As the fast-moving fire ravaged Northern California, highways were jammed with cars as people desperately tried to escape. One man battled burning ash as he tried to find a way out. He’s safe now, but others were forced to abandon their cars and run for their lives.
Five miles north of Paradise, Tisha Aroyo and her grandfather stayed behind. He said he thought he could save her house, but they would only watch helplessly as their home burned.
JT Ford and his wife Stacey went to a nearby pasture, where they watched their home go up in flames. “The fire roared through so quick it was only an hour of utter panic and fear because then everything burned out,” Ford said.
Flames have moved so quickly there’s not a lot firefighters can do. “That fire from the second it started was off to the races,” said Ken Pimlott, director of Cal Fire. “It’s all hands on deck to rescue people and get people out of harm’s way.”
Kim Kardashian West, Alyssa Milano and Rainn Wilson were among the celebrities forced to evacuate their homes.
“Pray for Calabasas. Just landed back home and had 1 hour to pack up & evacuate our home,” Kardashian West wrote on Instagram while sharing video of the blaze. “Firefighters are arriving. Thank you for all that you do for us!!!”
Meanwhile, Milano tweeted saying she was forced to evacuate her children, dogs and horses. The actress later said “everything with a heartbeat is safe.”
Wilson said his house was evacuated due to the fires. He asked for his Twitter followers to pray for residents in Thousand Oaks following the shooting that left 12 people dead, writing that they now forced to deal with the wildfires.
Death toll rises to 23
Northern California sheriff said 14 additional bodies have been found, bringing the death toll to 23 in massive wildfire. The fire has burned 90,000 acres and destroyed more than 6,700 structures.
Three of the victims were found outside homes and four others inside vehicles, Butte County Sheriff Korey Honea said Friday. Another victim was found near outside their vehicle, he said.
The comments were Mr. Trump’s first about the massive wildfires burning in California, including a blaze that incinerated most of the Northern California town of Paradise and killed at least nine people.
3 major fires by the numbers
Firefighters are battling three major wildfires in California. Here’s a breakdown by the numbers as of Friday evening, according to Cal Fire and local officials.
The Camp Fire
- Location: Butte County
- 90,000 acres burned
- 5 percent contained
- 35 people reported missing
- 9 fatalities confirmed
- 1,385 people in shelters
- 52,000 have been evacuated
Woolsey Fire
- Location: Ventura County
- 200,000 residents under mandatory evacuation
- 35,000 acres burned
- Zero percent contained
Hill Fire
- Location: Ventura County
- About 4,500 acres burned
- 15 percent contained
- Firefighters are making good progress, fire chief remains optimist
Utility company will cooperate with investigation
The Pacific Gas & Electric Company said it will cooperate with any investigations stemming from the massive wildfire in Northern California. The company told state regulators Thursday that it experienced a problem on an electrical transmission line near the site of the blaze minutes before the fire broke out.
The company said it later observed damage to a transmission tower on the line. Lynsey Paulo, a company spokesperson, said the information was preliminary and stressed the cause of the fire has not been determined
Wildfire causes “utter panic” as people try to escape
As the fast-moving fire ravaged Northern California, highways were jammed with cars as people desperately tried to escape. One man battled burning ash as he tried to find a way out. He’s safe now, but others were forced to abandon their cars and run for their lives.
Five miles north of Paradise, Tisha Aroyo and her grandfather stayed behind. He said he thought he could save her house, but they would only watch helplessly as their home burned.
JT Ford and his wife Stacey went to a nearby pasture, where they watched their home go up in flames. “The fire roared through so quick it was only an hour of utter panic and fear because then everything burned out,” Ford said.
Flames have moved so quickly there’s not a lot firefighters can do. “That fire from the second it started was off to the races,” said Ken Pimlott, director of Cal Fire. “It’s all hands on deck to rescue people and get people out of harm’s way.”
