3/5/20 – The Paradise Fire of 2018
The next morning at 7 a.m. I called Frank and told him about the incident with the police. He was surprised to hear there was any issue. He told me I could have Justin or any of his employees do the work. I would only supervise.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t wear a tool belt,” he advised.
So, I grabbed Justin, taught him how to solder, and set him about doing the rest of the pipe run. He was delighted to learn new skills, and I was happy to be teaching. The plumbers came to do the potable water plumbing at the tank. I instructed them as well. It was fun having three people to boss around. The system was all in and pressure-tested by the end of the day. Frank was extremely pleased with how it all turned out. He kept me company talking about the big fire as I gathered my equipment to go.
At 5 p.m. with my work finished, I was ready to head to Lake Tahoe. Just before leaving I rode Sunride Jr. around Paradise surveying the damage. I saw six young deer in a yard of a home that had escaped the fire.
Frank had explained how the fire passed over some properties, almost randomly. Many of the tree trunks were scortched but there were green limbs above. Nature’s resilience is truly amazing. I stopped at the hotel one last time to get my burrito the front office had kept refrigerated for me. That burrito sustained me for four meals. It was great but I’m doubting I’ll order another burrito of any size or kind for the foreseeable future. I left with that marvelous golden sunshine one sees at dusk. No doubt this is how California became known as the Golden State.
My brother and his wife used their pickup to deliver a loaned 5th wheel trailer from Colorado to Paradise for a Baptist pastor and his family to live in after their home burned to the ground during the Great Fire. Doug told me they wept as they drove into the area, witnessing the near-total destruction.
That whole story is tragic in so many ways. The first is the sheer terror of the fire sweeping through at unbelievable speed and force trapping and killing people. Next is the massive destruction. Then the sadness of what remains and what it will take to rebuild knowing it could possibly happen again. But people I met there are resilient and willing to give it a try.