The definitive firsthand account of California's Camp Fire--the nation's deadliest wildfire in a century--and a riveting examination of what went wrong and how to avert future tragedies as the climate crisis unfolds

On November 8， 2018， the people of Paradise， California， awoke to a mottled gray sky and gusty winds。 Soon the Camp Fire was upon them， gobbling an acre a second。 Less than two hours after it ignited， residents were trapped in flames， cremated in their homes and cars。 By the next morning， eighty-five people were dead。

San Francisco Chronicle reporter Lizzie Johnson was there as the town of Paradise burned。 She saw the smoldering rubble of a historic covered bridge and the beloved Black Bear Diner， and she stayed long afterward， visiting shelters， hotels， and makeshift camps。 Drawing on years of on-the-ground reporting and reams of public records， including 911 calls and testimony from a grand jury investigation， Johnson provides a minute-by-minute account of the Camp Fire， following residents and first responders as they fight to save themselves and their town。 We see a young mother fleeing with her newborn; a school bus full of children in search of an escape route; and a group of paramedics， patients， and nurses trapped in a cul-de-sac， fending off the fire with rakes and hoses。

Johnson documents the unfolding tragedy with empathy and nuance。 But she also investigates the root causes， from runaway climate change to a deeply flawed alert system to Pacific Gas and Electric's decades-long neglect of critical infrastructure。 A cautionary tale for a new era of megafires， Paradise is the gripping story of a town wiped off the map and the determination of its people to rise again。