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U.S. NEWS Thursday 6 december 2018

Residents head back into California town leveled by wildfire

By DON THOMPSON and dents of Paradise got a first- come sign with our name
OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ hand look at what was left and address."
Associated Press of their town of 27,000 peo- Rebecca Rogers of Chico
PARADISE, Calif. (AP) — ple that was hit the hardest came to support her friend,
Joyce and Jerry McLean by the blaze. Jennifer Christensen, who
sifted through twisted More than 50,000 people lost her Paradise home in
metal and broken glass in Paradise and the neigh- the fire.
Wednesday on the proper- boring communities of Ma- Rogers believes she found
ty where their mobile home galia and Concow were the remains of Christensen's
once stood, hoping to find forced to quickly flee the cat, Marble, under what
precious family possessions towering, wind-driven used to be her friend's
that might have survived flames that charred 240 bed. Rogers was in tears
the devastating California square miles (622 square ki- when she approached the
wildfire that leveled Para- lometers). McLeans to ask for a bag
dise. Authorities said 11 people to gather the remains.
They were among hun- were still unaccounted for "I don't want her to look.
dreds of residents who were in what was the deadliest It's just too much," Rogers
finally allowed back into U.S. wildfire in at least a sobbed before burying the
neighborhoods on the east century. remains in the front yard of
side of town a month af- Joyce McLean said she her friend's home. "I've got Joyce McLean, wearing a hazmat suit, looks through the re-
ter the blaze killed at least had seen photos on social to be strong; I've got to do mains of her home Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, in Paradise Calif.
85 people and destroyed media of her burned home this for her. "q Associated Press
about 14,000 homes. and knew one of the only
The couple, wearing white things that survived was an
hazmat suits and leather American flag flying on a
gloves, searched for his pole.
gold wedding band, a "We lost everything but the
Bible that belonged to his clothes on our backs," she
great-grandmother and said about their harrowing
Christmas ornaments made dash for safety.
by their son when he was a In their search Wednesday,
boy. they found tools that be-
"We didn't own expensive longed to Jerry McLean's
things, but we had a lot of father and a set of souve-
memory things," said Joyce nir spoons that belonged
McLean, 73. "If I can find a to Joyce McLean's mother,
little piece of his family or but there was no sign of the
just a little piece of my son, precious items they had
I would be happy." hoped to find.
Earlier in the day, a long "I don't think we're go-
line of cars waited in a cold ing to find the Bible, not
drizzle at a checkpoint to much chance," said Jerry
enter areas where evacua- McLean, 72.
tion orders had been lifted. Joyce McLean said the
Crews in yellow slickers thought of returning after
were still clearing debris the fire had made her ner-
from burned homes and vous and emotional, but
removing trees from streets she wanted to at least re-
littered with melted plastic cover the flag.
trash cans and hollowed "I think something was tell-
vehicles on tireless rims. ing us to be there," she said
Some residents have been about the images she saw
allowed back into nearby on social media. "The only
communities in the fire thing that was standing
zone, but Wednesday was the flagpole, with the
marked the first time resi- flag still flying, and our wel-