AFTER THE WILDFIRES, Danish Broadcasting Corp.

 

RUNTIME 24mins 30secs

AIR DATE IN DK: Dec. 3, 2018

 

SPEAK: Mom, dad, three kids and five dogs – they’ve been living in a camper for a week

 

SPEAK: The wildfires took everything they owned.

 

PIX WALKING IN TO THE MOTEL

 

01:10:22:00 CYRENA put that on the table please

 

SPEAK: Tonight they are lucky: They got a room in a motel.

 

01:10:26:00 RILEY That is huge CYRENA uh, yeah, shower!

01:10:32:00 CYRENA uh, a real bed. It feels nice! This is awesome 01:10:46:00

01:11:57:00 CYRENA I’m ready for a nap. How about you guys

 

PIX AERIAL FOOTAGE OF PARADISE

 

SPEAK The largest and most deadly wildfire in California history destroyed the city of Paradise on November 8. It was a Thursday, early morning.

 

SPEAK Cyrena Farris is a school secretary in Paradise and she had just come in to work.

 

CYRENA 37:42 I can see this little smoke cloud and I was like, that's weird. Some building, maybe something over there is on fire.

 

CYRENA 38:16 That's when I called him about 07:45 07:40 and I said, "Don't let Riley go to school." Because she's the one that goes to school in paradise. So don't let Riley go to school today let's let's keep her home. He said she's already on the bus.

 

MOBILE VIDEO FROM BUS. MUST CREDIT RILEY FARRIS

 

SPEAK Their daughter Riley recorded this video on her way to school that morning. What happened next: The family tried to flee town through the flames.

 

CYRENA 41:27 we go to the house and we get our three dogs, grab whatever we can and grab birth certificates, basket of laundry that was on the counter because that's all I could see...

 

CYRENA 41:52 Within two hours, the whole place was just gone and there was so many people trying to get out all at once. It was just gridlock and it took hours just for us to get out of the neighborhood.

 

SPEAK Tens of thousands flee. Many record it on social media

 

PIX MOBILE VIDEO MUST CREDIT BRYNN CHATFIELD “dear heavenly father…”

 

Keith 45:20 52,000 people evacuating down that road was a little much ...

 

Cyrena 45:25 It was chaos, pure chaos.

 

PIX MOBILE VIDEO MUST CREDIT MARK PROCHNOW

 

SPEAK: The fires made thousands homeless. Here, outside a Walmart in a nearby town, people created a tent city. Volunteers donated clothes, and they cook – at the same time, authorities struggle to find the 1200 still missing.

 

SPEAK: 13.500 single family houses were destroyed.

 

TRICIA We had evacuated… at about 2:30 in the morning

 

PIX DRONER

 

SPEAK Wildfires are a fact of life in California. The same happened here in Santa Rosa last year. Now, it’s all about rebuilding.

 

09:27:45:00 TRICIA It’s my back yard. OLIVER So this is actually right here? TRICIA mhmm 09:27:50:00

 

SPEAK Tricia Anderson Woods is familiar with losing everything.

 

09:27:57:00 TRICIA that was taken on October 9 OLIVER so a little over a year? TRICIA yeah, Paradise burnt 13 months to the day 09:28:08:00

 

09:29:35:00 TRICIA It looked like someone dropped a bomb. 09:29:38:00

 

PIX SANTA ROSA 2017 ARCHIVE

 

SPEAK What happened in Paradise is just like what she experienced last year.

 

SPEAK Wildfires to everything she owned: Her house, laundry, and a 1964 Chevy Corvette. But she got out with her kids and her boyfriend.

 

SPEAK And it isn’t until now, life is returning to the neighborhood.

 

09:32:53:00 TRICIA so dining room, and then this whole thing is the kitchen 09:32:57:00

 

09:32:15:00 TRICIA We’re just about 50 percent complete. The electrician needs to finish a few of the wires, and then we have our closing inspection, which means we get to put the sheet rock on 09:32:24:00

 

09:32:32:00 OLIVER so when do you move in? mid-january. About 45 days 09:32:36:00

 

10:09:35:00 Tricia “… I just got makeup to do, we’ll be out here on Saturday. Very good, closing inspection on Monday?” 10:09:44:00

 

SPEAK: Tricia is certain: The California climate is changing and wildfires are more frequent.

 

09:56:09:00 TRICIA We’re having hotter summers than we’ve ever had. It was 112 one day this past summer. I grew up here, you had two days that were over 100 every year and that was it. Now we’re having two weeks, and it’s significantly over 100 09:56:27:00

 

SPEAK: But from the ashes, something new is growing: Friendships and a sense of community.

 

09:58.41:00 TRICIA I didn’t have this before. So I can be out with my neighbors. Instead of

sitting in the backyard enjoying a book, I can talk with my neighbors as they walk their dogs, and say hi. It’s that community OLIVER And you’re not the only one putting in a front porch? TRICIA No, it’s a lot. 09:59:01:00

 

09:59:04:00 TRICIA I would say more than 50% of the homes have added a front porch 09:59:07:00

 

10:30:16:00 Tricia tænder lyskæden “I got it, wohoo”

 

10:31:49:00 fint billed, hvor Tricia skruer en pære i

 

PIX hammer

 

SPEAK She’s preparing for tonight. The neighbors meet once a week, they drink wine and help each other out. The Hun gør huset klar til i aften – naboerne mødes en gang om ugen, drikker vin og hjælper hinanden. It’s like therapy, she says.

 

10:17:50:00 TRICIA you think we should put these on the scaffolding?

 

09:41:09:00 TRICIA I just wanted somebody to complain to, it was like I needed therapy. But I didn’t want to go to therapy. So, I started doing wine Wednesdays. I posted on Facebook, if you want to get together and whine, about the fire, come to Coffey Park, let’s get together. Who better to do it with than our neighbors? We all know what it feels like 09:41:28:00

SPEAK Keith og Cyrena bought a camper. They picked it up in a neighboring state, because finde campers and RVs is impossible since the fires. Too many people are homeless.

 

SPEAK It’s a mess, but it’s home.

 

01:25:19:00 CYRENA We picked it up in Nevada two days ago, and it has painting, writing, stickers and all kinds of stuff, so… 01:25:31:00

 

01:26:01:00 CYRENA we picked out a couple of colors. My oldest, Riley, she’s gonna here, and she’s got some posters she’s gonna put up there, we’re gonna paint it all and she picked out here own bed spread … 01:16:18:00

 

01:26:28:00 CYRENA last night we slept in the back of the truck but once we get it done, our big plan is to get a futon here, pull it out, me, Keith and the baby here, and everybody will be in one space here 01:26:43:00

 

SPEAK They moved from Alaska to California a year ago. They had heard of wildfires, but their neighbors told them not to worry.

 

05:54 CYRENA We thought we were safe. We really did and I think everybody else-

KEITH It didn't affect us. CYRENA ... did too. I don't think ... KEITH Everybody that lived in the area knew that, yes, we have fires and fires happen around us but not … CYRENA Not to us.

KEITH Not to us. They don't burn us like this

 

SPEAK Cyrena had just finished renovating their house.

 

01:32:28:00 CYRENA here’s my bathroom OLIVER so you did the whole thing? CYRENA yeah, I got there a couple of months before he did, and started the whole renovation process. That was our living room 01:32:42

 

01:32:59:00 CYRENA It was a lot of work

 

01:34:31:00 CYRENA this is our dining room with our family. This was two weeks ago 01:34:36:00

01:34:39:00 CYRENA this is the most recent photo we took

 

01:34:55:00 CYRENA we haven’t got to see what’s left of if there is anything left 01:34:58:00

01:35:15:00 CYRENA it was a really happy place

01:37:03:00 CYRENA you don’t realize what you miss about a place until it’s gone 01:37:07:00

 

PIX Oliver og Keith in the car, driving to Paradise

 

01:47:35:05 ORS So where are we going right now?

 

01:47:40:19 KEITH To Magalia through Paradise. Through Chico. We are going to my home, hopefully. If they let us through.

 

01:47:59:03 ORS Have you been there since the fire?

 

01:47:59:01 KEITH No, absolutely not. The last time I was there was the 8th of November. Probably 10.15 in the morning.

 

SPEAK: Since 2002, wildfires have gotten larger and more destructive. 2018 is the longest and most destructive season in California history.

 

SPEAK: Temperatures have gone up, while the northern hemisphere jetstream is changing. At the same time, California has been hit by historic drought. Scientist agree that climate change is a factor.

 

SPEAK Keith isn’t sure what to think about climate change.

 

01:44:15:05 KEITH Growing up in Alaska no. Climate change, global warming it’s hard to belief when you live a winter that’s 60 below. But here yeah, I can see it being a problem, but I feel like it’s just history circle repeating itself over and over.

 

SPEAK When the president visited Paradise after the fires, he was asked about climate change.

 

Trump: I have a strong opinion, I want great climate

 

SPEAK Late November, the Trump administration released their fourth annual climate assessment. 13 federal agencies worked together. 300 scientists concluded that the American economy and the population’s health will suffer if nothing is done.

 

SPEAK Trump did not agree.

 

Trump: I don’t believe it … Reporter: You don’t believe it? Trump: No, no, I don’t believe it.

 

Trump: If we’re clean and every other country is dirty, that’s not so good

 

02:1939:12 KEITH We almost enter Paradise, Paradise now. We’re getting much closer.

 

02:26:00:04 Fuck.

 

02:44:53:00 KEITH This is hard to believe that all of this is just gone. ((…KLIP UD This guy that lived right here he had tons of wood outside his house. That’s what he did. I don’t know if he bought them or had them donated but he chopped them all up, splitted them and sell them by the court.)) I can’t believe this. Holy shit

02:55:51:00 KEITH Uh man, I don’t know if I’m ready for this. Our swing set made it. Damn. This hurt. Here it is. 6168 Drury Court. My house for little over a year.

 

02:59:47:00 KEITH Damn…

 

02:57:28:03 This is like brand new. Alright let’s see. So, there’s my sons bicycle.

 

03:01:28:00 KEITH Yes, that’s why I’m trying to locate my bedroom. That’s probably our window. So, there’s the frame for our king size bed. And the headboard. It kind of look like most of my house just melted.

 

03:02:44:05 KEITH So this would be about the area that I need to be looking for a few important things that I will probably never find…

 

SPEAK He has just one hope: To find a few special things.

 

03:12:30:00 KEITH Our jewelry’s gone. I’m trying to locate our wedding rings cause they’re kind of. But I don’t really see them.

 

03:19:16:00 KEITH …It sucks. I mean it’s a lot less fun than I thought it would be coming to check this out. Hurts a lot more than I thought it would hurt.

 

03:32:45:00 KEITH So this one I know for a fact is my wedding ring. And this one I can only hope is my wife’s wedding ring. But right now, without pictures of it, it’s hard to tell.

 

KEITH This is heartbreaking. We knew the house was gone, but it’s gone. There aint shit left.

 

SPEAK He finds a few things. He has decided to build a new house on the property.

 

PIX Melanie and Annie walking towards car

 

TALKING ON THE PHONE

07:41:52:00 ANNIE Ok, now you’re on speaker phone.

07:41:54:00 TEL1 Are you in Blackie?

07:41:56:00 ANNIE Yeah, we are in the black truck.

07:42:21:00 ANNIE …Melanie and I are down to go all night again and all day tomorrow again, if that’s what it takes.

 

SPEAK Melanie Lourme and Annie Houston are volunteers. The bring pets out from the affected area. Dead or alive.

 

07:58:56:00 MELANIE … So, this is it. So apparently the dogs have been running around the streets. Maybe get out and walk. So, Bailey and Marley. Let me see the addresses. It’s 1650, so they have been seen down there.

 

SPEAK Their first stop is a house where they expect two dogs to be running around.

 

08:01:17:00 MELANIE Pifter. Bailey.

08:01:19:00 ANNIE Were their names Bailey and Marley?

08:01:19:00 MELANIE Bailey and Marley. Right. Come on babies. Marley.

08:01:40:00 MELANIE Come on, babies. Pifter. Come on, babies. Marley. Bailey. Come on, guys.

08:03:53:00 ANNIE Hi Mel, do you want to see if that’s water has been touched? Or food.

08:04:32:00 ANNIE Hi come on, baby. I see her, I see her. Come on baby.

08:04:35:00 MELANIE There she is. It might be better for us to stay back a little bit. Just so she doesn’t get scared of so many people.

 

SPEAK They see one of the dogs. But it’s afraid and runs away.

 

08:07:09:00 ANNIE Looks like she’s coming down this way. I see dirt brushing up. Maybe she’s terrified.

 

08:15:28:00 ANNIE That’s the hardest part of this. When you see them, and you know they are there…

 

SPEAK They give up, leave food and water. They’ll try to return another day

 

SPEAK It has been nine days since the fires, and many animals are dead by now.

 

08:24:33:00 MELANIE Oh, we’ll they’re here. (NOGLE BRUNE KASSER/POSER) It says ‘Not human’ on it and I’m pretty sure it’s remains, so.

 

08:24:33:00 ANNIE OK, so. We’ll … these up. Oh, sorry babies.

 

08:24:55:00 MELANIE Oh. It’s them.

 

08:26:06:00 ANNIE We are going to take them down to WCA, the owners requested that we give them to them for a group cremation. So that they can have their remains.

 

SPEAK They recover a lot of animals that did not make it out alive.

 

08:30:49:00 ANNIE She’s heavy. You want to get her head in?

 

08:30:54:00 MELANIE Yeah, it’s pretty bloody on the bottom. We might need two.

 

08:31:22:0 MELANIE … it’s heartbreaking but if we cried over each one, we couldn’t get anything done. That’s why we want to do this for the owners, so they don’t have to come back and see her like that.

 

08:31:34:00 ANNIE All right. Oh, heavy girl.

 

08:35:35:00 MELANIE …I feel like if it was my dog I don’t know if I could handle coming back and seeing her like that.

 

SPEAK It’s getting dark. Today’s total is four dead dogs and two cats.

 

09:26:01:00 ANNIE …It’s becoming to that point, where we are carrying out more remains than we are actual animals because it’s been over a week and half. So, that’s the sad part.

 

09:27:02:00 ANNIE I’ve had so many people tell me or ask ‘Is the cat OK, where’s the bird? I don’t care about the house, I can replace that. But where is my pet? Because that’s irreplaceable’

 

PIX Search and rescue crews preparing

 

PIX OLIVER IN CAR

 

SPEAK The next step is to identify the victims. More than 500 volunteers help the police with searching through the thousands of buildings that were destroyed.

 

06:50:35:00 That’s 5131!

 

06:51:46:00 so we’re looking for 5117… ok? That’s 5131…

 

06:52:55:00 5517! Copy that

 

06:53:16:00 echo command, echo three

 

06:54:03:00 echo two is gonna start their searches

 

06:55:14:00 sprayer kryds på bil

 

SPEAK The California police unfortunately has a lot of experience with wildfires. The people in white suits are racing against time. It’s going to rain soon, and the water is going to destroy all the evidence.

 

06:57:47:00 god lyd af dragter

 

07:02:00:00 somebody wants to give me another set of eyes on this bed?

 

07:04:02:00 OLIVER it smells like a bonfire, it’s acidic. There’s sod in the air. The landscape is apocalyptic.

 

07:10:40:00 go put an H on the chimney, on the side that we can see

 

07:04:58:00 OLIVER when they’re done searching a house, they’ll spray paint a cross on the road. They’ll mark who has been here, when they’ve been here and whether they found anybody there

 

SPEAK Bodies found are sent to DNA testing. But many of the dead will likely never be identified.

 

07:33:28:00 Alright! Done. Another one

 

10:59:55:00 TRICIA I brought you chili cheese dip MAND ewww 10:59:59:00

 

11:03:33:00 KVINDE can we come in? DAVE Please!

 

11:10:23:00 Welcome, come in. How are you? Good to see you

 

11:03:51:00 TRICIA Did you guys bring a wine opener? Oh Bill , they have a wine opener 11:03:57:00

 

SPEAK Tricia’s house has finally reached a state where she can host her neighbors indoors.

 

11:06:40:00 TOM hey, how are you? TRICIA I’m good!

 

11:07:06:00 TRICIA I’m ready for a glass. Yes, wine!

 

SPEAK Wine Wednesday is laughing, sometimes crying. But most of all they like to talk.

 

11:25:41:00 TRICIA Anything and everything. Out families, kids, vacations. KVINDE Frustrations. TRICIA Build, windows. Brands. MAND Tile, cabinets 11:25:55:00

 

11:26:37:00 MAND we can bring everything we own in one car. Moving boxes? For us, we don’t have anything to put in moving boxes 11:26:45:00

 

11:26:09:00 TRICIA those that get there first get the experience, and then we’ll pass it on 11:26:09:00

 

SPEAK The 2017 wildfires have given them a lot in common.

 

11:51:45:00 KVINDE the power went out in the middle of the night and I literally shot straight up in bed and started shaking everywhere. I was like oh my god! 11:51:54:00

 

11:52:06:00 KVINDE It brought me right back to that moment. It was really really hard 11:52:11:00

 

11:36:15:00 TRICIA …If you’re complaining to somebody who hasn’t experienced it, you’re just being a complainer. When you talk to someone else who’s been there done that, then there’s compassion, empathy and understanding for what yu’re going through 11:35:32:00

 

SPEAK Even though Paradise is three hours away, they’ve been affected by the smoke.

 

11:47:51:00 KVINDE my daughter called me from school and said “mom, I’m having panic attacks in my car right now. Can I go home?” I got a call from my son too saying, “where’s the smoke coming from?” 11:48:02:00

 

11:37:12:00 TRICIA it’s still like therapy, especially with the fires in Paradise, anytime something happens whether it’s good or bad, we get together and we hash it out, celebrate each other’s victories, and be there with a shoulder when things are bad 11:37:31:00

 

04:06:36:00 CHLOE I’m brigning in this and something else. KEITH So we got a little bit of fire burning on it. (The sign) CHLOE Where?

 

SPEAK Keith found a couple of rings, the sign from their driveway and a few memories.

 

04:06:50:23 DATTER Did that stay?

 

04:08:44 CYRENA … What else did you salvage? KEITH I’ll show you. I got a couple of things.

 

SPEAK They will be living in a camper for a few months. Now, they’ll try to find a place to park the camper, close to a playground and a school.

 

SPEAK And later on, they can think about rebuilding their lives.

 

04:09:26:15 KEITH Little bit of fire damage. CYRENA That’s ok. That is awesome.  KEITH So I found … CYRENA Oh, wow. Oh, how cool. From my… wow. What else did you find? Oh my god. How crazy. I can’t believe you found yours. KEITH Now, don’t be upset. All I could find was the chain. (Oh, no) We go back and look. I found this because you know I don’t know what that is. These. I found the piggy bank, but it was toast. CYRENA Oh, man.

 

04:10:23:00 CYRENA Aha. I can’t believe you found your wedding ring. That’s blowing my mind.

 

04:11:13:00 CYRENA Oh, wow. Oh my gosh. That is insane. I can’t believe you found that. That is so amazing. Oh, man.

SYNC KEITH It's not going to be where we thought we were going to raise our children. We picked that place, was like, yes, we're not moving. We're going - Cyrena: Raise the kids. Keith: ... finish paying off our house and do this, and raise our kids here and maybe leave the house to one of the kids. … It's going to be easy to rebuild a house, it's going to be hard to rebuild the community, as far as I'm concerned.

 

04:11:56:00 CYRENA That’s sad. This is all we have left.