It’s one thing to read about the massive devastation that took place in Paradise, Calif. It’s another thing entirely to see it.
The town was completely destroyed by the Camp Fire last month, with 85 lives and more than 14,000 homes lost. Residents are just now being allowed back into the area to see if there’s anything salvageable. A few news crews have shown footage, but the most comprehensive look at the state of the town can now be found on YouTube.
Steve Cooper, a former executive with 360-degree camera company Lytro, gained access to the area on November 13, soon after the fire had devastated the town, and spent two days filming what he saw.
That footage has become Aftermath, a haunting, heartbreaking seven-minute video that gives viewers a 360-degree view of the devastation in 8K resolution. Viewers get an appreciable sense of how intense the fire was in seeing the charred remains of trees, the rubble, and twisted metal where houses once stood and the husks of abandoned cars.
Thirty-five families from Paradise have sued Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) over the Camp Fire and the damage it did to their city, alleging inadequate maintenance of power equipment was behind the disaster. The fire caused such overwhelming destruction that one insurance company that had a heavy presence in the city has been forced out of business.