Paradise, California is one of the many towns that has been affected by the recent wildfires that have swept California. 9 people have been confirmed dead as a result of the calamity. The Paradise community in particular has reportedly lost entire neighborhoods, as well as its business district. The town of 27,000 was apparently already enveloped incinerated by fast-moving flames which left firefighters helpless.
In a video shared by KTVU news, Joe Allen, father to a 3-year-old toddler named Olivia, drives his family to safety through a packed highway surrounded by flickering orange flames and thick, dark smoke. The eerie scene is enough to strike fear into the hearts of any adults or child, making it all the more impressive that Allen remained calm and cautious, assuring his young daughter that they would make it through the ordeal.
Oliva can be heard telling her father, “There’s so much fire. We’re gonna get on fire." Allen responds by promising, “Hey, guess what? We’re not gonna catch on fire. We’re gonna stay away from it and we’ll be just fine, OK? We’re doing all right.” He continues to soothe his daughter singing “Baby, it’ll be all right."
Allen's wife Whitney told KTVU, that Allen "was of course, worried." She went on to say, "At one point we both thought we weren’t going to make it out.” Though the family is almost certain that they lost their home, they are happy to be safe. "We didn’t lose each other and that’s what truly matters."