(TNS) — Phil and Michelle John know they have it better than most.

Their house was among the 11 percent in Paradise that survived the Camp fire, and they moved home in early April. Their street is largely intact, and many of their neighbors have returned. Even their cat is recovering, having miraculously turned up, half starved and reeking of smoke, a couple of weeks after the fire.

On the other hand: They’ve lost much of their social circle. Their Friday night routine — burgers with friends at Barney’s or some other beloved restaurant — has ended. John, their friend from Rotary, has moved to the Bay Area. Sandy, their Realtor friend, relocated to Lake Tahoe. Their golfing buddies have scattered down the hill, to Chico. While some of the old gang will likely return, hardly a day goes by when they don’t learn of someone listing their house for sale.

They miss the trees that made Paradise so beautiful. A drive around town is now a trip through hell, on roads clogged with trucks hauling away the wreckage of burned buildings and car skeletons. Paradise — their Paradise — has been wounded.

“My home is an oasis in a bad video game,” Phil John, 66, said, relaxing with Michelle in their living room. “When I’m out in the car … I expect a zombie to walk out any minute.”

He paused for a moment and added: “I’m not back home. I’m sorry I say that. People get mad at me — people who’ve lost their homes — when I say that. I’d give up all my stuff in a second, I’d give up my home in a second, if everybody else had their stuff. I’m hurt by what’s happened to my friends. I’m hurt by what’s happened to my community.”

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