As firefighters continue to battle what’s being called the most destructive wildfire in California’s history, more details have emerged about Paradise, the town that was completely reduced to ashes.

The reached the Northwest California town on Thursday, claiming 6,700 homes. Of the 25 wildfire-related deaths that have been reported so far, 23 were residents of Paradise.

One resident, 65-year-old John Yates, likened the blaze to “Dante’s Inferno,” describing melted tires, liquefied steel and mass panic as people fled the rapidly-advancing flames.

Another, James Brown, saw the destruction in a more Biblical manner. “It looked like the gates of Hell opened up, I swear,” he said.

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/11/10/california-fires-thousands-fled-paradise-flames-roared/1962141002/