CA FIRES – REDDING – Possible Cause Revealed

by Jack

Updated 2200 hrs., 7/28/18.   Possible cause of CARR fire in Redding, pickup truck towing a car trailer.  Trailer had flat, but driver did not notice the noise of tire coming apart or notice how it was pulling.  He continued to drive on the flat tire until the steel rim hit the pavement and showered sparks as he continued to drive… until it was too late.  The fire was already starting.   If this story changes, we’ll update it.

Chico rehab hospitals and care facilities are filling up with patients evacuated from Redding. Unknown bed status at Enloe Hospital.

Chico, CA – Today the smoke is at least as bad as it was yesterday, pungent chemical smells and fine particles of ash make for a toxic sky of brownish yellow.   The weather remains hot, triple digits hot, low humidity, windy and no relief in sight.

Not far away a giant wild fire rages that touches the City of Redding.  It all began 5 days ago, started by a vehicle accident.  The 1st day it was 50 acres and despite an aggressive effort, the fire spread, whipped by wind and fed by dry foliage an pine trees.  Today it’s still raging only a 1000 times worse.  Fire fighters are unable to get the upper hand because of the wind, inaccessible terrain, tall timbers and eerie fire-tornados

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Noah Berger/AP/REX/Shutterstock (9771682e)
A car passes through flames on Highway 299 as the Carr Fire burns through Shasta, Calif., . Fueled by high temperatures, wind and low humidity, the blaze destroyed multiple homes and at least one historic building
California Wildfires, Shasta, USA – 26 Jul 2018

that cause huge burning embers to be tossed high in the air and carried away by the wind.

It’s hard to describe in any depth what is happening here because of the enormity and the complexity of this disaster.   The National Guard is on the scene, so is law enforcement  from many nearby jurisdictions, all to aid in evacuations and to prevent looting.

Over a thousand firemen are on the fire line with more coming.  Two have died in the past 2 days.  Heat exhaustion is common, as are the burn cases being admitted to the hospital.

There are a number of missing persons, but this is to be expected when you have tens of thousands of evacuees, but the odds are… some will be fatalities.

Several nearby historic small towns have been burnt to the ground as well as whole city blocks of upscale homes in the Redding suburbs.  The scenes of absolute destruction are reminiscent of the Napa fires last year that destroyed 8000 homes.  The loss of homes in the Redding fire is around five hundred, but that count moves upward by the hour and so the count of missing persons, 14 now, two are small children.

The reports of erratic drivers are slowing as police get better control over the mass exodus leaving the city.  When a fire is so large that it creates fire-tornados, reaching thousands of feet into the sky, people are bound to panic and they have, but fortunately not that many.  I saw a motorhome in bumper to bumper freeway traffic with its awning bent back but still attached, you know they had to leave in a hurry.  Meanwhile the local news reported a parked sheriff’s vehicle was struck by a motorist while the deputy directed traffic.  The motorist sped off.

How it will end, when it will end and where it will end, nobody knows.  We only know this is a historic fire.  We are grateful that many first responders are doing all that they can to help, in any way they can, firemen on the ground, in the air, EMT’s and paramedics, PG&E, Cal Water, police, CHP, etc.,  it’s a massive effort and yet the fire grows, over 80,000 acres now and it could double in size by tomorrow.