Army Spc. Christopher Smith, a horizontal construction engineer with the California Army National Guard's 649th Engineer Company, 579th Engineer Battalion, 49th Military Police Brigade, evacuated from the Camp Fire as it burned toward his home in Magalia, California. His home survived the fire, but his parents' home in nearby Paradise did not. His uncle and other family members also lost their homes. When the engineer company was called to emergency state active duty orders to help clear debris in the burn areas, Smith's leadership told him he could opt out and focus on his family, but Sm
Army Spc. Christopher Smith, a horizontal construction engineer with the California Army National Guard's 649th Engineer Company, 579th Engineer Battalion, 49th Military Police Brigade, evacuated from the Camp Fire as it burned toward his home in Magalia, California. His home survived the fire, but his parents' home in nearby Paradise did not. His uncle and other family members also lost their homes. When the engineer company was called to emergency state active duty orders to help clear debris in the burn areas, Smith's leadership told him he could opt out and focus on his family, but Smith chose to serve. "This is my home," Smith said. "I'm not going to sit by while my unit's up here digging through all this stuff. I'm going to be here and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that my community can get back to their homes as soon as possible." Photographed in Paradise, California, Nov. 17, 2018.
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Photo credit: © Ted Small / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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