The "Tornado" wildfire kills two and burns uncontrollably in California

A monster forest fire in northern California burned uncontrolled on Saturday after killing two firefighters, destroying hundreds of structures and sending thousands of frenzied residents running from their homes.

Some 3,400 firefighters on the ground and helicopters and planes fought against fire. 48,300 acres Carr was dispatched Saturday to Redding, a town of 90,000, in the scenic Shasta-Trinity, California.

More than 38,000 residents of Redding and elsewhere in Shasta County fled their homes. They destroyed 500 buildings and left Keswick, a town of 450 people, in smoking ruins.

The fire, which was only 3% after the fire six days ago, was powered by high temperatures and low humidity, expected at least next week, said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Director Ken Pimlott

"This fire is far from over," he said.

A bulldozer operator and a member of the Redding Fire Department were killed in the fire. A hospital in Redding reported treating eight people, including three firefighters.

The flames erupted Thursday after crossing the Sacramento River and swept the west side of Redding, about 240 km north of Sacramento. "The force shootings during the night created a tornado of fire."

"This fire was propelled into a whirlwind of activity, uprooting trees, moving vehicles, moving parts of roads," he said. Mr Pimlott. "

Firefighters and police went door-to-door to protect civilians," said Scott McLean, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire)

. According to data from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), 289,727 acres were burned over the last decade, and 289,727 acres were burned down on Friday

Governor Jerry Brown asked for urgent federal badistance to avoid an "imminent disaster" as Shasta County tried to find water and supplies for evacuated residents and heal horses and cattle rescued from ranches and farms. million acres in the United States this year. This figure was well above average for the same period in the last 10 years, but 5.27 million acres in the first seven months of 2017.

Cal Fire states that the fire from Cranston, about 177 km east of Los Angeles, has blackened The Ferguson fire near Yosemite, which burned 46,675 acres, was contained at 29 percent.

– Reuters