did I miss anything that you wanna say?

1810
01:35:13,140 --> 01:35:14,300
- No, I don't think so.

1811
01:35:14,300 --> 01:35:16,810
- [Ev Durán] Nobody ever says
yes, to that last question.

1812
01:35:16,810 --> 01:35:18,400
Nobody goes, yeah, yeah I got more stuff.

1813
01:35:18,400 --> 01:35:19,313
- No, I'm good.

1814
01:35:19,313 --> 01:35:20,469
- Nah, I don't know.

1815
01:35:20,469 --> 01:35:21,616
- I don't think so.

1816
01:35:21,616 --> 01:35:22,510
- I don't think so.

1817
01:35:22,510 --> 01:35:23,950
- No, I think you've covered it.

1818
01:35:23,950 --> 01:35:26,030
- [Ev Durán] Is there anything
else you guys wanna add,

1819
01:35:26,030 --> 01:35:27,815
that I didn't ask you?

1820
01:35:27,815 --> 01:35:30,648
Anything you want people to know?

1821
01:35:33,130 --> 01:35:36,749
- That I do believe that
there are people that,

1822
01:35:36,749 --> 01:35:41,230
and I know actually that there
are people who have struggled

1823
01:35:41,230 --> 01:35:46,140
way harder and that I
would like to help them.

1824
01:35:46,140 --> 01:35:50,673
And that we're just one of
many people who have survived.

1825
01:35:53,080 --> 01:35:56,030
Our story was about just
like the average of anybody.

1826
01:35:56,030 --> 01:36:00,010
Anybody could have been in our shoes.

1827
01:36:00,010 --> 01:36:05,010
Even though we were really
close and a lot of people

1828
01:36:05,460 --> 01:36:07,020
went through what we went through.

1829
01:36:07,020 --> 01:36:08,940
And, but there are some people

1830
01:36:08,940 --> 01:36:10,170
who went through harder things

1831
01:36:10,170 --> 01:36:15,170
and I think that they should
just, I wanna help them.

1832
01:36:16,887 --> 01:36:20,304
(fast upbeat rock music)

1833
01:36:24,630 --> 01:36:25,463
- [Ev Durán] But you know I didn't forget

1834
01:36:25,463 --> 01:36:26,733
about the football team.

1835
01:36:27,779 --> 01:36:32,029
(fast upbeat rock music continues)

1836
01:36:37,462 --> 01:36:40,136
- Hey, it's called nerves,

1837
01:36:40,136 --> 01:36:42,069
because you've been pissed off

1838
01:36:42,069 --> 01:36:43,970
for ten months!

1839
01:36:43,970 --> 01:36:46,037
Now you get to take it out.

1840
01:36:47,027 --> 01:36:50,194
Everybody heal tonight, play football.

1841
01:36:56,555 --> 01:36:59,240
Get down there, you have
a crowd that loves you

1842
01:36:59,240 --> 01:37:00,870
and you're gonna be inspired by it.

1843
01:37:00,870 --> 01:37:02,430
You're all gonna be healed right now,

1844
01:37:02,430 --> 01:37:04,590
by getting down there,
and kicking some butt.

1845
01:37:04,590 --> 01:37:05,423
Are you ready?

1846
01:37:05,423 --> 01:37:06,256
- Yes coach.

1847
01:37:07,318 --> 01:37:09,480
We win as brothers, we lose as brothers,

1848
01:37:09,480 --> 01:37:10,473
let's get it done,

1849
01:37:10,473 --> 01:37:11,996
Hey, brothers to the bone on three,

1850
01:37:11,996 --> 01:37:12,920
one, two, three.

1851
01:37:12,920 --> 01:37:15,660
- Brothers to the bone, wohoo.

1852
01:37:15,660 --> 01:37:19,910
(fast upbeat rock music continues)

1853
01:38:21,758 --> 01:38:25,675
- [Announcer] Lucas
Hartley, touchdown Paradise.