Victor Valley grad rebuilds life after Paradise fire

Daily Press (Victorville, CA)

Nov. 29--Mark Baker got out of Paradise with little more than the clothes he wore.

The 1977 Victor Valley High School graduate grabbed a little cash and his medication. He jumped in his truck and drove to the home of his girlfriend, Debbie Teter, before the pair left their doomed town.

In Magalia -- an unincorporated community about five miles northeast of Paradise -- Baker's ex-wife, Tammy Reicker, evacuated with their 4-year-old grandson, Andre. They all joined more than 50,000 Butte County residents who fled the deadliest, most destructive wildfire in California history.

The Camp Fire, which started Nov. 8, burned more than 153,000 acres before firefighters achieved full containment on Sunday, according to the Associated Press. The blaze has claimed at least 88 lives. Hundreds of people are unaccounted for and more than 13,000 homes were destroyed. Teter and Reicker's were among them. So was Baker's home on Laurel Drive. Now he talks about Paradise in the past tense.

"It really used to be a beautiful place," Baker told the Daily Press. "My house was on a quarter-acre lot. It was loaded with pine trees and oak trees. We've been told that, when we go back in there, it's all toxic ash."

Baker, 59, first moved to Paradise in the 1980s. He attended Butte College in nearby Oroville before coming back to the High Desert. He returned to Paradise a second time -- seemingly for good -- in 1990.

A father of four, he worked as a self-employed landscaper. He attended Paradise Alliance Church. The town of about 27,000 was peaceful and picturesque. But fire danger loomed in the back of residents' minds.

In 2008, that danger became a reality when the Humboldt Fire scorched more than 23,000 acres and destroyed 74 homes. Baker said the blaze came within two miles of him. The Camp Fire, though, was an entirely different animal.

"The Town of Paradise said they knew this was going to happen, they just didn't know when," he said. "It's been 215 days since we had any kind of rainfall more than a half an inch. That was like April. We (had) rain coming, but that's a little late."

Baker received confirmation that his home was gone days after he left. A friend who works for the local water district sent pictures of what remained: a charred truck. Smouldering trees. An American flag seared to red-and-white tatters.

"I'm still kind of numb over the whole thing," Baker said. "It's just incredible to see that."

He and Teter went to Chico, Butte County's most populous city. The Red Cross set up a shelter in a local church there. Baker spent his first homeless night helping other evacuees.

His mother, Nancy Baker, said he's always been a generous person. A 56-year High Desert resident, Nancy Baker lives in Apple Valley. She said she didn't know about the Camp Fire until her son called to say he'd gotten out of Paradise safely.

Since then, she's done "a lot of crying."

"It's scary," Nancy Baker said. "I'm still scared. I wake up, and I'm thinking of Mark, of course, and I'm shivering because I'm just so frightened. Because now, you know, his business is gone, everything's gone. He's got to start all over."

Mark Baker acknowledged there's no longer work in Paradise. He said he plans to move to the Sacramento area where he has a few connections.

Until then, he's rebuilding other parts of his life and, with Reicker, a sense of normalcy for young Andre. They share custody of the 4 year old. He said his grandson is still "dazed and confused" after seeing Camp Fire flames up close during the evacuation.

"That had him panicking and crying," Mark Baker said. "He certainly has not been himself. I hope he'll be OK eventually, but he'll never forget it I don't think."

Residents won't be able to return to Paradise until at least Saturday, according to Mark Baker. He plans to go back to see what's salvageable, but he doesn't expect there'll be much. His work equipment maybe. Possibly some jewelry. Still, he considers himself lucky.

He survived, had insurance on his home and said the experience has unified a community. A Go Fund Me account has raised nearly $2,000 to help with his expenses. It also allowed him to reconnect with several friends from high school who donated.

"People have been very, very kind," Nancy Baker said. "Every time they call, I cry. That's just the way it goes. It's your child, you know, and I'm so grateful ... Within seconds the whole place was on fire. There was a lot of old, old people there. They were probably still in bed and didn't have a chance. Your heart is just breaking, and you just hope God gave them grace."

Mark Baker said he didn't know anyone who died. The loss of his town and home, meanwhile, are heavy burdens he can't fully process yet. He hasn't slept much, but he's "full of energy." Someone told him he's running on endorphins, those hormones that inhibit pain signals in the brain. He isn't sure if that's the case.

He does know, however, that his faith in God allows him to see that, eventually, "it's all going to be good."

"It's definitely starting over at almost 60, you know," Mark Baker said. "It's a life changer. I never thought we'd go through this, but I know good will come out of this at some point. I'm sure of it ... A lot of good has actually come out of this for me. Just bringing friends and family together. I'm really blessed. There's a lot of folks worse off -- way worse off -- than I am."

Matthew Cabe can be reached at [email protected] or at 760-951-6254. Follow him on Twitter @DP_MatthewCabe.

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