PARADISE ? As of 6 p.m. Monday the Humboldt fire is 100-percent contained. CAL FIRE Spokeswoman Janet Upton said.
The fire burned 23,433 acres, destroyed 74 homes and damaged 20 others. According to CAL FIRE Air Tactical Fire Captain Garrett Sjolund, about 287,830 gallons of fire retardant was dropped on the fire.
The Butte County Board of Supervisors accepted the state of local emergency Monday issued by Fire Chief George Morris, who served as the incident commander.
Morris said Monday that fuel temperatures and fuel moisture commensurate with those were more typical of August weather.
On a personal note, as a long-time Paradise resident, I had heard for more than 14 years people saying that if there were ever a big fire in Paradise, there would be no way out. This prophetic statement may someday apply to an area like Lake County.
At one time a similar scenario occurred here according to outdoor columnist Terry Knight. A fire started on Mill Creek Road just outside of Talmage on the edge of Ukiah in 1982. It burned all the way to the edge of Lakeport within about two miles of the city limits and was carried by westerly winds.
Former co-workers from the Chico Enterprise-Record kept me updated on the status of the Humboldt Fire as I drove north.
The roads to the ridge were closed when I arrived in Chico. The good folks from my old newsroom invited me in to have a soda until the roads opened. I attended a news meeting and agreed to cover the fire as an assignment.
I was suited up in a yellow media jacket and a City of Chico media hat.
As I drove up the Skyway, I noted that it looked like a scene from Mad Max. The ground was black, trees were burning, red fire retardant sprinkled the canyon landscape, smoke billowed and dead bees fell from the sky on to my windshield. This was the most serious fire the area has ever seen.
I assessed the damage on Neal Road where flames leveled homes and businesses, horses and llamas ran through the burning streets covered with ash and red dust.
I drove to my house to remove my daughter and our animals. The sheriff”s department had come through announcing that the area would need to be evacuated. A reporter from the Sacramento Bee stood in front of my home wearing the same yellow media garb, we shared a quick laugh, exchanged business cards and drove away from the smoke.
After insuring the safety of both of my daughters, I returned to Paradise to gather information to pass on to the newsroom.
Five of my daughter”s friends had lost their homes.
A former co-worker and his wife had to transport their newborn premature baby girl to a Sacramento hospital because of the poor air quality.
Even though the scene looked like Armageddon, the people of Paradise displayed real grace under fire, and in the end took care of every resident and every animal.
Paradise is plastered with thank-you signs for the almost 4,000 firefighters who saved the small town.
To help victims of the fire please contact the Three Rivers Red Cross Yuba City: 2125 East Onstott Road, 95991, (530) 673-1460, Chico: 1398 Ridgewood Drive, 95973, (530) 891-0885 or the Town of Paradise at (530) 872-6286 – 5555 Skyway, Paradise, Calif. 95969.
Mandy Feder can be reached at mfeder@record-bee.com.
Editors note: I want to thank all of the good people of Media News Group for reporting quickly and accurately to serve the public during this crisis. I also wish to thank all of my new and wonderful friends in Lake County who called to check on me and my children.
