PARADISE, Calif. — Wednesday marks five years since a PG&E electrical power line sparked what would become not only California's costliest wildfire but the costliest disaster worldwide in 2018 — the Camp Fire.
Not only was a majority of the town of Paradise destroyed, but so was the rural community of Concow which had thousands of residents.
Recovery and reconstruction efforts have been underway ever since, though survivors are still fighting for advocacy, accountability and funding.
Camp Fire: By the numbers
- Cost to suppress the fire: $150 million
- Acres burned: 153,336
- People evacuated: 52,000
- Homes destroyed: 11,000
- Lives list: 85
- Non-fatal injuries: 17
With 85 confirmed deaths, the Camp Fire remained the country's deadliest wildfire in 100 years until the Maui wildfires in August killed at least 97 people.
According to German insurance company Munich Re, the Camp Fire caused $16.5 billion in damages, $12.5 billion of which was covered by insurance.
The utility giant PG&E was found liable for the wildfire by Cal Fire and filed bankruptcy in 2019 in anticipation of the liability costs. PG&E went on to settle with Camp Fire victims for $13.5 billion, and the company exited bankruptcy the next year.
The Camp Fire remains by far the most deadly wildfire in California history, according to Cal Fire. Five of the deadliest wildfires in the state include:
- Camp Fire (2018), 85 killed
- Griffith Park Fire (1993), 29 killed
- Tunnel Fire (1991), 25 killed
- Thomas Fire (2017). 23 killed
- Tubbs Fire (2017), 22 killed
Recovery efforts
"For the past five years we continue to work together with nearly 100 agencies toward a common vision; to develop a healthy, thriving region through a collective purpose, to unite community partners so together we can strengthen and align every unique contribution that goes into long-term recovery," said Megan Kurtz, Camp Fire Collaborative board chair during a visit to the California State Capitol Thursday.
The Associated Press recently reported only about 2,400 homes have been rebuilt in Paradise since the fires, and many residents can't afford to move back.
About 700 homes are under construction, and only six of the town's 36 mobile home parks reopened.
All of the town's overhead power lines will be buried underground by 2025, Paradise Mayor Greg Bolin said, and all public roads will be repaved by 2026.
Bolin also owns one of the town's main construction companies, Trilogy Construction Inc.
GO DEEPER: ABC10's FIRE - POWER - MONEY team obtained 1,500 pieces of photo and video evidence used to convict PG&E of 85 felonies in the Camp Fire, but thousands of pages remain sealed by court order. For nearly three years, ABC10's Fire - Power - Money team has been at the forefront of covering California's wildfire crisis, the danger of PG&E's power lines, and how the company avoids accountability.
