Paradise Lost in California

Photo from AP

Forest fires in the United States killed nine people and forced up to 30,000 people to leave their homes and belongings in the town of Paradise. The disaster is considered to be one of the state’s most destructive fires in a century.

On Friday, the fire near the town of Paradise had grown to nearly 362 square kilometers and had destroyed more than 6,700 structures, almost all of which were homes. The fire was completely out of control, the Associated Press reported.

Photo from AP

“There was really no firefight involved,” Capt. Scott McLean of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said, explaining that crews gave up attacking the flames and instead helped people get out alive. “These firefighters were in the rescue mode all day yesterday.”

Later, when the fire swept through Southern California, state officials put the total number of evacuating people at about 250,000.

In the wake of the natural disaster, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration, providing federal funds for Butte, Ventura and Los Angeles counties.