♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, rebuilding paradise. after being ravaged by the deadliest wildfire in california history. emerging from the rubble two years later. >> it's not just that i lost my house or my memories. my entire way of life is completely gone. >> a new nat geo documentary from ron howard. >> it's about the people who stayed and endured this cruel test. now what. >> through rebuilding and recovery. >> and that day that we broke ground, things finally caught up with me. plus, from the ashes. a family that lived through the

ashes, now struggling to keep their child safe. >> i've lived through four fires in paradise, and it's not something i considered risking with my daughter again. >> their story of survival. >> "nightline" starts right now with juju chang. >> good evening. thanks for joining us. when ron howard and his team embarked on a documentary in paradise, california, they knew they would find people in pain. but what they also discovered was a comeback story. leaning into all they had left -- each other. will carr has >> reporte >> i have lived here for 30 years. i love this school. >> reporter: the football field

holds decades of special memories for michelle john. >> we brought the line down around here. and there was screaming. i mean, people were just so excited. there were so many people, it's packed. >> reporter: it was here just months after california's deadliest wildfire destroyed much of the town, that the community rallied to honor the graduating seniors. >> the kids have gone through so much trauma. they lost their schools, friends, teachers. if i could have given them any one little gift, that's the only thing they asked for. >> reporter: for so many, it was a moment of healing after so many months of pain. november, 2018. >> move, people. >> reporter: a campfire exploded in paradise, california. >> this is bad. all those homes gone >> oh tes burning next to us. >> reporter: smoke blacked out the sky as nearly 30,000

residents tried to evacuate. you can see flames shooting out of the roof of this home. check out this tree. you have flames shooting hundreds of feet up into the air. the entire community is burned to the ground. everything is gone. in the days after, search crews scoured through rubble, searching for the missing. as the community grappled with the scope of the loss. how difficult of a search is this? >> it's monumental. we've never had something to this extent before. >> reporter: do you think people understand how widespread this damage is? >> i doubt it. i doubt it. it's gone. it's -- everybody i know lost everything. it's real sad. >> reporter: the fire would become the deadliest and most destructive in the state's history. 85 died. roughly 19,000 homes,

businesses, and structures were destroyed. the fire essentially wiped paradise off the map. it will take years to rebuild. >> november 8th:00th, 7:30 a.m. this town started to burn down. within three hours, it was >> reporter: the story of the community chronicled i in "rebuilding paradise" from national geographic. >> my entire way of life is mpt >> i don't see the town coming back. >> the hospital is gone. the elementary school is gone. >> i thought it would get easier, but it's getting harder. >> reporter: charting the hea heartbreak and heroism as the town rebuilds from the ground up. >> we're coming back. >> when i first got to paradise,

it was shocking, very disturbing. it's one thing to see images, it's another thing to actually stand there and just sense the pain and recognize the devastation. not only in what you're seeing, but in people's eyes. >> reporter: director ron howard and his team spent more than a year following the community in the aftermath. >> there was pain everywhere, but also signs of people forgetting about differences and focusing on problem solving and getting things done. and that was inspiring. >> reporter: the movie explores the lives of those who chose to stay. some determined to rebuild. >> this is mine? >> reporter: like onetime mayor, woody culleton. >> got a paradise permit to build my home.

i'm jazzed. i fought with the insurance companies, with the town. i did what i had to do to make it happen as quickly as i possibly could. awesome, man. awesome. let's do it, yeah. >> you got it, buddy. >> we're on now. this is the beginning. i never took some time to sit down and grieve about the fire. and that day that we broke ground, that's when it all hit. yeah. i guess it finally caught up with me. wow. yeah, it's a big deal. >> it is a big deal. >> yeah, it's a big deal. >> very big. >> a new beginning. oh, wow. i didn't know i had all that going on. >> funny how it catches you, huh? >> yeah, well.

this patio right here, this whole thing was just brown dirt up there. >> reporter: he and his wife have finished rebuilding. but remnants of the past are never far from their minds. >> this st. francis sat right there against the post. in the photograph i have, that's standing there and everything else is gone. >> when i see the beginning of the movie, it's not just a movie. it's one of the more terrifying days of my life. when you watch the beginning of the movie, where did it take you? >> i really appreciate what ron and the editors did in capturing that. that will give anybody who has never experienced that a real sense of the terror. we thought we were going to die. but immediately, it flips you into the hope. a positive from the fire is i understand how fragile life is. tomorrow is not promised.

>> i wanted audiences to understand what it might feel like. a film like this is all about creating empathy and understanding. and trying to imagine yourself in that circumstance. >> reporter: when we come back -- >> you are the first generation of paradise high school graduates to rise from the ashes of what life was. >> reporter: glimmers of hope. others unable to return to the life they once had. >> i've lived through four fires. and it's just not something that i can consider risking with my daughter again. she's doing it again. no cover-up spray here. it's the irresistibly fresh scent of febreze air effects. [harsh aerosol spray] cheaper aerosols can cover up odors, buryiodors in a flowery fog. switch to febreze air effects! febreze eliminates even the toughest odors from the air. and it uses a 100% natural propellant to leave behind a pleasant scent you'll love.

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♪ the day of the fire, we were in this neighborhood surrounded by flames. it's surreal coming back here, where some homeowners have decided to rebuild. others are still living in rvs. >> i love paradise. it's everything i know.

>> reporter: nicole was born and raised in paradise. we first met her weeks after the deadliest fire in california history destroyed her home. trying to make christmas special for her then 2-year-old daughter. >> we're trying to have a christmas. you know, any way, shape, or form that we can. it's everyone trying to do the best they can. trying to give your kids whatever you can to help them feel normal. >> reporter: her father was living in this rv in a parking lot. >> i came in to this life with nothing, i'll leave with nothing. i'm perfectly set. >> reporter: this box, all that was left of their family's mement mementos. >> more than anything i can is explain. it means the world to be able to pass something down to her. >> reporter: just 3 of roughly 50,000 people displaced by the

camp fire. housing became a major issue. 13% of the homes in the county destroyed by the fire. price gouging and bidding wars over remaining housing became the norm. another concern -- toxins released from the fires. an unanticipated impact explored in the new film, "rebuilding paradise". >> paradise water may not be drinkable for up to three years. >> reporter: her daughter, now 4, has been having respiratory problems since the fire. >> it's from coughing, it gets kind of re-ignited every time another fire starts, or depending on the air quality and things like that. >> reporter: how many times have you had to take her to the hospital because of lung issues in the past couple of years?

>> she's had to be rushed to the hospital four separate times. one by ambulance. >> reporter: i can only imagine the stress that goes along with that. since we're in a pandemic right now. >> i have a lot of people in my family with compromised immune systems. so there's no one else other than me who can be there. so it's just -- yeah, it's been pretty stressful. >> reporter: she and her family now live in nevada, navigating a new normal. >> i think the fire was a kick in the pants to get out of my comfort zone and move forward and kind of let paradise be the town that i grew up in. and get back out into the rest of the world. >> reporter: her father still owns property there. but she says the challenges he's faced in rebuilding have taken a toll. exacerbating his heart condition. >> i definitely think the stress of everything is definitely hi

>> reporter: that stress, something michelle johns' husband felt in the months following the fire. >> his heart was broken. no matter what i said, you helped save hundreds of lives, he was still sad beyond sad. it was hard for us to watch him, the last eight months. >> reporter: less than a year after the fire, phil passed away from a heart attack. when you see phil in the movie, what are your emotions when you are watching? >> pride. pride, love for a man who loved his community. and loved his kids. and absolute joy. >> reporter: she has since retired as school superintendent, and moved to reno to be closer with her grandchildren. but her last gift before leaving was to make sure the class of 2019 graduated on their home football field. >> good evening.

can you believe that we are actually here on our beautiful paradise high school campus? they just kept saying, i can't believe you did this. i said, no, we did it together. and the kids said, this is all we wanted. i said, you have it. so enjoy every second of it. to celebrate and welcome the paradise high school graduating class of 2019 back to their home field. >> i certainly didn't think they would manage to get back on their high school field. but it became an issue that michelle and others committed to as a symbol. >> the fact tonight to celebrate this milestone is a miracle. because you survived one of the most destructive wildfires in our nation's history. it left us a different you alw

best going. it didn't seem like that much work, because it was for the love of your community and kids. >> you are the first generation of paradise high school graduates to rise from the ashes of what life was, and take a bold step forward into a new and uncertain future. but with what you've been through, you have what it takes to persevere. congratulations, and goodck[ eet you think only happens to other people. that you can't even imagine happening to yourself. or your community. and you just keep going. there's really no other>>ep paradise's lasting legacy to you? >> paradise is where we really learned what a community is, and

how a community binds together and helps each other. i have pride in this town. i know it will take a long time, and it will never look the same. but it is going to come back. >> and rebuilding paradise is now available in select theaters, drive-ins, and virtually. up next, a lifetime of love captured in one snapshot embrace. just over a year ago, i was drowning in credit card debt. sofi helped me pay off twenty-three thousand dollars of credit card debt. they helped me consolidate all of that into one low monthly payment. they make you feel like it's an honor for them to help you out. i went from sleepless nights to getting my money right. so thank you. ♪

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♪ and finally tonight, for a couple who had spent their entire lives together, a too long separation finally over. here's tom llamas. >> reporter: david and loretta bowen, married 70 years. it was the longest the two would ever be apart. lo loretta would be okay after staying in the hospital. and she was finally coming home. >> all right, grandmama is

coming home. >> reporter: loretta finally spots her love. david calls out to her. >> hey, girl. >> hey, baby. >> reporter: loretta and david back together. >> he's been waiting for this day. >> reporter: walking towards one another. >> your boss has come home, baby. >> reporter: david, overcome. and tonight, they're together and both are doing well. their granddaughter tells us why she knew she had to capture the moment. >> they were separated for such a long time, and he was besides himself at not being able to see her because of the coronavirus. i wanted to capture that moment and have it forever. it was just a precious moment, seeing them united. >> reporter: loretta and david,

and their bond, "america strong." >> you can watch full episodes on hulu. see you right back here, same time, next week. thanks for staying up with us. good night. have a great weekend. ♪ from hollywood, it's "jimmy kimmel live." with guest host george lopez. tonight, country legend willie nelson. and now, george lopez. ♪ >> hello, and welcome to "jimmy kimmel live." i am george lopez. jimmy wanted to take the summer off so i agreed to guest host. once again, mexicans doing jobs

that white people don't want. i'm here tonight because i have literally nothing else to do. this is honestly the best way for me to kill time between my zoom yoga classes. and it's nice for a mexican to be invited to a mansion in hollywood and not have to trim the hedges. you know what i did, actually? i hired the whitest guy on taskrabbit to come clean this house. so excuse me. yo, chad, don't forget the fan blades. clean them or i'll have you deported like that back to norway. i used to host a late night show myself called "lopez tonight." it's been a few years, but they say hosting late night is like riding a bike. we do it because we've had too many duis. well, i have. we're going to have a lot of fun tonight. well, i know i'm going to have a lot of fun. for all i know you saw my hair and changed the channel ten seconds ago. this hair is something new for me. i decided that 59 was the perfect age to start looking like a west hollywood brunch waiter. i went to my barber and said i want to look like a cross between danny trejo and justin bieber. brown skin and blond hair. this is what we in the latinx