One year after the Camp fire destroyed almost the entire town of Paradise, there are signs of a rebirth. But a path forward seems to hinge, in part, on a perplexing question: Just how many fire safety measures can Paradise afford?
The smoke has cleared and the bodies have been buried. Demolition crews have hauled off millions of tons of charred homes and cars from the red dirt lots that were once thick with ponderosa pines.
So every potential tweak is weighed carefully, with the still-raw emotion and financial constraints of residents always at the front of mind. Some fire safety proposals have been thrown out, and many other potential plans hang in the balance. Under the town’s proposed amendments, residents would have to maintain a five-foot buffer between their home and any combustible materials, such as mulch and flammable plants, as well as non-pressure-treated decks and wooden fences — which in some cases acted as a wick during the Camp fire, ferrying flames straight to the structure.
The town “needs people...people need homes...not anywhere near doable for elderly retirees,” one resident commentedof council members discussing potential code changes in June. “This WAS a retirement community!!” Even though they adored Paradise, they weren’t sure they would come back after the fire. “I was resentful toward the property because I felt betrayed by it,” Victoria Sinclaire said over a meal of steak and asparagus one recent Monday. Because of PG&E blackouts, the family hadn’t had power for days, so they ate by lantern light. “I felt like I could never trust my town again.”
When asked whether they considered going beyond those requirements, Victoria Sinclaire explained that she thinks about the safety of her family constantly. After what she experienced, escaping by the skin of her teeth through a tunnel of flames, it would be hard not to. “I’m sleeping with a fire extinguisher next to my bed,” she said.
Steve Culleton, a former mayor and councilman who is almost done rebuilding his home, said he hasn’t quite warmed to the firebreak idea. The money would also be spent on hire building inspectors, who are needed to enforce the defensible space code. Right now the town has a single full-time employee doing this work.
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