“Pretty much the community of Paradise is destroyed, it’s that kind of devastation,” said Cal Fire Capt. Scott McLean as tens of thousands of people remained under evacuation orders.
The so-called Camp Fire quadrupled in size overnight, as harrowing accounts of escape emerged.
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office confirmed five fatalities Friday morning, a number that will likely increase given the chaotic conditions present as people fled for their lives.
While the fire in and around Paradise continued to burn, two wildfires also raged in Southern California — the Woolsey Fire and the Hill Fire — prompting evacuation orders expected to impact 148,000 people.