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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Forest fires caused the evacuation of 15,000 people Monday to the small lakeside towns of northern California. Ed Bledsoe told CBS News that he had received no warning to evacuate his home in the town of Redding before the end of the flames last week and that he had killed his wife, Melody, and his wife. great-grandchildren, James Roberts, age five, and Emily Roberts, age four.
"If I had a warning, I would never have left my family in this house," Bledsoe
Sheriff of Shasta County, Tom Bosenko, told the network that an investigation was underway to find out if Bledsoe's house had been warned or knocked at the door. The sheriff cited evidence that door-to-door notifications were made in the area. Bosenko did not return a message from the Associated Press on Monday.
The conflict erupted on Sunday when authorities ordered evacuations around two fires in Mendocino and Lake counties, including in Lakeport, a popular destination for bassists. and boaters on the shores of Clear Lake, approximately 120 miles (195 kilometers) north of San Francisco. The fires destroyed six houses and threatened another 10,000. Up to now, the flames have blackened 87 square miles (225 square kilometers), with minimal containment.
These fires were part of the 17 fires throughout the state, where firefighter crews were stretched to their limit
We are very much aware of what can happen with fires and the damages that occur. they can cause, "said Corey Paulich of Lake County Sheriff
Derick Hughes II disregarded the order and stayed back at his property in Nice, California, where he threw sprinklers on the roof and removed plants that could ignite.
The 32-year-old Marine Corps veteran sent his wife and two daughters to safety with three cars. But he said that he had too much at stake to leave each other. He bought his three – bedroom home last year on a loan from Veterans Affairs.
"It's all I wanted, and I worked very hard to get where I am, and I'm just not ready to give up so easily," he said. Some people may think that it is selfish on my part, and I have insurance. But the way things are going, I prefer not to do it again.
Hughes said five of his neighbors had also disobeyed the evacuation message they had received Sunday night to protect their homes and prevent looters from going out
Police said five People had been arrested because they were suspected of having entered evacuated areas due to the explosive forest fires around Redding.
This fire killed six people and destroyed 723 homes. The authorities also investigated at least 18 cases of missing persons, although most of them simply failed to identify with their friends or family, the police said
. The fire that threatened Redding – a city of about 92,000 inhabitants – was inflamed by a vehicle problem a week ago about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of the town. city. On Thursday, he swept the historic town of the nearby Shasta and Keswick gold rush, fueled by gusty winds and dry vegetation. He then jumped the Sacramento River and took subdivisions to the west end of Redding.
"We did not expect to go that far," said spokesman for the Ministry of Forests and Fire Protection, Scott Mclean. He said that the fire slowed down when the winds eased and crews were able to enter the neighborhoods to prevent the embers from coming out of the additional homes
. to make a race Thursday. He said that he had received a phone call from his wife 15 minutes after his departure saying that he had to go home because the fire was approaching. He said that one of the children told him that the fire was at the back door. When he tried to return, the road was blocked and the flames prevented him from returning on foot
The sheriff said the fire was moving quickly, but the authorities still alerted the residents in various ways, especially by going door-to-door.
Authorities also use electronic warning systems, including a repeated emergency alert system by local media and an automated call system that can target phones in an area. geographical area. Another method known as the Integrated Alert and Public Alert System can be directed to any cell phone within reach of a particular transmission tower, said Sherry Bartolo , Operations Manager, Shasta County Dispatch Center. She said the dispatch center had launched more than 18 emergency alerts between Thursday night and noon Friday, she added.
The center usually has eight service dispatchers, but on Thursday night there were at least 12 dispatchers, as well as four supervisors and three managers who worked all night, she said.
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Thanawala brought back from San Francisco. Lorin Eleni Gill and Olga Rodriguez, writers associated with the press, also contributed to this report
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This document may not be published, distributed, rewritten or redistributed.
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