John Cassidy, president/CEO of the $982 million Sierra Central Credit Union, called it nothing short of a miracle that its branch was not burned to the ground in Paradise, Calif., where more than 90% of the homes have been turned into rubble by wildfires.

"The word is miraculous and that's no understatement," Cassidy said Tuesday. "The whole building is completely intact. Other than some shrubs that got damaged, it looks like there wasn't a fire. We are one of the very few, very fortunate businesses to survive. We are very fortunate that we will be able to help  people as Paradise starts to rebuild. We'll be there for them."

In Paradise and in the adjacent town of Magalia, with a combined population of nearly 40,000 people, an estimated 6,500 houses were destroyed, according to Cassidy.