Paradise man's 10-hour fight against the Camp Fire

in back of my house there's my neighbor's house over there another paper house they're all the way around 360 degrees terrible terrible terrible it's hard to believe the person who filmed this video is still alive it's even harder to believe that his flames from the campfire devoured everything around him and his neighbors fled he chose to stay picture the strongest blizzard that you've ever seen on film where the snow is just bumped got changed to snow to fire Bill Roth was home with his fiancee the morning the campfire started the flames were moving quick and within a few short hours the fire had reached his neighborhood on floral Lane and I got my fiancee of my dog out of there about nine o'clock and then at 10 o'clock is when it was this is it you're either gonna do it or get the hell out of here I'm gonna give it everything I got I'm gonna save my house whatever it takes except for dying ill stood firm he grabbed his garden hose made it up on top of his roof and put on his headphones I had a little listening to Beethoven it's got that that draw it like and that's what I needed with Ludwig vans apassionata blasting in his ears drowning out the burst of propane tanks and gas lines around him he began fighting back the flames I jump off the roof and go over there on this corner of my house there's a fire starting there and then I look over and there's a fire over there I mean when the when the embers were coming down and hitting you in the face hitting you in the hand you're not thinking of nothing you're not there's no thought of anything and you're just reacting you described it as be yeah but that's it's like if I ever were to write a book about it that would be the name of it ten hours in Hill what haunts bill more than anything though is the sound of his neighbor's two dogs he tried to save yeah so I grabbed the gate and tried to either rip the gate out or lift the whole candle up but my shoulder I just had surgery I just didn't have the strength I gave it everything I had and I went back a second time I mean I just one of them was on fire when I went back the second time the night just I can't get that out of my mind the death of the two dogs tore bill apart but he didn't have time to grieve the fire was getting closer I mean soon realized the line between man and animal will be blurred outside of my yard I was putting out another fire that was starting over there here comes two gray squirrels they stood right next to me looking at me to protect them I mean and to me it was like I'll save you guys you know I couldn't save the dog but I'll save you but it was just so motivational that there was somebody else still alive or there was somebody that I can help I mean that sounds ridiculous we were all in it together I'm the only house left on the street every house on my block is gone the lone survivor eventually bill ran out of water the flames had died down some and all the homes around his had burned to the ground his was the only one left standing he'd done all he could but it was time to leave man has no match for nature I mean when the trees blowing up almost blowing me off the roof and holding on to the air conditioner I mean that was all bad but the scariest part to me was leaving everything on both sides of the road is ablaze you can't see anything it's dark I mean the heat I thought my truck was gonna catch on fire and thank God there wasn't nothing blocking me I mean I I can understand how people got trapped but I got out of there and made it to Chico and my fiance was sure glad I just I just want to know what was telling you to stay and and protect that home I've spent a total of probably four years of my life living in a vehicle and uh this is the first home that I own and it's like I am not letting nothing happen to it bill hasn't been back to his house since he left last Friday and he's worried that all the pain that he endured saving his home could have been for nothing if the place caught fire after he left but while we were talking he received a call from a friend good hello this might be good news it's still there Dolf thank you thank you thank you because in the back of my mind I was just thinking you know that when I left it all it take is an Amber to get on the roof and the house is still gonna be gone but it's there thank you thank you thank you it's unscathed oh my god

Channel: ABC10

Views: 28,722

Keywords: nailed it, avoiding homelessness, determination, camp fire, camp fire paradise, paradise, paradise california, wildfire, california, california wildfires news

Id: geC8IOfR-Lc

Length: 5min 26sec (326 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 14 2018