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Report details firefighters' harrowing work in Paradise

The report says two inmate firefighters were burned when they tried to escape the flames and ran into barbed-wire fences. A fire captain also was burned. Two firefighters were injured the next morning when a propane tank exploded.

A report on firefighter injuries in a deadly Northern California wildfire details the harrowing conditions they faced and a few close calls with death.

The report released Thursday by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said the Camp Fire overtook three firefighters working to stop the blaze Nov. 8.

It says two inmate firefighters were burned when they tried to escape the flames and ran into barbed-wire fences. A fire captain also was burned.

Two firefighters were injured the next morning when a propane tank exploded.

The fire decimated the town of Paradise, killed at least 86 people and destroyed 14,000 homes.

Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean says the burned captain, who received the worst injuries, was released from a hospital more than a week ago.

KQED News in San Francisco first reported on the injuries.


ABC10 Presents Paradise’s Superhero: "Grandpa" is what James calls Jimmy, his best friend and roommate of roughly 40 years. Jimmy is 86-years-old, and when the fire approached their mobile home it was up to James to figure out how to get the two of them out.

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