CALIFORNIA, USA — Shortly after 6:30 a.m. Nov. 8, 2018, was the start of what would become the Camp Fire. Extremely dry conditions and winds up to 35 mph fanned the flames.
At ABC10, we were winding down the last half-hour of our morning news at the moment the fire ignited and just beginning to get reports of what would become an absolute disaster coming down from the hills into the rural community of Concow. The fire didn’t stop there, and it obliterated Paradise.
As we dispatched multiple crews towards Butte County, upon their arrival two hours later, the fire had grown and spread massively.
The video we captured in the middle of the day looked like midnight. The smoke and flames had completely overrun the area. The winds and dry conditions caused the fire to move so fast that it did most of its damage in the first four hours.
The hours, days, weeks and months of the fire’s aftermath were almost immeasurable in terms of loss of life and damage.
Eighty-five people died. More than 153,000 acres were scorched. The Pacific Gas & Electric Company pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter after being charged with starting the fire.
Watch more on ABC10 Camp Fire: One Year Later | Paradise Fire Documentary
