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Paradise still recovering 5 years after wildfire destroys California town

The Camp Fire leveled about 11,000 homes in the town, displacing most of the 26,000 people who lived there. Five years later, only about 2,400 homes have been rebuilt. More are being built every day. The town now has just under 10,000 people living there.

By Noah Berger / AP

Nov. 7, 2023

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VIDEO BY AP
Five years after California's deadliest wildfire, the Sierra Nevada foothills town of Paradise is returning to life with new homes and people. The Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed about 11,000 homes on Nov. 8, 2018.
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Homes leveled by the Camp Fire line the Ridgewood Mobile Home Park retirement community in Paradise, Calif., Monday, Dec. 3, 2018.
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Homes leveled by the Camp Fire line Valley Ridge Drive in Paradise, Calif., Monday, Dec. 3, 2018.
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New growth lines the side of a canyon on the east side of Paradise, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 25.
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Homes built after the Camp Fire line a hillside at Paradise Mobile Estates, Thursday, Oct. 26, in Paradise, Calif.
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The sun sets over Valley Ridge Drive, Thursday, Oct. 26, in Paradise, Calif. Empty lots, homes under construction and residences built after the Camp Fire line the street.
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Empty rows line the Ridgewood Mobile Home Park, Wednesday, Oct. 25, five years after the Camp Fire leveled the Paradise, Calif., retirement community.
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A worker monitors a burn pile while clearing vegetation, Wednesday, Oct. 25, in Paradise, Calif. His crew was clearing the property of dead wood and flammable vegetation to meet defensible space requirements Paradise adopted following the Camp Fire.
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Derrick Harlan sprays water on a burn pile, Wednesday, Oct. 25, in Paradise, Calif. He was clearing a property of dead wood and flammable vegetation to meet defensible space requirements Paradise adopted following the Camp Fire.
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Derrick Harlan plays with Dax while clearing a property of vegetation, Wednesday, Oct. 25, in Paradise, Calif. Harlan, who lost his home in the Camp Fire, now owns a business conducting flammable fuel reduction to keep properties safer from wildfire and comply with Paradise's defensible space requirements.
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Empty lots and homes built since the Camp Fire line Valley Ridge Drive, Thursday, Oct. 26, in Paradise, Calif.
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Jose Villanueva carries siding while building a home, Wednesday, Oct. 25, in Paradise, Calif. The project is partly funded by ReCoverCA, a state program providing money to rebuild homes in disaster areas.
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Cars pass a wildfire awareness billboard as the sun sets behind Paradise, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 26.
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Gwen Nordgen, president of Paradise Lutheran Church, discusses the Camp Fire and its aftermath, Thursday, Oct. 26, in Paradise, Calif.
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A worker installs siding on a new home, Wednesday, Oct. 25, in Paradise, Calif. The construction is partly funded by ReCoverCA, a state program providing money to rebuild homes in disaster areas.
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Gwen Nordgen stands outside Paradise Lutheran Church, which she leads as church council president, Thursday, Oct. 26, in Paradise, Calif.
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Don Criswell, accompanied by his dog Tucker, drives on Criswell Ranch, Wednesday, Oct. 25, in Paradise, Calif. Criswell and his wife fought to save structures as the Camp Fire tore through their ranch in 2018.
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Paradise Mayor Greg Bolin looks out over Butte Creek Canyon from his back deck, Thursday, Oct. 26, in Paradise, Calif. Bolin, who lost his home in the 2018 Camp Fire, rebuilt on a different parcel with a similar view.
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Paradise Mayor Greg Bolin stands outside his home, Thursday, Oct. 26, in Paradise, Calif. Bolin, who lost his home in the 2018 Camp Fire, rebuilt on a different parcel nearby.
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Illustrator Steve Ferchaud paints a mural commemorating the Camp Fire, Thursday, Oct. 26, in Paradise, Calif.
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Max the dog and farm animals watch as Don Criswell drives through his ranch, Wednesday, Oct. 25, in Paradise, Calif. Criswell and his wife fought to save structures as the Camp Fire tore through their ranch in 2018.
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Sandy Miller speaks with Nic's Deli & Wine Bar owner Nikki Jones, left, Wednesday, Oct. 25, in Paradise, Calif. Jones lost two businesses in 2018's Camp Fire.
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Jason Pieper hugs Kathy Desert at Nic's Deli & Wine Bar, Wednesday, Oct. 25, in Paradise, Calif. Pieper is in the process of opening the town's first brewery. Nic's owner, Nikki Jones, at right, lost two businesses in 2018's Camp Fire.
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Nic's Deli & Wine Bar owner Nikki Jones, right, speaks with Kathy Dysert, Wednesday, Oct. 25, in Paradise, Calif. Jones lost two businesses in 2018's Camp Fire.

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