Editing Paradise, California (section)

==History==
The first post office was established at Paradise in 1877. It closed for a time in 1911, but was re-established later that year, when the post office at [[Orloff, California|Orloff]] was closed.<ref name=CGN>{{California's Geographic Names|290}}</ref> Paradise incorporated in 1979.<ref name=CGN/> For many years, the Butte County Railroad operated trains along the ridge, serving mines and sawmills.

===Naming===
According to [[GNIS]], the community has been known in the past by four different names or spellings: ''Leonards Mill'',  ''Poverty Ridge'', ''Pair-O-Dice'', and ''Paradice''.<ref name="GNIS"/>

A legend persists that the town was named because it was the home of the ''Pair o' Dice Saloon'', an idea supported by a 1900 railroad map referring to the town as ''Paradice''. However, no documentation has been found to prove the establishment existed, nor an explanation of the spelling of the town's name on the map.<ref name="Snopes-20130919">{{cite web |first=David |last=Mikkelson |title=Place Name Origins: Paradise, California |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/stranger-in-paradise/ |website=[[Snopes.com]] |access-date=November 16, 2018 |date=September 19, 2013}}</ref>

Gene Sylva, a former mayor of the nearby town of [[Oroville, California|Oroville]], has stated that the saloon story is false, and that the true etymology of the town's name can be traced to his great-great-grandfather, William Pierce Leonard, who named the town on a summer day in 1864, after a hot and dusty ride from the [[Sacramento Valley]]; arriving at his sawmill while the staff were on break, Leonard "took a deep breath of the cool, clean air, and exclaimed, 'boys, this is ''paradise''.'"<ref name="Snopes-20130919"/> According to [[Snopes]], Sylva's explanation may be "pleasingly inventive historical fiction", and it is more likely that the town was named for it being a pleasant place to live.<ref name="Snopes-20130919"/>

===2008 fires===
{{see also|2008 California wildfires}}
In June 2008, a [[wildfire]], named the "Humboldt Fire" for its point of origin, swept over {{convert|22800|acre|ha}} of land between Chico and Paradise. As many as 9,300 people were forced to evacuate southwestern Paradise until the fire could be brought under control.<ref>{{cite news|last=Chakko Kuruvila|first=Matthai|date=June 15, 2008|title=Paradise fire evacuees starting to return home|url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Paradise-fire-evacuees-starting-to-return-home-3209813.php|work=SFGate}}</ref>

A month later, a fire burned on the northern side of Paradise in the canyon where the Feather River is located. Again, thousands were evacuated from their homes, but the fire failed to cross the river.<ref>{{cite news|date=July 9, 2008|title=Wildfires force residents to flee Paradise|url=https://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/09/wildfires/|access-date=June 15, 2021|work=CNN}}</ref> It was part of a larger complex of fires called the Butte Lightning Complex or BTU Complex,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://wildfiretoday.com/2008/07/09/ca-btu-complex-july-9-update/|title=CA: BTU Complex, July 9 update |date=July 9, 2008|work=Wildfire Today|access-date=November 13, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> which also included the Belden and Pit fires.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fire.ca.gov/downloads/incidents/Butte_Lightning_071008_AM.pdf|title=Butte Lightning Complex Fact Sheet|date=July 10, 2008|access-date=November 13, 2018}}</ref> (This was a different fire from the 2018 fire of the same name.)

===2018 fire===
{{main|Camp Fire (2018)}}
[[File:Camp Fire oli 2018312 Landsat.jpg|thumb|left|Satellite image showing the fire at 10:45 a.m. on November 8, 2018]]
On November 8, 2018, a wildfire named the "Camp Fire" was reported at 6:33&nbsp;a.m. PST, close to Camp Creek Road near [[Pulga, California|Pulga]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Matthias |last=Gafni |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/11/09/pge-power-lines-may-have-sparked-deadly-butte-county-wildfire-according-to-radio-transmissions/ |title=PG&E power lines may have sparked deadly Camp Fire, according to radio transmissions |work=[[The Mercury News]] |date=November 9, 2018}}</ref> Shortly after the fire erupted, the [[Butte County Sheriff's Department|Butte County Sheriff's Office]] ordered the evacuation of the eastern quarter of Paradise, and the remaining portions one hour later.<ref>{{Cite tweet |author=California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection |author-link=California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection |user=CAL_FIRE |number=1060322869652013056 |date=November 7, 2018 |title=Red Flag Warning |language=en |access-date=November 9, 2018}}</ref> However, many residents never received an evacuation warning, while others chose not to leave because the warnings did not convey the urgency of the situation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/paradise-fire-survivors-say-warnings-were-too-little-too-late-n935846|title=Paradise Fire survivors say warnings were too little, too late|last=Rainey|first=James|date=November 14, 2018|work=NBC News|access-date=December 28, 2018}}</ref> Other locations were also issued evacuation orders or warnings, and emergency shelters were established.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2018/11/08/camp-fire-butte-county-paradise/|title=PARADISE LOST: Cal Fire Says Camp Fire Has Wiped Out California Town|date=November 8, 2018|work=[[CBS Sacramento]]|access-date=November 9, 2018}}</ref>

On the same day, much of the town of Paradise and the communities of [[Concow, California|Concow]] and [[Magalia, California|Magalia]] were destroyed by this fire.<ref>{{cite web |title='Hell on Earth': The First 12 Hours of California's Deadliest Wildfire |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/18/us/california-camp-fire-paradise.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=November 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118105512/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/18/us/california-camp-fire-paradise.html |archive-date=November 18, 2018 |date=November 18, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Scott McLean, a Cal Fire Deputy Chief, said, "We're talking devastated... . The town center is completely on the ground. The south side as well as the north side has been hit very hard, as well."<ref>{{cite news |title=Wildfire destroys entire town as massive blazes tear through California |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paradise-california-camp-fire-town-destroyed-woolsey-fire-today-2018-11-09/ |work=[[CBS News]] |access-date=November 18, 2018 |date=November 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=Kurtis |last1=Alexander |first2=Lizzie |last2=Johnson |first3=Gwendolyn |last3=Wu |first4=Erin |last4=Allday |title=Camp Fire devastates Paradise near Chico — businesses, church, numerous homes burn |url=https://www.sfgate.com/california-wildfires/article/Evacuations-ordered-across-Butte-County-as-Camp-13374840.php |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=November 9, 2018}}</ref>

A total of 85<ref>{{Cite web |title=List of Missing in Camp Fire Down to 1 |date=August 2, 2019 |url=https://fox40.com/2019/08/02/one-still-missing-in-camp-fire/ |publisher=[[KTXL|FOX40]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=September 4, 2019}}</ref> people died in the Camp Fire, tens of thousands were displaced, and 18,804 buildings were destroyed. Only 5% of buildings in the town remained without serious damage after the fire.<ref name=":1">{{cite news |first1=Benjy |last1=Egel |first2=Claire |last2=Morgan |first3=Kevin |last3=Valine |title=Death toll jumps to 23 as 'challenging' Camp Fire pushes toward Lake Oroville |url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/fires/article221471995.html |newspaper=[[The Sacramento Bee]] |date=November 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111053416/https://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/fires/article221471995.html |archive-date=November 11, 2018 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite web |title=California wildfires: Death toll rises to 25 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46168107 |website=[[BBC]] |access-date=November 18, 2018 |date=November 11, 2018}}</ref>  It was the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Gina |last=Martinez |title=The California Fire That Killed 48 People Is the Deadliest U.S. Wildfire in a Century |url=https://time.com/5453710/california-camp-fire-deadliest-wildfires-us-history/ |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=November 18, 2018 |date=November 14, 2018}}</ref> Negligence on the part of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) was found to be the cause of the fire.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Branson-Potts |first1=Hailey |last2=La Ganga |first2=Maria L. |title=PG&E inspections of equipment that sparked deadly Camp fire were flawed, state regulators say |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-02/pge-camp-fire-equipment-inspections |access-date=May 4, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=December 3, 2019}}</ref>
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==== Camp Fire recovery ====
[[File:Paradise after the Camp Fire, July 2019-7428.jpg|thumb|A burnt-down house in Paradise, eight months after the Camp Fire]]
The first two building permits were reissued for Paradise, after almost five months, on March 28, 2019. Local public policymakers aimed to promote rebuilding with higher standards for fire-resistant construction, upgraded infrastructure, and using the recommended 2009 redesigns for enhanced fire safety, which include expanded road capacity to increase evacuation capacity and to provide better access for emergency equipment.<ref>Bizjak, Tony (March 28, 2019). [https://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/article228539324.html "This determined Paradise fire victim will be first to rebuild: 'It's time to move on.'"]. ''[[The Sacramento Bee]]''. Retrieved April 8, 2019.</ref> Two weeks of rain in early March 2019 slowed removal of debris; it was prohibited to dump waterlogged waste in landfills. Some 1,000 truckloads of material were expected to be removed daily from properties in Paradise, Concow, and Magalia. Cleanup was anticipated to take a year, involving 11,000 properties.<ref>Bizjak, Tony (March 15, 2019). [https://www.fresnobee.com/news/state/california/article227956239.html "Heavy rain halted Camp Fire cleanup. Now crews are set to tackle the tons of debris"]. ''[[The Fresno Bee]]''. Retrieved April 20, 2019.</ref>

In 2010 the [[U.S. Census]] reported a population of 26,800. After the Camp Fire, the population declined by more than 90%.<ref name="Earther">{{Cite web |first=Yessenia |last=Funes |url=https://earther.gizmodo.com/paradise-california-has-lost-more-than-90-percent-of-i-1836320507 |title=Paradise, California, Has Lost More Than 90 Percent of Its Residents Since Last Year's Deadly Fire |date=July 12, 2019 |access-date=December 13, 2019 |website=[[Earther]]}}</ref> In January 2019, the state of California reported 4,600 residents, and a door-to-door count in April 2019 found 2,034.<ref name="SacBee">{{cite news |url=https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2019/07/11/paradise-camp-fire-population/ |title=Town Of Paradise Has Lost 90% Of Its Population |date=July 11, 2019 |work=[[CBS Sacramento]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=December 4, 2019}}</ref> In the ensuing years, however, more residents have slowly returned to the town. By November 2023, it was reported that there were a little over 9,000 residents living in Paradise. Over 2,500 new structures had also been built, with more construction ongoing.<ref name=":0" />

By 2024, the town had experienced a substantial influx of newcomers who had moved from the Bay Area and Southern California. Building codes had changed, so displaced residents could not rebuild under codes that had formerly allowed homes smaller than {{Convert|750|ft2|m2}}. Insurance costs had exploded, with annual premiums of $12,000 becoming commonplace.<ref>[https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/california-town-destroyed-fire-locals-priced-out-19516323.php No return to Paradise: Inside a California town burned by tragedy], ''[[SF Gate]]'', Sam Mauhay-Moore, June 21, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.</ref>

One year after the fires, the town united behind the [[Paradise High School]] football team, which achieved an undefeated season. One team member commented, "You look at the stands, the whole town of Paradise is here, so it's really our only event right now, so it means everything."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2019/11/22/paradise-high-suspended-players-undefeated/|title=Paradise High Football Team Stays Undefeated Despite Suspension Of Six Players|last=Malcolm|first=Rob|date=November 22, 2019|work=[[CBS Sacramento]]|access-date=November 23, 2019}}</ref> Paradise Mayor Jody Jones said, "The football team has come to represent all of us.”<ref>{{cite news |last1=Beam |first1=Adam |title=Paradise High School Competes for Football Title 1 Year After Deadly Fire Destroyed California Town |url=https://time.com/5741939/paradise-high-school-football-team-wildfire/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191201025344/https://time.com/5741939/paradise-high-school-football-team-wildfire/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 1, 2019 |access-date=December 5, 2019 |magazine=Time |date=November 30, 2019}}</ref> ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' columnist [[Bill Plaschke]] was inspired to write a book about the team and the town, ''Paradise Found: A High School Football Team's Rise from the Ashes'' (2021).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.today.com/news/good-news/paradise-football-team-rebuilt-californias-deadliest-fire-spared-teams-rcna3696|title=Paradise football team rises again after California's deadliest fire spared team's field|last=Stump|first=Scott|date=October 25, 2021|work=Today|access-date=October 29, 2021}}</ref>

==== Paradise Greenbelt Buffer Plan ====
After the 2018 Camp Fire caused near complete destruction of Paradise, the town and residents agreed on a Long-Term Community Recovery Plan with five main goals to make the town Safer, Welcoming, Stronger, Better, and Greener.<ref>{{Cite report |date=June 2019 |title=Town of Paradise Long-Term Community Recovery Plan |url=https://issuu.com/makeitparadise/docs/2350rptbook_final190624/1 |access-date=December 4, 2020 |publisher=Town of Paradise |via=[[Issuu]]}}</ref> Paradise Recreation and Parks District (PRPD) and [[the Nature Conservancy]] teamed up to develop the idea of a [[Green belt|Greenbelt]] [[Defensible space (fire control)|defensible buffer zone]] which would make the town a better [[Fire-adapted communities|fire-adapted community]] by preventing future wildfires from reaching the town center.<ref name="bold-plan">{{Cite news |first=Laura |last=Bliss |date=August 25, 2020 |title=The Price of Saving Paradise |language=en |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-25/a-california-town-s-bold-plan-to-defeat-wildfire |access-date=December 4, 2020}}</ref> The greenbelt would be made up of managed parks and vegetation to allow firefighters to do controlled burns and create a barrier of land without fuel around the town (a [[firebreak]]) so future wildfires have no path inwards. This borderland would serve as a source of recreation and [[Urban green space|greenspace]] for the community. During the wildfire season, the buffer would protect the town.<ref name="bold-plan" />

The Greenbelt hopes to accomplish a number of projects outlined in the plan, including improvements to parks and walking paths, a stronger fuel management plan, and better transportation access for residents and firefighters. The Nature Conservancy hired an independent nonprofit, the Conservation Biology Institute, to conduct a scientific report on the efficacy of such a barrier. According to their models, such greening of the eastern border of Paradise could reduce combustion risks in the town by as much as 64%.<ref name="bold-plan" /><ref>{{Cite report|date=June 2020|title=Paradise Nature-Based Fire Resilience Project Final Report|url=https://www.paradiseprpd.com/files/69c4ad43d/_TNC_CBI+Paradise+Final+Report+June+2020_PUBLIC.pdf|publisher=Paradise Recreation and Park District}}</ref>

The most pressing challenges moving forward included obtaining rights to the mostly private land the Conservation Biology Institute identified as the most ideal location for a greenbelt, and funding the purchase of these properties.<ref name="bold-plan" /> With local fires worsening every year, PRDP is hoping residents will respond to their fire risk reduction models and sell their outskirt properties to the district. With the successful purchase of several properties so far, Dan Efseaff, district manager for PRDP, "hopes at least to create pockets or sections of that full vision."<ref name="bold-plan" /> If this becomes a successful model, the Nature Conservancy hopes to scale up lessons learned from Paradise and inspire other fire-threatened communities to implement their own buffers.<ref name="bold-plan" />

=== 2020 North Complex Fire ===
The [[North Complex Fire]], also known as the "Bear Fire," to the east of Concow, and Pulga endangered Paradise and surrounding communities that had been affected by the 2018 Camp Fire, and evacuations were ordered. Remaining burn scars that had reduced combustible materials contained the westward progress of the 2020 fire, though almost {{Convert|320,000|acre|ha}} were consumed before it was contained.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Moffitt |first1=Mike |title=Bear Fire spills into the Camp Fire scar near Paradise |url=https://www.sfgate.com/california-wildfires/article/Bear-Fire-spills-into-the-Camp-Fire-scar-near-15557804.php |access-date=December 16, 2020 |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=September 10, 2020}}</ref>