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Paradise : one town's struggle to survive an American wildfire / Lizzie Johnson.

Johnson, Lizzie, (author.).

Summary:
"The definitive firsthand account of California's Camp Fire-the nation's deadliest wildfire in a century-and a riveting examination of what went wrong and how to avert future tragedies as the climate crisis unfolds. On November 8, 2018, the people of Paradise, California, awoke to a mottled gray sky and gusty winds. Soon the Camp Fire was upon them, gobbling an acre a second. Less than two hours after the fire ignited, the town was engulfed in flames, the residents trapped in their homes and cars. By the next morning, eighty-five people were dead. San Francisco Chronicle reporter Lizzie Johnson was there as the town of Paradise burned. She saw the smoldering rubble of a historic covered bridge and the beloved Black Bear Diner and she stayed long afterward, visiting shelters, hotels, and makeshift camps. Drawing on years of on-the-ground reporting and reams of public records, including 911 calls and testimony from a grand jury investigation, Johnson provides a minute-by-minute account of the Camp Fire, following residents and first responders as they fight to save themselves and their town. We see a young mother fleeing with her newborn; a school bus full of children in search of an escape route; and a group of paramedics, patients, and nurses trapped in a cul-de-sac, fending off the fire with rakes and hoses. Johnson documents the unfolding tragedy with empathy and nuance. But she also investigates the root causes, from runaway climate change to a deeply flawed alert system to Pacific Gas and Electric's decades-long neglect of critical infrastructure. A cautionary tale for a new era of megafires, Paradise is the gripping story of a town wiped off the map and the determination of its people to rise again"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780593136386
  • ISBN: 0593136381
  • Physical Description: xii, 416 pages : maps ; 25 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Crown, [2021]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages [355]-404) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
Part I: Kindling -- Dawn at Jarbo Gap -- All Its Name Implies -- Red Flag Over Paradise -- Part II: Spark -- Code Red -- The Iron Maiden -- Part III: Conflagration -- Abandoning the Hospital -- A Blizzard of Embers -- Saving Tezzrah -- The Lost Bus -- The Best Spot to Die -- "The Safety of Our Community" -- Part IV: Containment -- The Longest Drive -- No Atheist in Foxholes -- Paradise Ablaze -- Promise -- Part V: Ash -- Unconfirmed Deaths -- Mayor of Nowhere -- Secondary Burns -- Rebirth -- Reckoning -- Epilogue: Reburn.
Subject: Pacific Gas and Electric Company > History > 21st century.
Camp Fire, Paradise, Calif., 2018.
Wildfires > California > Paradise.
Paradise (Calif.) > History > 21st century.

Available copies

  • 26 of 26 copies available at SPARK Libraries.

Holds

  • 1 current hold with 26 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Albright Memorial Library 363.379 JOHNSON (Text) 50686016081221 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Altoona Area Public Library 363.37 JOH (Text) 33240004940253 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Annie Halenbake Ross Library 363.37 Joh (Text)
Memorial: In remembrance of John E. Rich by Mark and ElizaBeth Seeber
00150432 ADULT Non-Fiction Available -
Cambria County Library 363.379 J675p (Text) 85131001794024 CACM Non-Fiction Available -
Dillsburg Area Public Library Adults 363.37 JOH Nonfiction (Text) 34001001398211 Adult Area Available -
Dover Area Community Library Adults 363.37 JOH Nonfiction (Text) 34217000882738 Adult Area Available -
Gettysburg Library 363.37 JOHNSON (Text) 35740635767114 Nonfiction Available -
Guthrie Memorial Library: Hanover's Public Library Adults 363.37 JOH Nonfiction (Text)
Bookplate: Plated 2021: In Memory of William Victor Snyder
34007002442684 Adult Area Available -
Indian Valley Public Library 363.37 Johnson Environment (Text) 39427103609129 Nonfiction Room: Adult Nonfiction Available -
Joseph & Elizabeth Shaw Public Library 363.37 JOHNSON (Text) 39636100435136 Adult Nonfiction Available -


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