During the summer, you often hear about wildfires on the news. After all, there are more happening every year. Some wildfires destroy cities and are potentially deadly. In spite of lives lost, it feels like once the fire is over, you don’t hear as much about the burnt down town on the mainstream news. One prominent example of this is Paradise, California.
In 2018, Paradise was a quiet town of 27,000 people, most of them were elderly or retirees. One appeal of the town was its inexpensive real estate. Unfortunately, on November 8, the town was devastated by one of the deadliest wildfires in recent history: The Camp Fire. Paradise’s geography was another pull for people moving in, but it became a major problem during the fire. The town sits on a ridgeline between two canyons, thus the town’s nickname “The Ridge,” but because of this, there is only one major exit road called Skyway. The Camp Fire started in the canyon east of Paradise and was named after the main road through the area. The fire came at Paradise from the east, and since residents had to flee west, Skyway became clogged. This led to heavy traffic, slowing the evacuation drastically and causing chaos in the town.
Firefighters struggled to make a last stand, but the fire was a mile wide when it entered eastern Paradise. This set off a chain reaction. Since the roads were packed, lots of people decided to abandon their cars and go for it on foot. This left many abandoned vehicles, making the roads even more jammed and straining firefighters’ mobility to stop spot fires, which reduced resistance towards the fire, allowing it to keep marching through the town and making the process repeat all over again. The Camp Fire burned through Paradise and the surrounding areas for eighteen days and became the deadliest wildfire in California history. Eighty-five people died and upwards of eighteen thousand buildings were destroyed.
That was 2018. Paradise has undergone a tremendous bounceback since then, and now it’s the fastest growing town in all of California. But is it really the same Paradise? The demographic has changed significantly. The town is now made up of younger, wealthier people who were attracted by the potential property size. This had phased out residents who were displaced by the fire and lost nearly everything. And this is only one way that the town has changed since the Camp Fire. SF Gate did an interview with Warren Bullock, a local real estate agent who has worked in Paradise since long before the fire, and Paradise’s mayor Ron Lassonde. Bullock says 70% of the homes he’s sold post fire have been to new residents. They come from the big cities elsewhere in California wanting to make their lives steadier. Lassonde followed up on this, explaining how the lower prices for larger lots still attract people, but a new, younger demographic.
When the old residents came back, one difference they noticed about the town besides the new people is how the climate has changed. There is much more sunlight due to the loss of trees. Some frame the sunlight as a symbol for Paradise’s bright future. But others feel locked out. One situation that Paradise resembled came from the Tubbs fire. Despite the Tubbs fire not being as destructive as the Camp fire, it crashed the housing economy in the areas of Napa and Sonoma county, forcing an exodus of old residents. Just like in these areas, pre-fire residents of Paradise struggled to find a home back in the town, because they were priced out. Some residents that are still displaced worry they’ll never be able to return to the town they once loved.
