The city of Paradise was decimated on Thursday by a wildfire that continues to rage in Northern California due to heavy winds and extremely dry conditions.
As a result of the devastation that ravaged the small community, leaving at least five people dead, the Paradise High School football team has been forced to concede its playoff game against Red Bluff, Rick Silva of the Paradise Post reported Friday afternoon.
The school’s athletic director, Anne Stearns, said her entire coaching staff has lost their homes to the blaze. The kids on the team have lost their homes as well. A mandatory evacuation went into effect on Thursday as the fire covered over a football field of ground per second.
“Pretty much the community of Paradise is destroyed,” Cal Fire Capt. Scott McLean said at a news conference, according to the Associated Press. “It’s that kind of devastation.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with the community, along with the brave men and women who are responding to this devastating natural disaster.