Absolutely devastating.
I don't think a lot of us fully realise how powerful fire can be; usually it can be contained and is never more than a building (provided it's not intentional).
I read that due to the winds, the fire jumped not one but
two rivers. People were evacuating the city with 200m high walls of fire on either side of them... shit.
The worst thing though is the realisation that these people have lost everything. Unlike a tornado, hurricane or earthquake which leaves debris for you to sort through, fire
destroys.
This video is actually heartbreaking:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36235426
The owners escaped just 20 minutes before viewing this on the husband's phone.
On a brighter note, it's bringing out the humanity in everybody. Taxis offering free rides to evacuate, donations, I even saw a guy posted in the comments that his Gurdwara was offering shelter to anybody who needed it.
"Bad things do happen in the world, like war, natural disasters, disease. But out of those situations always arise stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things."
-Daryn Kagan