California Wildfire Claims Lives, Swallows Structures

A wildfire near Redding, California, swallowed structures and claimed the lives of three individuals as it ballooned in size overnight.

The blaze was sparked by a vehicle failure in Whiskeytown on Monday and has consumed more than 44,000 acres, according to a report from ABC News. Just 3 percent of the fire has been contained as of this morning.

The flames have spread through Shasta County and crossed the Sacramento River, approaching the city of Redding.

As many as 65 structures have been destroyed by the Carr Fire and 55 others have been damaged. As the fire approaches the city of Redding, with a population of 95,000, it is threatening 5,000 more homes and buildings.

“This fire is making a significant push into the northwest portion of Redding,” Cal Fire incident commander chief Brett Gouvea said. “This fire is extremely dangerous and is moving with no regard to what’s (in) its path”

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More than 1,700 firefighters have been battling the blaze since Monday and the National Guard has been called in to assist.

The California Highway Patrol advised people to evacuate if they feel unsafe.

“The fire is creating a huge wind vacuum and moving very rapidly toward west Redding. This fire is out of control! If you see heavy smoke or flames and feel threatened, leave… don’t wait for evacuation calls. If you live near to the Sacramento River between Eureka Way and Keswick Dam, I would start packing and get out now,” said a post on the Redding CHP Facebook page.

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