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U.S. NEWS Saturday 28 July 2018

‘Terrifying’ tornados of flame burn California city; 2 dead

By JONATHAN J. COOPER “down everything in its
and BRIAN MELLEY path,” said Scott McLean,
Associated Press a spokesman for Cal Fire,
REDDING, Calif. (AP) — A the state agency respon-
wildfire that roared with lit- sible for fighting wildfires.
tle warning into a Northern Fire officials warned that
California city claimed two the blaze would probably
lives as thousands of peo- burn deeper into urban
ple scrambled to escape areas before there was
before the walls of flames any hope of containing it,
descended from forested though it either changed
hills onto their neighbor- direction or was stopped
hoods, officials said Friday. before it could burn into
Residents who gathered the core of the city.
their belongings in haste The fire was likely to regain
described a chaotic and strength later in the day
congested getaway as when temperatures were
the embers blew up to a forecast to spike around
mile ahead of flames and 110 degrees (43 Celsius)
the fire leaped across the and winds were expected
wide Sacramento River to kick up.
and torched subdivisions Redding sits at the north-
in Redding, a city of 92,000 ern end of the agricultural
about 100 miles south of Central Valley, surrounded A Volkswagen Beetle scorched by a wildfire called the Carr Fire rests at a residence in Redding,
the Oregon border. by a scenic landscape. Calif., Friday, July 27, 2018. Associated Press
“I’ve never experienced Rivers channel abundant
something so terrifying in winter rainfall into massive to breathe. He could feel old televisions. But his house emy Stoke was killed in the
my life,” said Liz Williams, reservoirs used for boat- the fire sucking the air from made it through the har- blaze, though no details
who loaded up two kids ing and fishing. The area’s around him, whipping up rowing night. were offered on what hap-
in her car and then found stunning mountains, includ- swirling embers in a “fire tor- Others homes in the hap- pened to him. Another fire-
herself locked in bumper- ing snow-capped Mount nado,” he said. hazard path of destruc- fighter hired to try to con-
to-bumper traffic with Shasta, topping 14,000 feet He had to drive through tion were not so lucky. tain the flames with a bull-
neighbors trying to retreat (4,265 meters), are a play- walls of flaming embers Where some houses stood dozer was killed Thursday,
from Lake Redding Estates. ground for outdoor enthu- on both sides of the street unscathed, single walls or authorities said.
She eventually jumped the siasts. Lightning and even a when he finally fled. A tree chimneys were all that re- Fire crews in Redding for a
curb onto the sidewalk and lawn mower have sparked fell right in front of him. mained of others. Burned- time abandoned any hope
“booked it.” devastating fires in the for- “I didn’t know if I’d make it out skeletons of pickup of containing the flames
“I didn’t know if the fire ests that ring the peaks and so I just got in the middle of trucks and VW beetles sat and instead focused on
was just going to jump out lakes. The blaze that broke the street, went down the on tireless rims in the ash. saving lives.
behind a bush and grab out Monday was caused middle of the street through An Associated Press survey “We’re not fighting a fire,”
me and suck me in,” Wil- by a mechanical issue in- the embers and the smoke found 66 homes destroyed said Jonathan Cox, bat-
liams said. “I wanted out of volving a vehicle, officials and made it past,” Hobson in Hobson’s neighborhood talion chief with Cal Fire.
here.” said. The fire rapidly ex- said. and another 60 gone “We’re trying to move peo-
The blaze leveled at least panded Thursday when er- When he returned Friday, in Keswick Lake Estates. ple out of the path of it be-
125 homes, leaving neigh- ratic flames swept through his fence had burned along About 5,000 other buildings cause it is now deadly, and
borhoods smoldering and the historic Gold Rush town with a backyard shed and were threatened, fire offi- it is now moving at speeds
37,000 people under evac- of Shasta and nearby Kes- everything inside it — Christ- cials said. and in ways we have not
uation orders. wick, then cast the Sacra- mas ornaments, china and Redding fire inspector Jer- seen before in this area.”q
The flames moved so fast mento River in an orange
that firefighters working glow as they jumped the
in oven-like temperatures banks into Redding.
and bone-dry conditions Steve Hobson, a former fire-
had to drop efforts to bat- fighter, said flames on the
tle the blaze at one point distant hillside looked like
to help people escape. solar flares on the sun.
The fire, which created at He had planned to stay
least two flaming tornados behind to save his house
that toppled trees, shook on Lake Redding Drive. But
firefighting equipment and the heat burned his skin,
busted truck windows, took and smoke made it hard