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1of9Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018: Butte County sheriff's deputies try to direct panicked drivers fleeing the onrushing Camp Fire along Pentz Road in Paradise, Calif. With few escape routes out of the small rural community, many drivers would become stuck in traffic jams and have to abandon their vehicles to the fire. Photo: Gabrielle LurieGabrielle Lurie / San Francisco Chronicle 2018Show MoreShow Less2of9Businesses burn in downtown Paradise during Camp Fire in Butte County, Calif.. on Thursday, November 8, 2018.Scott Strazzante / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less3of9Animal volunteer evacuator Tamara Houston, left, comforts Cathy Fallon outside Fallon's home Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. Fallon survived the Camp Fire while bunkering down in her home on Edgewood Lane after the Camp Fire ripped through the town of Paradise, Calif.Jessica Christian / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less4of9Police officers check out abandoned cars on Pearson Road after the Camp Fire ravaged the town of Paradise, California, on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018.Gabrielle Lurie / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less5of9An incinerated vehicle is seen abadoned in the middle of Pearson Road after the Camp Fire ravaged the town of Paradise, California, on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018.Gabrielle Lurie / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less6of9The Camp Fire in Paradise, Calif.. on Thursday, November 8, 2018.Scott Strazzante / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less7of9Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018: In the smoke-filled parking lot of an emergency evacuation center in Chico, Calif., Dottie Flanders (center) holds her 9-month-old grandson, Isaiah Brooks, while her other grandchildren, London Mayo, 4 (left), and Messiha Mayo, 3, stand nearby. The family was picking up supplies after the children and their mother had to flee the Camp Fire, which destroyed most of the town where they lived, neighboring Paradise, Calif. Photo: Gabrielle LurieGabrielle Lurie / San Francisco ChronicleShow MoreShow Less8of9Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018: Amid the wreckage of the Paradise Community Village Apartments, Paradise, Calif., firefighter Mike Rea searches for remains. The apartment building was one of more than 18,000 structures destroyed by the Camp Fire, an inferno that also killed 86 people in Butte County as it burned from Nov. 8 to 25. Photo: Gabrielle LurieGabrielle Lurie / San Francisco ChronicleShow MoreShow Less9of9A group of hotshots watch as the Camp Fire burns off of Pentz Road in Paradise, California, on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018.Gabrielle Lurie / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
The Chronicle was honored Saturday as a recipient of the Online News Association’s prestigious online journalism award for its breaking news coverage of California’s deadliest wildfire, the Camp Fire.
The wildfire that broke out Nov. 8 in Paradise killed 86 people and destroyed more than 18,000 structures. The Chronicle’s round-the-clock coverage of the devastating wildfire included investigative pieces that examined the failure of sending an Amber Alert-style cell phone notification to evacuees. Readers were able to track the flames in real time through the newsroom’s California Fire Tracker.
After posting dozens of articles in the first hours of the blaze, The Chronicle built in-depth project pages documenting the tragedy’s severity. Visual essays were created that captured the horror of the fire, and reporters recorded audio for podcasts.
Information was sent to readers through notifications, social media and special Camp Fire newsletters.
“Being named a finalist in these three categories is gratifying because it shows the breadth of journalism produced by our newsroom: impactful investigations; thought-provoking features; and fast, reliable breaking news,” said Editor in Chief Audrey Cooper. “In a year that had so many tragic breaking news events, it saddens us to take home an award for chronicling the deadliest fire in state history, but is a reminder for us that professional coverage of such events can help us learn about these ongoing natural disasters and keep the public from becoming inured as to the consequences of increasing deadly wildfires.”
The finalists and winners of the awards are selected by a panel of judges after a committee of journalists and digital media professionals determine the semifinalists.
