Paradise lost: How California’s deadliest wildfire unfolded
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What started as the wind-driven wildfires common in California escalated into fast-moving infernos, roaring through homes and sending thousands fleeing in the middle of the night.
Northern California’s Camp Fire and the Woolsey Fire in the south have collectively burned more than 240,000 acres, reduced thousands of homes to ashes and killed 74 people.
California has never seen a blaze like the Camp Fire in Butte County.
Searchers work at a property in Paradise, Calfiornia, where human remains were found Friday.
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It’s the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in state history, with a death toll – now at 71 – still growing. Thousands of survivors are sleeping in overcrowded shelters, cars and makeshift tent cities not knowing what their future holds.
“A whole town was wiped off the face of the Earth in a matter of eight hours,” resident Cole Wyatt said.
Many in the town of 27,000 in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada fled with nothing more than a change of clothes. A few had time to gather important documents and other memorabilia.
Thousands packed into churches and fairgrounds in Butte County serving as evacuee shelters, but many more have been struggling to find a place to stay.
Joseph Grado embraces his wife, Susan, at a shelter this week in Chico after losing their home to fire.
Hector Amezcua/AP
It’s almost impossible to get a room within a 100-mile radius of Paradise, and families have resorted to living in tents or in their cars.
Laura Whitaker and her 9-year-old grandson are sleeping in tents outside a Walmart in nearby Chico. Sometimes it gets so cold at night they can’t sleep, she says.
Her grandson Eli Kingeri misses “just being in a bed, being under a ceiling, actually having a real bathroom.”
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Fire victims camp out in Walmart parking lot
Near the same parking lot, Jennifer Fitzgerald has been sleeping in a friend’s car with her 7-year-old daughter for days unsure of what’s next.
“I don’t know if I’m going to stay here or leave. If I stay here I don’t know if there’s ever going to be a Paradise again,” she says. “It’s going to be a long time. Everything is gone.”
Whitney Vaughan and her husband, Grady, at times feel like giving up. They’ve been living in their SUV since they lost everything in Paradise.
“Today, after another day of being unable to locate any housing, my husband and I sat in our car at the park and cried,” Vaughan said. “I feel like giving up. We, like so many other families, have nothing left. I don’t even have words to describe what my family has gone through this week.”
Grim search for the dead, hope for the missing
The number of people reported missing in the Camp Fire soared Friday to 1,011.
Investigators are trying to track down everyone on the list of missing by checking with those who called 911 to verify they’ve made contact with their loved ones. If people find their names on the list, or names of loved ones they know are safe, they’re asked to call the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
Tape outlines the location where deputies recovered the body of a Camp Fire victim Wednesday.
Noah Berger/AP
But with each day that goes by, more human remains are pulled from the ashes and rubble. Some are so badly burned, they are unrecognizable.
Sol Bechtold drove three hours from the San Francisco Bay Area to provide authorities with a DNA sample after he could not reach his mother.
“I will do anything to find my mother,” he said. “I realize the outcome I pray for may not be the one I ultimately get.”
Unfortunately, he later received word that his mother, Joanne Caddy, had died in the Camp Fire.
Many looking for their loved ones are calling people who live in the same neighborhoods, going to area hospitals, joining Facebook groups and putting up flyers with photos at shelters.
“We’re desperate to find an answer,” said Delbert Mack, who is searching for his sister Dorothy Lee Mack. “Everyone in the family is anxious. And they’re expecting me to give them positive information. I have no information to give them.”
Smoke and virus outbreak among health risks
In the wake of the fire, some residents are facing health-related issues. A fast-spreading norovirus outbreak has left 145 people ill with vomiting and diarrhea at four evacuee shelters since they opened, the Butte County Public Health Department said.
“The number of sick people is increasing every day,” the department said. As of Wednesday, 41 out of the more than 800 evacuees staying in shelters had symptoms.
To fight the outbreak, health officials say they are creating separate shelter areas for sick evacuees, additional cleaning of the shelters and providing staff with protective equipment to minimize exposure.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Jacob Saylors, 11, walks through the burned remains of his home in Paradise, California, on Sunday, November 18. His family lost a home in the same spot to a fire 10 years earlier.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Lidia Steineman, who lost her home in the Camp Fire, prays during a vigil for fire victims on November 18 in Chico, California. More than 50 people gathered at the memorial service.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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From left, California Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, California Gov. Jerry Brown, President Donald Trump, Paradise Mayor Jody Jones and FEMA Administrator Brock Long survey damage left by the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, on Saturday, November 17. The death toll from the Camp Fire has risen to 76 and more than 1,200 people remain unaccounted for.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A child wears a smoke mask while watching President Trump''s motorcade in Chico on November 17.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Fire evacuees sift through donated items in a Chico parking lot November 17.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A group of children hold an American flag as the motorcade of President Donald Trump drives through Chico, California, on November 17.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A firefighter searches for human remains on Friday, November 16, in a Paradise trailer park destroyed in the Camp Fire.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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President Donald Trump visits a neighborhood impacted by the Woolsey Fire in Malibu, California, on November 17.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Dakota Keltner, right, rests on Havyn Cargill-Morris on November 16 in a truck at a makeshift encampment outside a Walmart store in Chico, California. The camp became a temporary respite for people displaced by the Camp Fire.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A burned neighborhood is seen on Thursday, November 15, in Paradise, California.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Rescue workers sift through rubble in search of human remains on Wednesday, November 14, at a burned property in Paradise.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Firefighters work to control the Camp Fire on November 14 north of Oroville, California.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Evacuee Denise Chester hugs her son, Antonio Batres, as she volunteers her time sorting clothes on November 14 at a makeshift shelter in Chico. Chester, who didn't want to know yet whether her home survived, said: "I want to help. I don't want to shut down."
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Tape outlines the location where sheriff's deputies on November 14 recovered the body of a Camp Fire victim.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Magalia resident Luis Badres and his family left his home because of the Camp Fire. They were living in a tent on Tuesday, November 13, in the parking lot of a Chico Walmart.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A long line of residents seeking to return to Malibu wait at a checkpoint on November 13 on Pacific Coast Highway after Woolsey Fire evacuation orders were lifted for the eastern portion of the city.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A helicopter flies near the Woolsey Fire burning in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Roger Kelton wipes away tears on November 13 while searching through the remains of his mother-in-law's home in Agoura Hills. It was destroyed by the Woolsey Fire.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A melted fence runs along a hillside as firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire in Agoura Hills on November 13.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Firefighters search through the remains of a Paradise house on November 13.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Smoke fills the horizon on November 13 as an airplane flies near a flare-up of the Woolsey Fire near Lake Sherwood.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A fire truck drives through part of Paradise on November 13.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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An air tanker drops water on a fire along the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley on Monday, November 12.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Samantha Esau and Emily Garcia take in stray cats from an evacuated Paradise home on November 12.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Firefighters put out hot spots in Paradise on November 12.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Joseph Grado and his wife, Susan, embrace at a shelter in Chico on November 12. The Camp Fire destroyed their home.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A firefighter battles a fire in Simi Valley on November 12.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A plane drops fire retardant on the Woolsey Fire near Malibu on November 12.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Betsy Ann Cowley walks through Pulga, near where investigators were trying to determine the cause of the Camp Fire.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Eric Thayer/Reuters
A resident sprays down a roof as firefighters battle the Peak Fire in Simi Valley.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
John Locher/AP
Shawn Slack carries a chainsaw on November 12 after trees burned in Paradise.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Chris and Nancy Brown embrace while looking over the remains of their home on November 12.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Firefighters put out hot spots in Thousand Oaks on November 12.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Firefighters battle a fire in Simi Valley on November 12.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A ferry makes its way toward Alcatraz Island on November 12 as the San Francisco skyline is obscured by smoke that drifted over from the Camp Fire.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A vehicle drives through smoke near Pulga on Sunday, November 11.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire in Malibu on November 11.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A helicopter drops water while battling the Camp Fire near Pulga on November 11.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Firefighters work at the Salvation Army Camp in Malibu on Saturday, November 10.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
John Locher/AP
A bag containing human remains lies on the ground on November 11 as officials continue to search for victims at a burned-out home in Paradise.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Cathy Fallon, who stayed behind in Paradise to tend to her horses during the Camp Fire, embraces Shawna De Long, left, and April Smith, right, who brought supplies for the horses.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Firefighters douse embers off a canyon road that cuts across the mountains to Malibu.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Jae C. Hong/AP
A plane drops fire retardant on a burning hillside in Malibu on November 11.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Stephen Lam/Reuters
Evacuee Brian Etter and his dog Tone, who escaped the Camp Fire on foot, rest in the parking lot of a Chico church on November 11.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Culver City firefighters watch the Woolsey Fire from a burned home in Los Angeles.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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The remains of a Los Angeles home destroyed by the Woolsey Fire are seen on November 11.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Eric Thayer/Reuters
The sun rises over the Pacific Ocean on November 11 as the Woolsey Fire burns in Malibu.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Firefighters battle a blaze in Malibu on Saturday, November 10.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
A woman runs in Calabasas as firefighters work to control a flare-up from the Woolsey Fire on November 10.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The Camp Fire burns November 10 in the hills near Big Bend.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Sheriff's deputies carry a body bag with a Camp Fire victim on November 10.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Scorched hillsides and damaged power lines are seen on November 10 along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
John Locher/AP
Araya Cipollini cries November 10 near the remains of her family's home in Paradise.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Los Angeles County firefighters work in Malibu Creek State Park on November 10.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A deer looks on from a burned residence in Paradise on November 10.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Eric Thayer/Reuters
A fire truck is seen on the Pacific Coast Highway as the Woolsey Fire burns in Malibu on November 10.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Noah Berger/AP
Eric England searches through a friend's vehicle in Paradise on November 10.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Sheriff's deputies walk November 10 through a neighborhood destroyed by the Camp Fire.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A satellite image from November 10 shows vegetation that was burned as a result of the Woolsey Fire.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Firefighters meet in Paradise on November 10.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Roger Bloxberg and his wife, Anne, hug on Friday, November 9, as they watch a wildfire on a Los Angeles hilltop.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Malibu Mayor Rick Mullen, who is also a firefighter, surveys a house engulfed in flames on Friday, November 9.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A massive smoke plume, powered by strong winds, rises above the Woolsey Fire in Malibu on November 9.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
John Locher/AP
Cathy Fallon stands near the charred remains of her Paradise home on November 9. The Camp Fire has wiped out much of the town north of Sacramento.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Eric Thayer/Reuters
A firefighter sprays down palm trees as the Woolsey Fire burns in Malibu on November 9.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Llamas are tied to a lifeguard stand on a Malibu beach on November 9.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Smoke is seen over the Pacific in this photo taken from a helicopter over Malibu on November 9.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Eric Thayer/Reuters
A woman in Malibu reacts to devastation on November 9.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A row of palm trees stands as the Woolsey Fire continues to burn in Malibu on November 9.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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From left, firefighters Cory Darrigo, Omar Velasquez and Sam Quan rest in a Westlake Village backyard after battling the Woolsey Fire all night.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Eric Thayer/Reuters
Gabi and Jonah Frank walk on the Pacific Coast Highway as the Woolsey Fire threatens their Malibu home on November 9.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
From NASA
A satellite image taken by NASA's Operational Land Imager shows the Camp Fire in Northern California.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP
A firefighter keeps watch as the Woolsey Fire burns a home near Malibu Lake on November 9.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Eric Thayer/Reuters
The Woolsey Fire burns in Malibu on November 9. The community is known for celebrity beachside homes.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Doug Thomas and his dog Hanna rest November 9 while they await word if they can return to their Malibu Lake home.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Cars destroyed by the Camp Fire sit in a used-car lot in Paradise on November 9.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Eric Thayer/Reuters
Firefighters battle flames in Thousand Oaks early on November 9.
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Evacuees rest on cots supplied by the Red Cross at a Los Angeles high-school gym on November 9.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Fire Capt. Steve Millosovich, battling the Camp Fire in Big Bend, carries a cage of cats that fell from an evacuee's pickup.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Smoke billows above Malibu trees in this photo posted to Instagram by Julie Ellerton.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP
Firefighters push a vehicle from a garage as the Woolsey Fire burns a home in Malibu on November 9.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
Patients are evacuated from Paradise's Feather River Hospital as it burns on Thursday, November 8.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Juanita and Wayne McLish sit on a curb November 8 after losing their house to the Camp Fire in Paradise.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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The Hill Fire burns in Thousand Oaks on November 8.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Jason Bauer
The Woolsey Fire burns in Ventura County, where Jason Bauer told CNN his parents had just been evacuated from their home.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
People embrace in the parking lot of a Paradise hospital as the Camp Fire engulfed it on November 8.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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The Paradise Inn burns on November 8.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A firefighter works to extinguish a spot fire at a home in Paradise.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Vehicles and homes burn as the Camp Fire rips through Paradise on November 8.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Dogs roam a burned-out neighborhood in Paradise.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Hospital staff and first responders evacuate the Feather River Hospital in Paradise on November 8.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Neal Waters/ZUMA Wire
A fire emergency crew works to protect the Paradise Town Hall from the encroaching Camp Fire on November 8.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Noah Berger/AP
A home burns as the Camp Fire rages through Paradise.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Noah Berger/AP
A vintage car rests among debris in Paradise.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Medical personnel move patients as the Feather River Hospital is evacuated in Paradise on November 8.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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Smoke fills the sky over Paradise on November 8. Paradise, located about 85 miles north of Sacramento, has 26,000 residents.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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The remains of a building are seen after being consumed by the Camp Fire.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A firefighter monitors a burning home on November 8.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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California Highway Patrol officers attempt to transfer a potbelly pig they rescued in Butte County on November 8.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
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A Paradise home is engulfed in flames on November 8.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Stephen Lam/Reuters
Firefighters monitor a back fire while attempting to save homes in Paradise on November 8.
Photos: In pictures: Wildfires tear across California
Noah Berger/AP
Flames burn inside a van as the Camp Fire tears through Paradise on November 8.
More than 100 miles from Paradise, air quality has deteriorated to unhealthy levels due to the smoke from the Camp Fire.
Dozens of the Bay Area’s K-12 schools and universities canceled classes this week, and Saturday’s Big Game between California and Stanford has been rescheduled for December 1. The popular college football game has been postponed only once before in 55 years, a week after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
A dangerous mix fueled the fires
The Camp and Woolsey fires both began November 8 at a time when a dangerous mix of powerful winds, lack of rain and severe dry conditions created extremely favorable conditions for new wildfires to begin. Those conditions fiercely fed the fires for days and has kept firefighters struggling to contain them.
At its fastest, the Camp Fire burned an area equivalent to the size of a football field every second, devouring virtually everything in its path.
The Woolsey Fire also grew quickly as it threatened parts of Ventura and Los Angeles counties and claimed three lives.
More than half of California is in a moderate drought or worse, and 18% of the state, including the area near the Woolsey Fire, is in severe drought, according to the US Drought Monitor.
Over the past month, much of the state has received less than 5% of its normal rainfall.
In Northern California, usually a series of storms would have dampened the woods and brush by now, but it hasn’t rained much this fall, said Tim Chavez, a fire behavior analyst for Cal Fire, the state’s forestry and fire protection agency.
Some experts say climate change has created the conditions conducive to feeding fires – such as drier air and plant life, contributing to more days of extreme fires.
California’s fourth climate change assessment, issued in August, said the state’s forests will become more vulnerable to wildfires because of climate change. The assessment says that by 2100, if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, the average area burned by wildfires would increase 77%.
Firefighters battling the blazes in Northern and Southern California may get some relief in the coming week.
Forecasts show the West Coast will see a series of storms arriving, starting Monday. Heavier, steadier rain is expected Wednesday, with another round likely just after Thanksgiving.
CNN’s Nick Valencia, Scott McLean, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Gisela Crespo, Ralph Ellis, Gene Norman and Chris Boyette contributed to this report.