3D interactive: How the Camp Fire spread and destroyed Paradise, California
In the early hours of Nov. 8, 2018, emergency crews responding to reports of a wildfire growing out of control began evacuating Paradise residents living directly in its path. Evacuees had only a moment’s notice to leave their homes before the Camp Fire devastated the town and the surrounding area.
While the blaze tore through the town the day it started, the fire was not a one day event. It took more than two weeks for firefighters to contain the fire as it made its way through Butte County. Aided strong winds and dry tinder, fire continued to spread until rainfall on Nov. 21 helped calm the spread of the flames.
Tracking the locations of the fire is possible using data captured by NASA satellites, in turn fed into an online fire tracking system that provides near real-time reports of active fires. The data, available from the Fire Information Resource Management System website, was downloaded by McClatchy and overlaid onto a 3D map showing the area surrounding Paradise and Chico.
This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 4:00 AM.