Wildfire in Paradise | Ignition | 1

Against The Odds

Wondery

Cassie De Pecol, History, Society & Culture, Dolby, Mike Corey, Dolby Atmos, Atmos

4.7 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 27 September 2022

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the early morning of November 8, 2018, a faulty electrical line sparked a fire in the woods of Butte County, California. Spurred on by high winds and dry brush from extreme drought, the fire spread faster than anyone had ever seen before. In a little over an hour, it arrived in the town of Paradise, California, forcing 27,000 residents to flee for their lives.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Prime members, you can listen to against the odds at free on Amazon music. Download the app today.
0:14.3	Anna Deese bursts out the front door of her house holding her laptop and is many books as she can carry.
0:22.4	Her two dogs follow close behind as she runs towards her car.
0:26.6	She can see flames racing down the nearby canyon walls. The smell of smoke is overwhelming.
0:34.8	She stops for a moment and looks back towards the house.
0:41.9	It's early evening on November 8, 2018 and butchery canyon, California.
0:48.6	It's an idyllic community nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains,
0:54.3	halfway between San Francisco and the Oregon border. But right now, it's an inferno.
1:01.4	Deese is 25 years old with broad shoulders and round cheeks. She's lived in this house her entire
1:08.8	life in the dry terrain of rural California. Wildfires are a fact of life, but she's never seen
1:16.6	one move this fast. Half an hour ago, the flames were barely visible in the distance. Now,
1:25.5	they're barreling down on her. Embers and sparks fly through the air. Her ears ring from the roar
1:33.6	of the flames. She reaches her car and throws her belongings inside. The dogs leap into the back seat,
1:41.2	panting and whining. Deese climbs into the driver's seat, sweat pouring down her cheeks.
1:48.0	She honks the horn and keeps her eyes on the front door, waiting for her dad, her heart pounds and
1:55.6	her hands shake. What could be taking him so long? Finally, her father, Gordy Deese,
2:03.0	emerges from the house. His arms are overflowing with t-shirts and a shakes her head. Of course,
2:10.9	her father would risk his life to save his collection of vintage motorcycle t-shirts. As he gets
2:16.9	closer to the car, Anna can see his white coatye has turned gray from the ash floating in the air.
2:24.4	Gordy dumps the t-shirts in the back seat next to the dogs. I'll be right back. No, we have to go
2:30.6	dad. Just one second. Anna gives up. Her father's the most stubborn person on this planet.
2:37.6	Arguing with him will only waste more precious time. Gordy slams the car door shut and runs back
	...

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