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A massive forest fire in northern California killed two firefighters, provoked evacuation orders for about 37,000 people, and threatened thousands of homes with destruction.
At least 500 structures were destroyed and officials expected this number to increase. At least nine people have been reported missing, with frenetic research under way for two young children and their great-grandmother.
Donald Trump on Saturday afternoon approved an emergency declaration, ordering federal departments to assist state authorities. The deadly fire in the town of Redding, three hours north of San Francisco and near the Oregon border, was only about 5%, having increased by 35% to 127. square miles. Winds and other weather conditions threatened to send flames to more populated areas, authorities said.
"We are not doing a weather break" Chris Anthony, spokesman for Cal Fire, told The Associated Press. "It continues to be very hot, really dry and we continue to have these winds … This fire is getting so big and there are so many different parts."
Jeremy Stoke died fighting Carr's fire in Shasta County, with a bulldozer operator whose name was not immediately published.
Ed Bledsoe told a TV station that he had left his home for He made a run when the fire was about eight miles from his home on Thursday night.
"He called and said:" Grandpa, you have to come, the fire is coming home now, "says Bledsoe, recounting a call with his great-great-grandson, adding : "I do not see how I could go on without them … I want God to help me, help me get them."
Bledsoe's house was destroyed but cadaver dogs
Authorities said the fire would likely continue to burn in urban areas before firefighters could contain it.
Authorities said the fire had started on Monday and had increased dramatically on Thursday night. when he jumped a major river and pushed into Redding, th Carr's smoke plume was detected on the satellite and was 30,000ft high on Friday afternoon, large enough to cast a shadow, time [19659014] Mark Peterson, who lost his home in the Carr Fire, gives water to the goats who survived the fire ” src=”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/7b128f1fb6c0efc29b90e4f4587d94c4a5d1932a/0_151_5142_3086/master/5142.jpg?w=300&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=1dc05109c2375be9020b4fa708383158″/>
California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for Shasta County and Riverside County in southern California, where another fire was tearing up mountain communities . Earlier in the week, fires partially shut down Yosemite National Park, after officials said parts of the popular tourist destination were dangerous for visitors and workers.
In 2018, nearly 37,000 fires burned more than 4.25 million acres. On Friday morning, nearly 290,000 acres burned in California, making it the worst start of the fire season in a decade, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Last year, nearly 9,000 fires affected 1.2 million acres. the state, with 46 deaths, one of the most deadly fire seasons on the disc.
Redding Police Chief Roger Moore was among the residents who lost a home.
"I look up and see what I would describe as a tornado," Moore told the Los Angeles Times. "It was 400 to 500 feet high, 100 feet wide and destroyed everything in its path."
Residents described painful journeys that escaped the fire. Liz Williams told AP that she and her two children were stuck in traffic while trying to escape the rapidly growing fire.
"I have never experienced something so terrifying of my life," she said. "I did not know if the fire was going to just jump behind a bush and catch me and suck me off."
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