Nine people were reportedly missing as a monster wildfire in northern California burned unchecked on Saturday after it killed two firefighters, destroyed hundreds of structures and sent thousands of frantic residents racing from their homes.
Some 3,400 firefighters on the ground and in helicopters and airplanes battled the 19,500 hectares Carr Fire early on Saturday as it ripped through Redding, a city of 90,000 people, in California’s scenic Shasta-Trinity area.
More than 38,000 residents in Redding and elsewhere in Shasta County fled their homes as the fire began to gain speed and intensity on Thursday, destroying 500 structures and leaving Keswick, a town of 450, in smoldering ruins, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) said.
The fire, which was just three percent contained after igniting six days ago, has been fed by high temperatures and low humidity, which were expected to continue for at least the next
week, said CalFire Director Ken Pimlott.
“This fire is a long way from done,” he said.
A bulldozer operator and a member of the Redding Fire Department were killed in the blaze. A Redding hospital said it had treated eight people, including three firefighters.
Nine people, including a woman and her two great-great grandchildren, were missing, a CBS news affiliate in Sacramento reported, citing local police. The woman’s husband Ed Bledsoe told the station that he left them home to run an errand on Thursday night.
“He called and said ‘grandpa you need to come, the fire is coming at our house now,’” Bledsoe said of a phone call he had with his great-great grandson while he was gone. “I can’t see how I can go on without them.”
The flames erupted into a firestorm on Thursday when it jumped across the Sacramento River and swept into the western side of Redding, about 150 miles north of Sacramento, before gale-force winds during the night created a fire “tornado,” fire officials said.
Firefighters and police were hustling door to door to usher civilians out of harm’s way, they said.
California has had its worst start to the fire season in a decade, with 289,727 acres burned through Friday morning, according to National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) data.
Governor Jerry Brown requested emergency federal assistance to prevent an “imminent catastrophe” as Shasta County tried to find supplies and water for evacuated residents and care for horses and cattle rescued from ranches and farms.
Wildfires have blackened an estimated 1.68 million hectares in the United States so far this year.
That was well above average for the same period over the past 10 years but down from 2.13 million hectares in the first seven months of 2017, NIFC reported.

Monster wildfire in California rages on after killing two firefighters
The setting sun is turned red by the smoke from the Carr Fire burning in the hills west of Redding, California, US, July 27, 2018. (Reuters)
Reuters, Redding, California
Saturday 28 July 2018
Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:53 - GMT 06:53
DAY | WEEK |
-
15653 Views Loud explosion heard in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh
-
2474 Views Coronavirus: Police detain 100 in Amsterdam after protest over lockdown, curfew
-
1173 Views Israel talks tough on Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas: Our response to be extreme in next war
-
612 Views German court blocks return of two refugees to Greece, citing risks facing them
-
512 Views Israel says ambassador to Morocco takes up post after 20 years of embassy closure
-
422 Views Saudi Arabia’s FII confirms speakers, details for fourth annual forum
-
24083 Views Coronavirus: Dubai temporarily postpones Pfizer vaccine campaign amid global shortage
-
19770 Views Saudi Arabia’s PIF to invest 3 trillion riyals over next 10 years: Crown Prince
-
15653 Views Loud explosion heard in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh
-
10112 Views The American University of Beirut’s battle for survival
-
8801 Views Full moon to align directly above Kaaba in Mecca on Jan. 28
-
8448 Views Coronavirus: Dubai restaurants offer discounts for vaccinated diners
SHOW MORE