The Camp Fire in Butte County, California was first reported Thursday, but by Friday it had reached 70,000 acres in size. Reports say that the fire had decimated the Paradise community; Mayor Jody Jones told CNN that in the town, with a population of 26,000, there’s an estimated 10-20% of homes left. CNN also reported that there have been 5 casualties as a result of the fire.
As of Saturday, the fire is only 20% contained, and hundreds of thousands have evacuated to safety out of its path. In response to the ongoing devastation, relief efforts are already well-underway to offer support to those affected by the natural disaster.
The Oakland A’s started a GoFundMe page to help fundraise for the relief effort. On the page, they are asking supporters to raise $10,000, matching the $10,000 they have already put up. All money raised by the fund, which they have called “The Oakland Athletics Community Fund,” will be donated “to the American Red Cross of Northern California to assist in short-term and long-term recovery efforts by providing critical services including emergency food distribution, shelter, and healthcare.”
If you are interested in donating, you can find the GoFundMe page here.
On Twitter, the San Fancisco 49ers, northern California’s NFL team, are also encouraging supporters to help with the relief effort. The pin tweet shares that they are “contributing to the North Valley Community Foundation who are helping support on the ground.”
To join us, please visit: t.co/Nyed4rj7oK #CaliforniaFires
To donate to the foundation, which is raising money to “support the operations of organizations that are sheltering evacuees of the Camp Fire,” click here.
The San Francisco 49ers’ assistant strength coach Shane Wallen has set up a separate GoFundMe page, motivated by personal ties to the devastation in Paradise. On the GoFundMe page, he reveals that his father stills lives in Paradise; while, at first, the evacuation was expected to be temporary, his father was one of the many who lost his home and everything in it. Wallen writes “like the rest of the paradise community, our worlds were flipped upside down. The whole city is demolished, apparently nothing left but ash. My dads house is gone, along with the rest of the community who called Paradise home. Our worst nightmares have come to life, and I believe it is our job to help these people when we can and are able to. Let’s show this community that we care. Anything helps.”
This place was home for me growing up, and until yesterday, it’s where my dad called home for the last 20 years. These people need your help.
Donate or share, anything and everything helps. ❤️
Paradise, we’ve got you!
Many of the 49ers players have shared the donate link with their followers, including Mike McGlinchey, Pierre Garcçon, George Kittle, and Solomon Thomas, who wrote “please help my brother and his city out.”
Please help my brother and his city out🙏🏾🙏🏾 t.co/RyZFKeWzFG
You can donate to the fundraiser, which has a $50,000 goal, here.