<img src = "http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/10047132-3×2-700×467.jpg" alt = "Flames erupted from an old brick building. Photo:
A historic school was burned in Shasta. [AP: Noah Berger]
More than 5,012 structures were threatened by the fire, officials said. The flames destroyed 517 structures and damaged 135.
The scheduled time Sunday will offer no relief to the firefighters as it will reach more than 37.7 degrees Celsius with low humidity and wind gusts, according to the National Weather Service. The army of some 3,500 firefighters and a squadron of 17 water-width helicopters had managed to dig buffer lines around only 5% of the perimeter of the fire as of Sunday.
Firefighters said the erratic behavior of the fire winds and high temperatures have had complicated efforts to contain the conflagration.
US President Donald Trump said Saturday that the fire was an emergency, allowing federal funds for disaster relief
At the height of his fury on Thursday night, The fire was whipped into a storm frenzy by gale force winds that drove the flames across the Sacramento River into the western end of Redding, as thousands of residents fled their homes. life in a chaotic evacuation.
The nearby town of Keswick Redding police announced Saturday that she was looking for 17 people still missing two days later
"Grandmother did everything to save them".
Redding Police Sergeant Todd Cogle confirmed that the three bodies found in a fire-ravaged house in the suburb of Redding were two children and their great-grandmother
Tom Bosenko, Sheriff of Shasta County. identified as victims identified by relatives on Facebook and in the media as James Roberts, 5, his sister Emily Roberts, 4, and Melody Bledsoe, 70.
Ms. Bledsoe's granddaughter, Amanda Woodley, said on Facebook that the old lady was desperately putting a wet blanket over the kids as their house burned.
"Grandmother did everything possible to save them, she was hovering over them with a wet blanket," Ms. Woodley said in a Facebook post
The Children's mother, Sherry Bledsoe, said the Sacramento Bee: "My children are dead, that's all I can say."
According to the newspaper, Melody Bledsoe's husband, Ed Bledsoe, cried while remembering having tried to return home after he left for a run on Thursday, only to learn that the fire was getting closer to him. 39; them.
He told the newspaper that he spoke to the children on the phone while he ran in vain to return in time to save
A shot of Go Money Me, launched the night last to help Ed Bledsoe, had raised nearly half of his $ 30,000 goal by here Sunday
He says that the elderly couple have been taking great-grandchildren for years in their rental house.
So far this year, bush fires have burned nearly 1.7 million hectares. country, less than last year, but still more than average 1.5 million hectares for the same period over the last decade.
California was particularly affected by several fierce fires threatening large populated areas. the Cranston fire caused a rare closure of much of Yosemite National Park last week, while another forced massive evacuations from the Idyllwild mountain resort community, East of Los Angeles
disasters and accidents,
missing person,
fires,
United States
Published
July 30, 2018 05:51:47
