The Butte County Sheriff's office has released dramatic body camera footage of a deputy's narrow escape from the Camp Fire's flames as he assisted with evacuations on the night the deadly fire ravaged the town of Paradise, California.
Butte County Sheriff's Deputy Aaron Parmley was on duty and searching for a group of nurses who had become stranded by the Camp Fire when he was forced to retreat from his vehicle and continue his search on foot even as the flames surrounded him.
Parmley says he activated his body camera hoping to capture what he believed were the last moments of his life. Thanks to the inferno raging around him, the smoke and flames were so thick the deputy couldn't see more than ten yards in front of him.
After a few moments, Parmley found the group of nurses and they set off on foot to try and escape the flames surrounding them.
The group continued on foot, when the deputy spotted a bulldozer. He used his flashlight to flag it down, and the driver was able to take the deputy and the nurses to safety.
The Camp Fire raged for nearly a month, killing 88 people, charring more than 153,000 acres and destroying 18,793 structures, including nearly 14,000 homes. Paradise, California, a town of 27,000 was leveled by the raging wildfire that became the deadliest and most destructive in California state history.
Photo: Butte County Sheriff's office