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On the morning of November 8th, Paul Brodie woke up thinking about plans for the new home he was buying. Escrow was set to close, and plans were spinning about renovations. He left his cozy home with his wife and two kids, and headed out to his job- a detective with the Butte County Sheriff's office.
Hours later, his whole world would change. He got word to head over to a fire situation, one that would turn his world, and the world of everyone else in his town of Paradise, CA, upside down. This fire was moving so fast, he barely had time to let his family know. His street was one of the first to be swept away in the fire storm.
Maria, his young daughter, tells it best. "Dad roared into our driveway, saying you need to get out, NOW. " No time to take anything but the family dogs and a few toys and blankets. Maria's cat, Ada, would not cooperate. Paul tried, but Ada scratched and ran away. Stella, Maria and Benjamin got into the family van and headed down Pentz Rd. "Mom said don't look back..." There were already spot fires springing up everywhere. A drive that normally took 25 minutes took over five hours. They were headed to my house in Chico to meet up with Stella's mom and dad.
The hardest part is that Paul didn't own his home (yet) and did not have insurance. If the fire had waited another 10 days, they would have had a homeowner's policy that would have covered all their belongings, as well as their home.
Paul couldn't see his family that day, as he was busy helping save thousands of families fleeing the area. His sister, mother, mother-in-law, aunt, cousins and countless friends would all loose their homes. Stella and the kids headed to Redding to stay with her brother and mother.
This is just one story of thousands that will come out of this disaster.
Please give as much as you can to help Paul, Stella and their family to recover, and give Paul the peace of mind to continue helping other families.
To avoid fraud, gofundme has asked for the following info:
I am married to Paul's Dad (his stepmother), I live in Chico, CA, The funds will be given to Paul and Stella as soon as they are available for them to buy what they need in the way of clothing, gas, housing, etc. I will be withdrawing the money into my account and then writing them a check.
Hours later, his whole world would change. He got word to head over to a fire situation, one that would turn his world, and the world of everyone else in his town of Paradise, CA, upside down. This fire was moving so fast, he barely had time to let his family know. His street was one of the first to be swept away in the fire storm.
Maria, his young daughter, tells it best. "Dad roared into our driveway, saying you need to get out, NOW. " No time to take anything but the family dogs and a few toys and blankets. Maria's cat, Ada, would not cooperate. Paul tried, but Ada scratched and ran away. Stella, Maria and Benjamin got into the family van and headed down Pentz Rd. "Mom said don't look back..." There were already spot fires springing up everywhere. A drive that normally took 25 minutes took over five hours. They were headed to my house in Chico to meet up with Stella's mom and dad.
The hardest part is that Paul didn't own his home (yet) and did not have insurance. If the fire had waited another 10 days, they would have had a homeowner's policy that would have covered all their belongings, as well as their home.
Paul couldn't see his family that day, as he was busy helping save thousands of families fleeing the area. His sister, mother, mother-in-law, aunt, cousins and countless friends would all loose their homes. Stella and the kids headed to Redding to stay with her brother and mother.
This is just one story of thousands that will come out of this disaster.
Please give as much as you can to help Paul, Stella and their family to recover, and give Paul the peace of mind to continue helping other families.
To avoid fraud, gofundme has asked for the following info:
I am married to Paul's Dad (his stepmother), I live in Chico, CA, The funds will be given to Paul and Stella as soon as they are available for them to buy what they need in the way of clothing, gas, housing, etc. I will be withdrawing the money into my account and then writing them a check.