Fire in Paradise: An American Tragedy
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-28 06:51:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alastair Gee
- ISBN：0393542165
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Reviews
Sherry Lisby
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I couldn't stop once I started it Saturday afternoon。This was a tough book to read， as I live in northern CA and know people who have lost their homes in recent fires in CA and OR。 I haven't personally known anyone who died in Paradise or other wildfires， but these stories are intimate and devastating。 I highly recommend this book。。。not only for those stories but also information on wildfires， management practices， and living in wild areas in an aware and responsible manner。 As I write this a fr I couldn't stop once I started it Saturday afternoon。This was a tough book to read， as I live in northern CA and know people who have lost their homes in recent fires in CA and OR。 I haven't personally known anyone who died in Paradise or other wildfires， but these stories are intimate and devastating。 I highly recommend this book。。。not only for those stories but also information on wildfires， management practices， and living in wild areas in an aware and responsible manner。 As I write this a friend has probably lost all the timber on a land she and her husband had purchased for retirement but hadn't built on yet to the Dixie Fire。 I'm breathing in smoke from several fires in the northern CA area that descended into our area Saturday morning heralded by an orange sunrise。 Late last summer in September， we lived in a Martian landscape someone called a dystopian hellscape for a few days。。。everything was orange and red， thick and heavy， from the smoke of the fires。 When I went skydiving for my 50th birthday with a friend who was celebrating her 80th a few years ago， we couldn't see the Pacific Ocean or the surrounding mountains due to smoke from wildfires。。。when we drove a few hours north to go back home， the smoke was heavy and thick。 It's been like this for the last four years in Humboldt summers。 A lot of mismanagement from years of treating fire as the enemy and thinking we can control nature have contributed to these megafires。 I just watched a documentary called Wilder Than Wild that I would highly recommend。 It goes into this and what some tribes， agencies， and communities are doing to try to bring back traditional forest management that embraces fire。 The Tamarack fire currently burning in CA was initially a lightning strike fire that had been burning quietly on federal land for a couple of weeks before something caused it to explode in a matter of hours。。。I wonder what happened to cause it to suddenly take off？ It's a shame because it was being allowed to burn because it was behaving itself and clearing out the old fuel in the forest。 If it hadn't had all that fuel that hadn't burned recently， I can't help but think it might not be so large right now。 We really need to rethink what we are doing。 We as citizens need to push government for funding and assistance for our fire agencies to do more prescribed burns and obtain studies/assistance so they can plan them。 。。。more
Shaina Olmedo
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This book was well researched and riveting from beginning to end。 I was in Chico at the time of the Camp Fire， and knew people who lost their homes。 I will always remember November 8， 2018。 The people of Paradise deserve to have their stories told， and I think Dani Anguiano and Alastair Gee did that well。
Artemisia Hunt
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As a California native， I’ve watched the news about wildfires in my state with growing concern。 Though I don’t live in an immediate danger area， still I understand what drought is doing to so much of the terrain in CA。 Water conservation has become a normal way of life here and of course rising temperatures are becoming too hard to ignore。 So watching the scenes play out in the small NorCal town of Paradise almost 3 years ago felt like a terrible turning point in the increasing escalation of sev As a California native， I’ve watched the news about wildfires in my state with growing concern。 Though I don’t live in an immediate danger area， still I understand what drought is doing to so much of the terrain in CA。 Water conservation has become a normal way of life here and of course rising temperatures are becoming too hard to ignore。 So watching the scenes play out in the small NorCal town of Paradise almost 3 years ago felt like a terrible turning point in the increasing escalation of severity these fires are taking。 I watched in horror， videos made by people in their own cars trying to outrace the flames as it became increasingly clear that many of them would not be making it out alive。 And if those videos didn’t take this tragedy close enough to the personal level in a very graphic way， this book brings the focus on the real people of Paradise even sharper。 The result of which is knowing that these people could easily be any of us in any other climate induced disaster: a flood， a hurricane， or even an extreme heatwave。 Taking us back to the day in November of 2018 when the fire began， the authors profile and pay tribute to many of the town’s residents: people just living their lives， enjoying their community ties， running their businesses， raising their kids; all of the things people everywhere can relate to and understand。 I’m sure none of them even dreamed that their town would become the scene of the deadliest fire in CA history。 A fire maybe， but not like this one。 The underlying message here is clear without a lot of preaching: we can no longer afford to be complacent about the climate crisis that is facing us。 。。。more
Stuart Rosen
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A heartbreaking， exhaustingly reported book。 I don’t know what’s more frightening: to have gone through the ordeal of the Camp Fire or the prospect that this is not going to be an anomaly in the years to come。
Du
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Pretty interesting book about the impact wildfires can have。 Interesting to see how different life in the west coast can be。 Such a different perspective。 I would have liked some more about the rebuilding or the impact replacing a town has on economy and social development。
Sieglinde
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Excellent history and discussion about the Camp Fire in Paradise California。 The authors humanize the disaster by following the stories of several people involved including survivors and fatalities。 The town was a major character also。 Obviously， one or both of the authors had a real good understanding of the culture of small California mountain towns。
Cara
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Horrifying
Rose Hriz
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This is the story of a wildfire in California that destroyed the town of Paradise。 This fire did not act like previous fires。 It came on the town too quickly for people to evacuate and the evacuation routes became blocked。 This was an extremely dangerous situation。Californians have a regular fire season that is getting longer。 Everyone who lives in California has to be ready to leave at a moments notice。 They should not hesitate to leave if a fire is coming。 This book is eye opening and everyone This is the story of a wildfire in California that destroyed the town of Paradise。 This fire did not act like previous fires。 It came on the town too quickly for people to evacuate and the evacuation routes became blocked。 This was an extremely dangerous situation。Californians have a regular fire season that is getting longer。 Everyone who lives in California has to be ready to leave at a moments notice。 They should not hesitate to leave if a fire is coming。 This book is eye opening and everyone in any state should have a disaster plan to save their family。 I would recommend reading this book。 。。。more
Monical
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The author put human faces on the tragedies of the Paradise fire， but lacks any insight into causes or solutions for the future。 I also must say that my empathy for the people affected was significantly tempered by the conservative politics。 When Trump shows up and tells people they should rake the forest to prevent future fires， does that lead to reconsidering their support for him？ No， no。 Sort of like people who deny coronavirus while gasping their last breaths。 Or the people who built on the The author put human faces on the tragedies of the Paradise fire， but lacks any insight into causes or solutions for the future。 I also must say that my empathy for the people affected was significantly tempered by the conservative politics。 When Trump shows up and tells people they should rake the forest to prevent future fires， does that lead to reconsidering their support for him？ No， no。 Sort of like people who deny coronavirus while gasping their last breaths。 Or the people who built on the slide zone in Omak and then got surprised when the whole mountainside went into the river。 Sometimes， folks， your decisions result in terrible consequences。 I wonder if there will be a book or two that really explores the causes and solutions for these terrible fires， including climate change。 。。。more
Terry
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Absolutely fascinating。 Global warming may not have been the cause， but was certainly a major contributing factor as was the lack of consideration to forest management。 Burned a hole in a cast iron skillet！ That's hot。 Absolutely fascinating。 Global warming may not have been the cause， but was certainly a major contributing factor as was the lack of consideration to forest management。 Burned a hole in a cast iron skillet！ That's hot。 。。。more
Jolanta （knygupe）
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2。5*Man įdomi ir aktuali tema - gaisrai Kalifornijoje。 Šioje knygoje aprašomas 2018 -ųjų gaisras siautęs šiaurės Kalifornijoje， nusinešęs beveik 200 žmonių gyvybių。 Žmonės tiesiog nespėjo pabėgt， sudegė mašinose ar belaukiant pagalbos。 Jau nekalbu apie paliktus naminius gyvūnus。 Man asmeniškai tokio mąsto gaisruose baisiausia yra ugnies tornado。 Stebėjau juos per žinias， kuomet prieš porą metų jie sukosi mūsų rajone。 Va tada supratau， kad negali būti tikras， kad jie neperšoks per 10-ties juostų 2。5*Man įdomi ir aktuali tema - gaisrai Kalifornijoje。 Šioje knygoje aprašomas 2018 -ųjų gaisras siautęs šiaurės Kalifornijoje， nusinešęs beveik 200 žmonių gyvybių。 Žmonės tiesiog nespėjo pabėgt， sudegė mašinose ar belaukiant pagalbos。 Jau nekalbu apie paliktus naminius gyvūnus。 Man asmeniškai tokio mąsto gaisruose baisiausia yra ugnies tornado。 Stebėjau juos per žinias， kuomet prieš porą metų jie sukosi mūsų rajone。 Va tada supratau， kad negali būti tikras， kad jie neperšoks per 10-ties juostų greitkelį。 Knygą， beje， užvakar baiginėjau jau net su spec。 efektais - netoli namų įsiplieskė gaisras。 Tai sėdėdama terasoje stebėjau dūmų kryptį ir lakstančius lėktuvus ir malunsparnius。 Beveik 100 proc。 buvau įsitikinusi， kad knyga patiks， kad bus įdomų。 Na， bet labai jau nūdnai ji parašyta。 Liūdna。 。。。more
Heather Caputo
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While I really liked reading about the individual experiences of people who lived in Paradise and survived the fire or told stories of those who did not， I couldn't help but notice a left-leaning political bias。 The authors put the blame on climate change and PG&E with comments making fun of our president at the time， Donald Trump， while heralding Newsome and Jerry Brown for their leadership in California。 So many comments and little "jabs" at Trump and those who question climate change were ext While I really liked reading about the individual experiences of people who lived in Paradise and survived the fire or told stories of those who did not， I couldn't help but notice a left-leaning political bias。 The authors put the blame on climate change and PG&E with comments making fun of our president at the time， Donald Trump， while heralding Newsome and Jerry Brown for their leadership in California。 So many comments and little "jabs" at Trump and those who question climate change were extremely off-putting。 Really wasn't necessary for this book。 But then， the authors are a part of an "environmental" group so I guess that's what we got stuck with。 It's too bad。 There were also many other stories of heroism that were never discussed。 My friend's uncle， Rudy Melashenko drove a bus full of children through the fire out of town following a firetruck as the bus's tires were melting and he thought he was going to die。 No mention whatsoever。 Read this with a grain of salt。 It was okay if you skipped the politics and environmental braggadocio。 。。。more
Suzanne
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Sadly this book wasn’t what I thought。 But there was a lot of information in regards to the power company and Paradise itself。 I was hoping to learn more about the families and not just a couple people。
Caitlin
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Audiobook gave me an actual panic attack。 Terrifying but so， so important as we brace for a post-climate-crisis world。。。
Shelly Steffler
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Touching and horrible。
Jodi
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Heartbreaking。 Maddening。 Terrifying。
Crubano410comcast。comnone
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Time for everyone to pay attention to global warming。 It is scary to live in a place where you know you can lose everything in a fire。 Everyone is just waiting for the next one。 Not if but when！！
Cody Remy
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The book was not very comprehensive and almost felt rushed。 The book was clearly purposely released prior to the 2020 election， whether or not it was a complete work。 The book seemed poorly written and only about 80 pages were actually devoted to telling the tales of survivors。 Only a handful of stories were told。 The remaining 150 pages were a hodge podge of political commentary and climate change rhetoric， along with a very brief summary of challenges faced after the fire and its causes。 The t The book was not very comprehensive and almost felt rushed。 The book was clearly purposely released prior to the 2020 election， whether or not it was a complete work。 The book seemed poorly written and only about 80 pages were actually devoted to telling the tales of survivors。 Only a handful of stories were told。 The remaining 150 pages were a hodge podge of political commentary and climate change rhetoric， along with a very brief summary of challenges faced after the fire and its causes。 The topic interested me， and I just wish it went a lot more in-depth。 I would have rather had it packed with narratives and information， even if it took another year to write。 I hope someone takes the time to complete a more comprehensive book about the tragedy in the coming years。 。。。more
Josh
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An excellent retelling of the Paradise， CA wildfire disaster。 Excellent pacing and develops full portraits of those who survived and those who didn’t。
Jim
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Fire scares the heck out of me。 I can't really imagine the fear so many experienced in this tragic event。 Many brave people， especially police and firefighters， saved many lives。 But Paradise was basically wiped out， and most of the victims seemed to be elderly or in some way infirm。 I think the authors did a creditable job recounting the story and its aftermath。 Fire scares the heck out of me。 I can't really imagine the fear so many experienced in this tragic event。 Many brave people， especially police and firefighters， saved many lives。 But Paradise was basically wiped out， and most of the victims seemed to be elderly or in some way infirm。 I think the authors did a creditable job recounting the story and its aftermath。 。。。more
Valerie
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This was more about the town of Paradise and the people who lived there than the fire， but it was interesting and eye opening。
Laurie
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Excellent narrative non-fiction of the Paradise fire。 The description of the people escaping the fire is harrowing。 The author follows up with the people he highlights to find out what they are doing now。 I would have liked more science on the fire itself。
Bob
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A good review of the background and days of the Campfire in Paradise in November 2018， with some closely viewed personal perspective of several survivors。 Mostly a good compilation of the story from various points of view - with a post-fire perspective of the "new normal" both in the Paradise area， and in the world of fire-prevalent climate change。 A good review of the background and days of the Campfire in Paradise in November 2018， with some closely viewed personal perspective of several survivors。 Mostly a good compilation of the story from various points of view - with a post-fire perspective of the "new normal" both in the Paradise area， and in the world of fire-prevalent climate change。 。。。more
Shannon
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This is an excellent retelling of the experiences and stories of the people of Paradise， California of the wildfire， and the days and months following the fire， that destroyed their town killing 85 of their friends and loved ones。 I have never experienced a wildfire， and this books made me gasp in awe at what so many people endured and witnessed during and after the fire。 I was horrified and sad for these people。 The authors did a great job at bringing forth not only the stories of the dead and This is an excellent retelling of the experiences and stories of the people of Paradise， California of the wildfire， and the days and months following the fire， that destroyed their town killing 85 of their friends and loved ones。 I have never experienced a wildfire， and this books made me gasp in awe at what so many people endured and witnessed during and after the fire。 I was horrified and sad for these people。 The authors did a great job at bringing forth not only the stories of the dead and the survivors， but also the conditions that brought about the fire。 。。。more
Fiona
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Just devastating。 Terrifying。
Anna Fishel
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The writing came across as disorganized， making it difficult for me to stay engaged。
Lisa Eirene
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Paradise， California was a small mountain town， a “sanctuary” for people who couldn’t afford houses in the Bay Area。 The people that lived in Paradise knew they were in a fire zone。 And they thought they were very prepared for it。“Evacuations would proceed based on which areas were affected， and during a disaster， cars would be permitted to use both lanes on certain roads to flee。 Paradise sent out “know your zone” mailers to residents。 It also established a reverse-911 alert system， which would Paradise， California was a small mountain town， a “sanctuary” for people who couldn’t afford houses in the Bay Area。 The people that lived in Paradise knew they were in a fire zone。 And they thought they were very prepared for it。“Evacuations would proceed based on which areas were affected， and during a disaster， cars would be permitted to use both lanes on certain roads to flee。 Paradise sent out “know your zone” mailers to residents。 It also established a reverse-911 alert system， which would call residents with an automated message in the event of a disaster。”When the Paradise/Camp Fire happened， they didn’t think it would get to Paradise。 It was in a different area， the fires usually moved in a similar fashion。 But this one was different。 It jumped a river–something that they never thought would happen。 And then the reverse 911 alert system only worked if you had signed up for it。 Many people did not。“The flames， when they arrived， were unstoppable， far beyond the capacity of any firefighter to control。 In places they burned as hot as a crematorium。 Cars turned into rivulets of molten metal。 Homes became matches that set fire to the next…apparitions only seen in the most extreme of blazes: fire tornadoes。”Some people stayed and tried to save their houses–but perished。 Some people decided to flee on foot–especially after they saw the gridlock of cars trying to escape。 There were only a few roads out of town and to safety。“…it birthed a remarkable fire tornado， a product of the high temperatures and hot air from the fire creating a column of superheated air that began to rotate as it rose。 The twister was 1，000 feet wide and tore through the area， uprooting trees， tearing roofs off houses， and throwing power lines and cars into the air。 Whirling at 143 mph， it reached temperatures of 2，700 degrees and heights of 17，000 feet。 A firefighter died when the tornado snatched his 5，000-pound truck and flipped it down a road。”The book profiles many townspeople。 People who fled， people who stayed， people who were fighting the fires。 It was absolutely riveting。 There is so much in this book I can’t do it justice describing it。 The descriptions of the fire was so compelling and frightening。” “It sounded like a freight train going around。 It sounded。 。 。 。 It had this other sound too， more evil，” she said。 “Oh God， I can’t even imagine what I could describe it as close to，” she added。 “There was nothing earthly about it。” “I felt like I was holding my breathe the entire time I read this book。 There was one point where trapped people huddled in the middle of a giant parking lot because it was the only space that didn’t have structures or trees and they used fire blankets and hoped that the fire just jumped over them。 Also–this parking lot was across the street from the gas station。 Wow。I recommend it SO much。 It is SOOO good。 。。。more
Clouds
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Climate change is a myth。 Someone set the fire。 Fear mongering at it's finest。 Climate change is a myth。 Someone set the fire。 Fear mongering at it's finest。 。。。more
Diana
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Super sad when this fire burned down Paradise。 I live a few hours away and we had lots of smoke from the fire and also helped donate items to those who lost their homes。 We had friends that lost their house that day。 It still seems so sad that it happened。 I listened to the book to hear more about the details。。。still so sad。
Beth
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