California Wildfires: High school football team rallies and helps its rival

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Over to the US, The wildfires in California have razed thousands of homes across the state. Many survivors are facing the prospect of a festive holiday season in tents and other temporary accommodations. And one high school football team's actions have brought back smiles amid the tragedy. CGTN's Mark Niu reports.

In the community of Magalia, which borders Paradise businesses and homes have burned to the ground.

"Once the fires burn through here all the needles and branches and everything that's dropped over the years. It's just a tinderbox for the fire. There's nothing that can stop it."

Fire Captain Dave Lauchner shows me one neighborhood nestled in the woods, where the entire section of houses are now unrecognizable.

CAPTAIN DAVE LAUCHNER SACRAMENTO FIRE DEPARTMENT "So I've never seen anything like this as far as fires go. I've been in a number of hurricanes too, I'm on a swift water rescue team that deploys to those. That doesn't even compare to this. This is such a large-scale area."

MARK NIU MAGALIA, CALIFORNIA "Removing the hundreds and perhaps thousands of dangerous trees from the fire-stricken region is an enormous task. Arborists have come around and marked trees like this with a P2, meaning it's likely to fall within six months. If it's got a P1, it could fall any time."

But with all the destruction, a shining light has taken the form a football team.

The Casa Roble Rams were in the play-offs, but heard about how the Paradise high school football team, the Bobcats, had to forfeit their play-off game because of fire damage.

Rams raised 25,000 dollars and made a special delivery to a team that is a rival no more.

ALEX STELMASZCZYK CASA ROBLE FOOTBALL PLAYER "Right here we have a Bobcat and a Ram. We're coming together to show support for the Camp Fire. We have a sticker on the back of our helmets that says, 'Paradise Invincible'. And we're going to be playing for them every single Friday."

RUBEN VOZNYUK CASA ROBLE FOOTBALL PLAYER "Football between the ticks - it's war. Once you come outside, we're all family. We're all brothers."

These players from Paradise all lost their homes.

DYLAN BLOOD PARADISE FOOTBALL PLAYER "Preparing for such a big game and they are still able to come and help us, support us, everything we've been through just means a lot."

TREVOR THURMAN PARADISE FOOTBALL PLAYER "My house is gone too. It's a good day. I'm alive, my family is alive. My pets and stuff are alive. My friends are alive, so that's all that matters."

Football mother Chawne Luna recalls fleeing with her family when the propane tanks starting exploding.

CHAWNE LUNA PARADISE RESIDENT "We're currently living with another football family. We lost our home. And so we've been able to pair up with another football family and we're sharing a home."

Paradise Assistant Football Coach Andy Hopper has coached for 20 years, so finding this meant the world.

ANDY HOPPER, ASST. FOOTBALL COACHPARADISE HIGH SCHOOL "My home is gone. I found my 2009 section championship ring in my rubble. And man it just made me feel great."

Mark Niu, CGTN chico, California.