Park Fire in California surpasses 360,000 acres

BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Some residents are assessing the damage as the Park Fire surpassed 360,000 acres and destroys hundreds of structures.

John and Julie Gaddie reflect on what could have been utter destruction, with the Park Fire consuming their neighborhood.

"I'm just very emotionally drained and grateful...grateful that you have our house and that we have a lot of neighbors that still have their house standing," Julie expressed.

Some neighbors down the street are not so lucky as their is home completely destroyed and their car was burnt to a crisp.

The Park Fire hitting John too close to home. He's a Cal Fire firefighter and used his knowledge to asses the situation the night they had to evacuate.

"I drove up the street. I went, said some expletives. Came back. Told them to get the hell out of the house. The fire was doing something. The fire behavior changed," John shared.

As Julie, their two daughters, and dog made it out, John stayed back to protect the neighborhood.

"I differentiate being a neighbor and being a professional, and I think that's what allowed me to stay here, because I put those two together, I was being a good neighbor and also using my professional skills to do what I could to help my neighbors."

John Gaddie

John stayed in the area every day, helping fire crews protect the neighborhood while losing his truck in the process.

Not only was the front of their property scorched, the back of it also caught on fire, but what was saved was a chicken coop.

"But, oh well, that's okay. We'll take care of it. Replaceable, yeah, people have lost a lot more, so I'm not worried about it," the Gaddies spoke.