PARADISE, Calif. (THECOUNT) — A fast-moving California wildfire, that was so fast, it evaded quick responding firefighters, also killed a family of five who was apparently attempting to flee in a vehicle, authorities said Friday.
The Camp Fire blaze quadrupled in size after leveling much of Northern California town Paradise. Only a day after it began, the fire near the town of Paradise had grown to nearly 110 square miles (285 square kilometers), and investigators found five people dead in vehicles that were torched by the flames.
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“There was really no firefight involved,” said Capt. Scott McLean of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, explaining that crews gave up attacking the flames and instead helped people evacuate. “These firefighters were in the rescue mode all day yesterday.” source
The entire town was ordered evacuated, setting off a desperate exodus in which many motorists got struck in gridlocked traffic and abandoned their vehicles to flee foot. People reported seeing much of the community go up in flames, including homes, supermarkets, businesses, restaurants, schools and a retirement center.
The dead were found in the same part of Paradise, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office said.
Rural areas fared little better. Many homes have propane tanks that were exploding amid the flames. “They were going off like bombs,” said Karen Auday, who escaped to a nearby town.
McLean estimated that the lost buildings numbered in the thousands in Paradise, about 180 miles (290 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco.