(Firefighternation.com) – The fire that leveled the town of 27,000 people and claimed at least 23 lives roared in so fast that for the first 24 hours, there was virtually no firefight at all — just rescues. They mostly had to watch Paradise burn around them; the opposite of what most firefighters are used to doing.
“It’s not an understatement to say that you got your butts kicked” during the initial fire run Thursday, Cal Fire Butte County Unit Chief Darren Read told assembled firefighters Saturday, pausing several times to gather his emotions.
“We had very little time to evacuate our communities, the people were trapped in their homes and their cars, their houses,” said Read, who doubles as Paradise fire chief. “And you guys saved the lives of thousands of people in our communities. Truly heroic efforts.”
Cal Fire safety officer Jack Piccinini warned firefighters Saturday to watch out for “emotional fatigue” and said many who lost homes themselves in the series of devastating wildfires “were just kind of stunned.”
“Between last year and this year, all of you have been on fires where you have seen communities experience devastating losses, not just property damage but also civilian fatalities as well as firefighter fatalities and serious injuries,” Piccinini said.
At least 36 firefighters lost their own homes, most in the Paradise area, and dozens more likely burned, said International Association of Fire Fighters state service representative Tim Aboudara on Sunday. At least three firefighters’ homes were confirmed lost in a Southern California blaze south of Simi Valley. The confirmed losses affect more than 110 family members and 75 pets, but all are believed to have escaped with their lives.
