On November 9th, we were all surprised to see the air filled with smoke. Some just figured it was a nearby fire, but no one expected what really happened. A city in flames called Paradise, located in the Butte County was spreading rapidly with winds of up to a reported 80 miles per hour, and before long, it grew into a colossal fire that as of this moment has not been put out. Due to the name of the street the fire originated from, Camp Creek Road, the fire was dubbed “Camp Fire,” and the cause of the fire is unknown for now.

The Camp Fire has caused 77 casualties and over 993 people are reported missing, and over 141,000 acres have been burned (including many homes being destroyed). Firefighters say they are hoping to have the fire contained by November 30th, but until then, winds blowing down from the North have caused the Bay Area’s air quality to decrease into the “unhealthy” range, causing many schools to be closed until further notice. The SJUSD has not closed any of its schools however, and many students and parents are upset, even going as far as planning walkouts at Hoover Middle School.