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A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 4 december 2018
Children return to school 3 weeks after California wildfire
By JONATHAN J. COOPER asked her daughter, wak-
YUBA CITY, Calif. (AP) — ing her up in their hotel
Eight-year-old Bella Malo- room.
ney woke up next to her "Seven dot dot three five,"
little brother in a queen-size came the 8-year-old's sing-
bed at a Best Western ho- song reply. 7:35. It was time
tel and for breakfast ate a to brush her teeth, comb
bagel and cream cheese her hair and hit the road for
that her mother brought up a nearly hourlong drive to
from the lobby. school in the family SUV.
And then she was off to A few minutes later, at
school for the first time in seven-dot-dot-four-seven,
nearly a month. they were out the door.
For Bella, brother Vance Some families driven out
and thousands of other by the inferno have left the
youngsters in Northern Cali- state or are staying with
fornia who lost their homes friends or relatives too far
or their classrooms in last away for the children to
month's deadly wildfire, life go back to school in Butte
crept a little closer to nor- County.
mal Monday when school The Hails — whose five-
finally resumed in most of bedroom, two-bath home
Butte County. The burned remains of the Paradise Elementary school is seen in a Friday, Nov. 9, 2018 file photo, in Paradise was destroyed
"They're ready to get back," in Paradise, Calif. — are staying in Yuba City,
Bella's mother, Erica Hail, Associated Press a long drive from their new
said of her children. "I think school in Durham.
they're sick of Mom and It was shortly before the 9
Dad." At school, "they get a.m. start of the school day
to have time alone in their when they pulled up to Dur-
own space and their own ham Elementary School,
grade and they get to just where Bella is in third grade
be by themselves." and Vance is in half-day
Schools in the county had kindergarten.
been closed since Nov. Across the county, nearly
8, when the blaze swept all of the teachers are re-
through the town of Para- turning to provide a familiar
dise and surrounding ar- and comforting face to the
eas, destroying nearly children. "It's important that
14,000 homes and killing at the kids are able to stay
least 88 people in the na- together and have some
tion's deadliest wildfire in a sort of normalcy in the cra-
century. About two dozen zy devastation that we're
people remain unaccount- having now," said Jodi
ed for, down from a stag- Seaholm, whose daughter
gering high of 1,300 a few Mallory is a third-grader.
weeks ago. Mallory underwent radia-
About 31,000 students in tion in October to treat a
all have been away from recurrence of brain can-
school since the disaster. cer and showed no fear,
On Monday, nearly all of Seaholm said, but "this situ-
them went back, though ation with her house burn-
some of them attended ing down has absolutely
class in other buildings be- devastated her."
cause their schools were Counselors brought in from
damaged or destroyed, or around the country were
inaccessible inside evacu- in nearly every classroom
ation zones. Monday to help children
Bella was shy and not very who were distressed by
talkative but agreed she their escape through a
was excited to be going burning town and the loss
back. She wanted to see of their homes, Paradise
her friends. school Superintendent Mi-
The small, tidy hotel room chelle John said at a cel-
with two queen beds has ebratory news conference.
been home to the family Many of the teachers lost
of five for some two weeks. their homes as well.
Since they lost nearly every- "Our kids are traumatized,"
thing to the fire, there was John said. "Their families are
little to clutter up the space. traumatized."
The Hails are booked there Most of Paradise High
until February. School survived but is
"Bella, what time is it?" Hail inaccessible.q
