From San Diego in the south to Shasta County in the north, firefighters in California are trying to beat back the flames that are feeding off more than a half a decade’s worth of drought-starved brush and undergrowth.
The state’s Office of Emergency Services is reporting that 102,028 acres (41,289 hectares) have burned across the state this week. The worst fire is the Carr Fire in Shasta County, which claimed the lives of two firefighters and has forced the evacuation of close to 37,000 people. It has already burned 48,312 acres (19,551 hectares) and is less than 5 percent contained today.
Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for the county Thursday, and his office formally requested federal emergency aid from the White House late Friday. At a news conference on Friday, Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott blamed dry brush for the infernal eruptions across California.
“Evacuate, evacuate, evacuate,” he said. “Pay very close attention to social media, websites, local television, and radio broadcasts.” With so many fires breaking out across the state, Pimlott said first responders have been trying to mount “vicious initial attacks” to bring the fires under control quickly.
According to NBC affiliate KCRA. A hotline (530-225-4277) has been set up so loved ones can report or find people missing as a result of the Shasta County disaster.
Brig. Gen. Matthew Beevers of the California National Guard said 800 of his troops were already on the lines at the Carr Fire or were on their way. The guard has also deployed multiple aircraft, including at least one military drone so that ground crews can monitor the fire from above.
And while the Carr Fire has drawn firefighters from across the state bringing the numbers to 3,400 fighting the raging inferno, San Diego is dealing with its own brush fire, the 240-acre Pasquale fire near the storied town of Ramona.
89 large fires have burned 877,220 acres in 14 states. 20K+ firefighters and support personnel are assigned to wildfires. PL4 continues nationally and in GB, So. Cal, and NW areas. Here's a look at a Week In Wildfires. Credit: Inciweb #WeekinWildfires, #PL4 pic.twitter.com/32oYEI4FDU
— NIFC (@NIFCfire) July 27, 2018
Other blazes include the 46,675-acre Ferguson fire in Mariposa County, which was nearly one-third contained, and the 12,300-acre Cranston fire in Riverside County, which Cal Fire says is 16 percent contained.
Latest update on Carr Fire
ABC News is reporting on Saturday the fire has grown by about 35 percent overnight to 127 square miles (328 square kilometers) and pushed southwest of Redding, toward the communities of Ono, Igo and Gas Point.
#RiverFire [update] off Old River Road, near Mile Marker Post 7.9, Hopland (Mendocino County) is now 6,000 acres and 2% contained. #RiverFire is now part of the #MendocinoComplex pic.twitter.com/7Om0DAiQoz
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) July 28, 2018
“We’re not getting a break with the weather,” said Chris Anthony, a spokesman for Cal Fire, the state agency responsible for fighting wildfires. “It just continues to be really hot, really dry and we continue to get those winds. … This fire’s getting so big and there are so many different parts to it.”
The Carr Fire added another community to its list – destroying nearly all of Keswick, a hamlet just west of Redding after tearing through several places, including Whiskey Flats as it jumped the Sacramento River Thursday night.
The massive fire uprooted trees and damaged roads with tornado-like ferocity. “We’re seeing, literally almost what can be described as a tornado occurred over this fire yesterday,” Pimlott told reporters. “The fire was whipped up into a whirlwind of activity.”
Hot and dry is the forecast through this weekend, with temperatures reaching the triple digits again. The winds, which could be 30 mph and gusty, high temperatures and dry vegetation have the potential to fuel the fire’s growth, Cal Fire officials said.
