Family's return cheers Paradise

PARADISE – The miracle on the mountain involving a hearty family that outlived a raging snow storm is propelling this Butte County village through an unforgettable holiday season.

Almost the whole town is buoyed by the tale of the father and his three children, lost after a trip into the woods to find a Christmas tree. And by the perfect timing of rescuers who found them after a frantic three-day search just ahead of a snowstorm.

A day after the startling Wednesday afternoon rescue, people here still can't believe the good fortune of the Dominguez family.

"They didn't even look tired," said Melissa Barnard, director of the emergency room at Feather River Hospital. "I don't know how they weren't hypothermic. It doesn't make medical sense."

Barnard's unmedical explanation: "It's a miracle."

Barnard supervised the medical team that prepared for the worst, calling in extra personnel, lining up fluids and machinery that warms dangerously chilled patients. When Frederick Dominguez, 38; his sons, Christopher, 18, and Joshua, 12; and his daughter, Alexis, 15, arrived at the hospital, they were mostly wet and cold – and hungry.

"I couldn't believe how good they looked when they came in," Barnard said Thursday.

After receiving food and warmth, the family went home with instructions to return if pain, swelling or other symptoms set in, which is typical, Barnard said.

"You can't feel pain when you're that excited," she said.

By Thursday morning, Alexis had returned to the hospital complaining of pain and was admitted for minor frostbite on her toes. Her father and two brothers had also come back for further tests but were allowed to go home. On Thursday evening, relatives said the family was suffering from swollen legs and some kidney irregularities and will undergo more tests today. Alexis was stable and in good spirits.

After getting lost Sunday evening in the forest, the family abandoned their chosen Christmas tree and took shelter from a frigid storm – first under a makeshift shelter and later in a rocky culvert, which they credited with saving their lives. They used a ripped up shirt to keep their feet dry.

Another storm was bearing down as rescuers made a final pass in a helicopter Wednesday afternoon and saw the father's HELP message spelled out in the snow with twigs.

The image of the family scrambling from the rescue helicopter, grinning and vibrant, is seared in the town psyche.

"It's something, right before Christmas," said Anita Anderson as she finished lunch at the Real Burger Café in the heart of town.

"It's a small town. If you don't know them, you know someone who does," said Anderson, 45, whose children play soccer and attend school with some of the Dominguez children.

She's lived in the region since 1991 and can't recall anything that focused so much attention on Paradise, including national television.

"How about that? Little Paradise," she said.

By Thursday, the storm that drenched Paradise and the surrounding mountains early in the week had retreated, and the town was bathed all day by radiant sunshine.

Inside the Real Burger, Shadow Bonham waited on customers with Christmas-bulb earrings dangling from her ears and a smile.

Bonham, 20, remembers Christopher from high school and worried about him and his siblings because of the treacherous territory that's dotted with abandoned mine shafts.

"They could have, you know, gone down one of those," she said.

The excitement about the rescue created a buzz in the small restaurant, she said. "We're such a small community."

Outside the cafe, the tiny town sprawls on the mountainside with two wide boulevards of grocery stores, churches, low-slung stores and an old-town center with a new park and police station. Forested subdivisions without sidewalks or street lights surround the town.

It's mountainside living, something locals learn to live with fast.

Most of the employees at Hunter's Pest Control – across from the Real Burger – know how to hunt, fish and hike the forests that rise above the town.

Frederick Dominguez began working at Hunter's about a year ago, arriving from Los Angeles, said Marcelle LeFebvre, who schedules the drivers. Because last winter was unusually mild, this winter is probably Frederick Dominguez's first real experience with a mountain winter, she said.

Lots of the locals head into the forest to pick their own tree, said LeFebvre, but they go early. She likes to set out at 6 a.m., she said. "Night comes fast."

Dominguez moved into town to be closer to his sons and daughter, she said. "We know how he feels about his kids."

LeFebvre said Dominguez's boss, Cory Stahl, closed down shop and had his crew of 15 men go into the woods to help find their fellow worker. As the days slipped away and the weather worsened, the crew and office workers refused to lose hope. Word of the rescue still was an emotional shocker, she said.

The office staff have been fielding phone calls from well-wishers, LeFebvre said, and workers set up a fund for the family's expenses.

One thing the family won't need is a Christmas tree. "Oh, yes," said LeFebvre. "People have donated trees – and the stands."

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