This is horrible but then the whole town was built inside a pile of kindling wood. All it takes is one match.
I went on Google Earth and looked at this area. I was surprised to see so little space between the forest and the homes. Everywhere in New England where homes are built on mountains there are usually 20-30 feet on each side of the home to protect the house from tree falls mostly, but it also acts like a firebreak.
What happen in Paradise is tragic, but a lot of it was preventable.
That.