Nearly 1,300 Adventists from the town of Paradise affected by the Camp Fire.

Nearly 1,300 Adventists from the town of Paradise affected by the Camp Fire.

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November 15, 2018 | Columbia, Md. | Kimberly Luste Maran

Firefighters work as the Camp Fire burns through Paradise, California. Photo provided by Nancy Hamilton/Golden Eagle Films

"I first saw the pictures of the church Friday afternoon as I was having my lunch," said Dan Martella, administrative pastor for the Paradise Seventh-day Adventist Church in California, during a Nov. 12, 2018, Skype interview with the Fox 5 Washington, D.C. television station (WTTG/WDCA). Martella has been a pastor there — and a community member — for three years. On Thursday evening, Nov. 8, the church burned to the ground as the Camp Fire swept through Paradise. [Read/watch the report.] 

"It was a sucker punch and then a day later, we got the pictures of our house. So, it's a ride,” Martella said.

The Camp Fire, now considered the deadliest fire in California’s history, has claimed the lives of close to 60 (as of 12:30 p.m. EST, Nov. 15, 2018) in the Concow and Paradise vicinities. According to reports coming from national news outlets, more than 52,000 were evacuated from the area; about 8,800 homes have been destroyed.

The Camp Fire in California leaves the Paradise Seventh-day Adventist Church in smoldering ruins after it burned through the facility on Nov. 8, 2018. Photo by Nancy Hamilton/Golden Eagle Films

Nearly 1,300 Adventist church members have been affected, with many losing everything except their lives. Not all members are accounted for — news reports indicate that more than 100 residents are still missing. And in addition to the church, the Paradise Adventist School lost their K-4 building, and sustained damage to the gymnasium basement.

Adventist Health Feather River reported that some of its buildings were damaged. “The good news is that part of the upper level of the hospital is standing, as is OB, ED, Outpatient Surgery Center, Home Health, Cancer Center and Sleep Medicine,” the report stated. “The lower level of the hospital, the chiller and utility area, and most of the other outbuildings did sustain damage. … We are still assessing the situation to determine the full extent of the damage of all buildings.”

On Thursday, Nov. 15, the Pacific Union Conference approved a special appropriation of $100,000 to the Northern California Conference for use in immediate relief efforts for the church and school in the Paradise community.

Neighboring North Pacific Union Conference area churches are holding special offerings on Sabbaths, now through Dec. 1, to aid Northern California Conference in its relief efforts.