Fire in Paradise: An American Tragedy

Guardian journalists Gee and Anguiano deliver a tense and detailed account of the 2018 Camp Fire, which devastated the town of Paradise, Calif. The deadliest fire in California history began in the early morning hours of November 8, when high winds snapped a power line, shooting off sparks that ignited the underbrush. The fire rushed through the community of Concow and into Paradise, where it destroyed 6,000 acres by 10 a.m. and ultimately killed at least 85 people. Gee and Anguiano’s interviews with residents feature stories of survival and disaster, including a family and their pets swimming to safety as their home burned behind them, the evacuation of a hospital, and an 82-year-old former volunteer firefighter’s efforts to save local landmarks from the blaze. The authors also report on search-and-recovery missions, relief efforts, and lawsuits filed against utility company Pacific Gas & Electric by victims. Gee and Anguiano vividly describe the conflagration without sensationalizing it, and their blow-by-blow reconstruction is balanced by background information on the history of wildfires and the links between their proliferation and climate change. This impressive report makes a convincing case that such tragedies as the Camp Fire are not a freak occurrence, but a glimpse of the future. (May)