One year ago tomorrow, a downed PG&E power line sparked the Camp Fire, a catastrophic wildfire that swept through the Sierra foothills town of Paradise, CA, killing 85 people and destroying over 18,000 structures. Recent counts show that the town has lost 90 percent of its population since the fire. Many former residents have resettled in our listening area.
Netflix has released a new documentary, Fire in Paradise, that tells the gut-wrenching stories of the evacuation of Paradise as the fire bore down on the town, in the words of people who lived through it.
The documentary can be streamed on Netflix, but will also be given a benefit screening Thursday at Ashland's Varsity Theaterby the Ashland Independent Film Festival.
The film's producer, Gary Kout, and AIFF Executive and Artistic Director Richard Herskowitz join us to discuss the documentary.