SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – A Northern California town mostly destroyed by a wildfire is commemorating the one-year anniversary of the blaze with 85 seconds of silence to honor the victims who were killed.
A wildfire on Nov. 8, 2018, destroyed roughly 19,000 buildings and killed 85 people in and around the town of Paradise. Friday, local officials are asking everyone to pause at 11:08 a.m. for 85 seconds to remember those who died.
The nearly minute-and-a-half of silence is one of several events planned for Friday. Other events include a community meal, a remembrance service at a local church and the unveiling of a statute of a phoenix sculpted from the keys of burned-down homes of Paradise residents.
Paradise Mayor Jody Jones said the community is hopeful for the future.
