Monday, July 30, 2018

Carr Fire grows near Redding, others spark in Mendocino

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Carr Fire grows near Redding, others spark in Mendocino

https://www.mercurynews.com/.../carr-fire-grows-near-redding-others-spark-in-napa-...

1 day ago - The Carr Fire continues to rage in Shasta County as thousands of ... Carr Fire update: Blazenears 90,000 acres, some evacuations lifted ...

Carr Fire grows to over 95,000 acres, 6 fatalities, 874 structures ...

abc7news.com/carr-fire-grows-to-over-95000-acres-6-fatalities-874.../3843662/

11 hours ago - Carr Fire grows to over 95,000 acres6 fatalities, 874 structures destroyed ... A homeburns near Redding, Calif. on Sunday, July 29, 2018. ... of Forestry and Fire Protection's incident commander on the blaze around Redding, .... Carr Fire claims 6th victim, raises evacuation concerns as inferno intensifies.

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Carr Fire: Blaze burns over 95,000 acres, death toll rises to six

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Cheri Harrison paints a thank you to firefighters on the windows of the Wild Card Brewery in Redding, Calif., Sunday, July 29, 2018, as the Carr Fire continues to burn in the area. Harrison lives in nearby Shasta and has been evacuated from her home for days. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
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The relentless Carr Fire burning in Shasta County continued to grow Sunday, having already taken the lives of six people, including two firefighters, and forced the evacuation of some 38,000 residents, as it consumed more than 95,000 acres and was only 17 percent contained.
Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko on Sunday confirmed the sixth death in the Carr Fire but declined to provide an identification or information on where the body was found, except to say the person was found inside a home in an area under evacuation orders. There have been 16 reports of missing persons, seven of which are still under investigation, he said.
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Sunday also marked the second firefighter death for crews battling the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park, sheriff’s officials in Mariposa County said. More than 200,000 acres were burning statewide, with fires stretching from San Diego to the Oregon border.
The Carr Fire has already burned 95,368 acres, destroyed 657 homes, plus three businesses and 214 buildings, damaged 175 others and is still threatening more than 5,000 structures. It remained only 17 percent contained Sunday evening as some 3,388 firefighters battled the blaze, Cal Fire officials said.
But, despite hot and dry conditions, fire officials said Sunday they were optimistic about their ability to contain the raging fire, the largest among 17 major fires burning across the state.
“We’re starting to make some good progress out there,” Bret Gouvea, a deputy Cal Fire chief, said at an afternoon press conference. “Tonight, you’ll start seeing those containment percentages increase.”
Dozens of roadways remained closed Sunday, though evacuation orders had been lifted in some areas, according to the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office. Residents would be allowed to visit their homes, or what little remained of them, as soon as it is safe, Gouvea said.
Some residents were already returning to survey the damage.
Melody Santos Bauman returns to the ashes of her home on White Water Court in Redding, Calif., Sunday, July 29, 2018, after it was destroyed, Thursday night when the Carr Fire tore through her neighborhood. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 
Melody Santos Bauman, 62, ventured back into her deserted, post-apocalyptic neighborhood searching for her cat, Emma. She hadn’t been able to coax the cat into a carrier in time to flee the impending inferno Thursday night.
“Here, kitty kitty,” Bauman called, scanning the wreckage for signs of life.
She knew her home on White Water Circle in west Redding had been destroyed, but seeing the devastation with her own eyes Sunday took her breath away. The three-bedroom house, which Bauman had recently finished remodeling, was now a pile of rubble. A tiled shower, a charred washer and dryer, and a collapsed garage door were among the only recognizable remnants of what was once her “dream home.”
But, all was not lost: A tiny, newly planted evergreen tree in the front yard stood unscathed, and a Japanese-style fountain behind the house remained untouched by the fire’s fury. Bauman smiled.
“Just to know that everything is not gone,” she said, “and, there’s hope for the future.”
Others were still debating whether to stay or go.
Barbara and Jason Richards, whose retirement home is outside Lewiston in Trinity County, watched from their porch Sunday as smoke continued to fill the sky. An evacuation advisory sent many of their neighbors from their homes, emptying the surrounding area and turning their small mountain community into a ghost town. But, with three adult dogs and three six-week-old puppies, the Richards were waiting for the advisory to become mandatory.
Neighbor Kal Braxton helps Jason Richards, from left, siphon gas out of Richard’s boat to top off his SUV as he prepares to leave his home in the outskirts of Lewiston if mandatory evacuations are ordered due to the Carr Fire in Lewiston, Calif., on Sunday, July 29, 2018. The wildfire in Northern part of the state has claimed 5 lives, destroyed 517 structures and scorched over 89,000 acres. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group) 
They’d packed two vehicles and a camper trailer with food and crates for the dogs, clothing for several days, Jason Richards’ jewelry that he makes and sells, and gear to make meals — the necessities taking precedent over mementos and keepsakes.
“Everything means something to us; it’s our life,” Jason Richards said. “But, it’s all just stuff.”
Jim Milestone, 64, was among those who defied the road closures and hiked six miles in the scorching sun to get into his evacuated neighborhood Sunday afternoon. Though residents are anxious to learn whether their house is still standing, authorities urged patience.
Jim Milestone checks on his neighbor’s home destroyed in the Redding, Calif., Sunday, July 29, 2018. Milestone’s home survived. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 
“We are moving as fast as we can to get you back in your homes,” said Shasta County Fire Department Chief Mike Hebrard. “We understand how it feels. A lot of us are evacuated as well.”
Redding police, Shasta County sheriff’s deputies, the California Highway Patrol and other agencies have all beefed up patrols in evacuated areas amid reports of looting, authorities said. Redding Police Department Chief Roger Moore said his department was taking those reports very seriously and working proactively to stop suspected looters in evacuated neighborhoods before anyone is victimized.
“If they don’t have a legitimate reason to be there, if we don’t arrest them for looting, they will be arrested for something else,” Moore said. “It’s a no-tolerance stance.”
Milestone took his chances; he was on a mission to feed his neighbor’s cat and check on the condition of his street. He and his friend, 49-year-old Paul Davis, carefully navigated downed power lines along River Trail to avoid the police barricades.
For those neighbors whose homes are still standing, Milestone called with words of reassurance. But, for those whose homes had been destroyed, Milestone had no words at all. It’s just too hard, he said.
“I’ve known them for years,” Milestone said. “They’re part of my family in this neighborhood.”
The Carr Fire, burning about 100 miles south of California’s border with Oregon, has taken the lives of two children and a great-grandmother among the six deaths so far.
Utility crews assess a crumpled electrical tower in Redding, Calif., Sunday, July 29, 2018, destroyed by the Carr Fire last week. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 
Along with the National Guard, fire crews from as far away as Florida had been called in to help battle the blaze.
The winds, high temperatures and dry vegetation still have the potential to fuel more fire growth, Cal Fire officials said. It’s spread “in all directions,” making it one of the largest wildfires in the state at a time when there are more than two dozen fires raging across California, authorities said.
The Ferguson fire near Yosemite National Park has torn through 54,481 acres and was at 30 percent containment on Sunday.
The Ranch and River fires, dubbed the Mendocino Complex fires, began in Mendocino County on Friday but have since crossed into Lake County. Together, the two fires have scorched 24,270 acres, burned four homes and were threatening more than 4,500 buildings in Mendocino and Lake counties on Sunday with containment at 10 percent.
Terrifying lessons from the Wine Country fires — How to prepare for a wildfire in your neighborhood (Video).
In Napa County, the Steele Fire was burning Sunday just south of Lake Berryessa, having consumed 150 acres since it started Saturday afternoon near Arroyo Grande Drive and Steele Canyon Road. It has destroyed seven structures, damaged one, and was forcing evacuations. It was 50 percent contained Sunday.
Staff writer Joseph Geha contributed to this report. 

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