REDDING, Calif. (Reuters) – A monster fire in northern California was destroyed Saturday after killing two firefighters, destroying hundreds of structures and sending thousands of frenetic residents to the race.
A blackened landscape is represented by damage caused by a wildfire near Keswick, California, USA, July 27, 2018. REUTERS / Alexandria Sage
Some 3,400 ground firefighters and helicopters and planes were fighting Against Carr's 48,300 acres (19,500 hectares) Carr pulled Saturday morning while he was crossing Redding, a town of 90,000 residents, in the scenic Shasta-Trinity, California.
More than 38,000 residents of Redding and other localities in Shasta District fled their homes as the fire picked up speed and intensity on Thursday, destroying 500 structures and leaving Keswick, a city of 450 people, in smoking ruins.
A house burned in the small community of Keswick is shown by damage caused by a wildfire near Redding, California, United States, July 27, 2018. REUTERS / Alexandria Sage
The fire, which was only three percent content after turning on six days It was fueled by high temperatures and low humidity, which were expected at least next week, said Ken Pimlott, director of the Department of Forests and Protection California Firefighters (CalFire).
"This fire is far from done," 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, before gale force winds created a "tornado" fire. [19659010] Slideshow (2 Images)
"This fire was whipped into a whirlwind of activity, uprooting trees, moving vehicles, moving parts of roads," said Pimlott.
Firefighters and police went door-to-door to rescue civilians, said Scott McLean, a spokesman for the California Department of Forests and Fire Protection (CalFire).
California has had its worst start to the fire season in a decade, with 289,727 acres burned until Friday morning, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).
Governor Jerry Brown requested urgent federal assistance to avoid an "impending disaster" as Shasta County tried to find water and supplies for evacuated residents and to treat horses and cattle rescued from ranches and farms.
Forest fires have blackened about 4.15 million acres (1.68 million hectares) in the United States this year. This figure was well above average for the same period in the last 10 years, but down from 5.27 million acres (2.13 million hectares) over the last 10 years. first seven months of 2017, NIFC reported.
Cal Fire stated that the Cranston fire, about 110 miles (177 km) east of Los Angeles, had blackened 12,300 acres and was confined to 16%. The Ferguson fire near Yosemite, which burned 46,675 acres, was contained at 29%.
Brendan O. Brien Additional Report to Milwaukee, edited by William Maclean
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