This is my sister Elizabeth Smith. For the past forty years she has lived in Paradise Ca. On the morning of Thursday, November 8th, 2018 at 9:50 am, we talked on the phone; I was checking in with her about the status of the Camp Fire in Paradise CA which I was just learning about. The far side of town was being evacuated and she was holding off a bit, waiting for an evacuation order for her side of town. Her son and his family of four and her daughter's children were on their way down the hill to Chico.  She said the roads were packed and she felt that she needed to wait her turn to help mitigate congestion. We hung up and I took a moment to check the Cal Fire online news site. While her side of town had not received orders, I could see via my perusal that the fire was blowing up. I called her back at 9:52 and her phone line was dead. 
   It wasn't until 3 pm that I learned of her whereabouts. She had made it down the hill, leaving minutes after our call when she looked outside and saw a wall of smoke. She escaped with the clothes on her body, her 13 year old kitty, Miss Murphy Anne, and her vehicle. What followed was a harrowing drive through thick smoke and  flames which she called "The scariest ride of my life."
   After making it down the hill and finding that the four evacuation centers in Chico were already full, she found a motel to stay in; fortunate to find a place at all. The motel was nearly doubling it's fees, but desperate, she chose to stay.      
   Elizabeth survived this fire, her two children, their spouses and five grandchildren survived this fire. She received confirmation yesterday that the sweet yellow house she rented on West Wagstaff road next to Billie Park is gone; "burned to ash." This is all that is left standing.   She sister lost everything in this fire, her home with all it's precious contents, and all of the "tools of her trades" with which she earned her former income, including her potter's wheel, her kiln, all of her art materials, and her massage table.
   My sister Elizabeth is 58 years old. She has lived her life as a talented artist, respected yoga teacher and certified massage therapist but since suffering with a multitude of physical ailments and awaiting knee surgery, she has been unable to work for the past year and a half and has been receiving an income from SSDI.
   Elizabeth did not have renter's insurance. She is left solely with her monthly check from SSDI.
   On November 16, my sister Connie, who had been evacuated from her Forest Ranch home since November 8th, was finally allowed to return to it. Thankfully, neither her property or home burned. She and her husband Jim can now offer temporary housing for Elizabeth and so after ten days in the motel, Elizabeth will have a place with family to commune and begin to rebuild her life. 
   Elizabeth's son Rusty his and family of four also lost their home to this fire.
   Elizabeth's grandson O'Ryan and granddaughter Mya are displaced as well, though the homes where they lived in did not burn, they with their guardians, will not be allowed to return for months due to extensive damage to the towns of Magalia and Stirling City where each were living.