Startling photos show torched California land roaring back to life
The church survived and so did the train depot. But the rest of Paramount Ranch is a mangled yard of twisted metal and charred wood. The National Park Service fenced off the ruins of the replica 19th-century Western town, which throughout its 70-year history in the Malibu hills has served as a classic set for the likes of HBO’s Westworld, countless Hollywood westerns, and weddings. When I visited the rubble in April, a man in his 60s stood beside me, peering through the metal fence at the leveled buildings. “Our daughter got married out here,” he said, wearily
Six months earlier, the Woolsey Fire ripped through the mock town’s saloons, mining shops, and Sheriff’s buildings. The blaze burned nearly 100,000 acres and scorched 88 percent of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, which is home to Paramount Ranch. It was the largest fire in the park’s history, and it left a scar that is easily visible from space. The Woolsey Fire followed in the footsteps of 2017’s nearby Thomas Fire, which for eight months held the title as the biggest wildfire in California history — until, that is, it was eclipsed by yet another giant blaze, the Mendocino Complex fire Read more...
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