Rick Pero can't fathom starting over again after watching his home burn down again in northern California.
Rick Pero was working in southern Mexico when the evacuation alerts started going off on his phone.Back home - roughly 2,800 miles away - a man at a popular swimming hole shoved a burning car down into a dry, grassy ravine. Almost instantly, the area ignited and those enjoying the summer day started to panic. The flames, about 15 miles from Mr Pero’s home, were spreading fast in the tinder dry brush.
The metal disfigured shells of two vehicles remain where his garage once stood. Piles of charred metal debris lay in piles. The foundations of the home aren’t even apparent anymore but some bricks from what appears to be a fireplace are stacked. The colourful sunset views over the wooded area behind his home now looks out on hundreds of scorched - and still smoking - pine trees.
The blaze has consumed land in four counties, scorching an area larger than the size of greater Los Angeles or London. Although most of the land is uninhabited by humans, hundreds of homes have been lost in the blaze and experts worry it could take months before it’s fully extinguished. Paradise Police Sgt Rob Nichols was one of the many quick-thinking heroes that day. As fire engulfed the town, propane tanks exploded and power lines and burned-out cars blocked the road. His wife and young children got out safely, but Sgt Nichols stayed to help.
“On our last evening up there, we couldn't rest not knowing what was going on and how close it was to the home,” he said. “So we came home.”
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