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Carr Fire Update: More than 1,000 homes destroyed, 115,000 acres burned

Redding Police Sgt. Todd Cogle said they have located 17 of 20 people listed as missing from a Tuesday afternoon press release.

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UPDATE 7:30 a.m.:

The Carr Fire ripping through Redding and other parts of Shasta County grew another 3,000 acres over night, according to CAL Fire.

The fire, which started July 23 after a vehicle had mechanical failure, has burned a 115,538 acres in Shasta and Trinity counties and is 35 percent contained.

Over 1,000 homes and several hundred other structures have been destroyed, and thousands have been evacuated.

The Carr Fire is the ninth most destructive wildfire in California.

UPDATE 10:30 p.m.:

A relative has identified one of the six people killed in a fire that destroyed nearly 1,000 Northern California homes.

Sixty-two-year-old Daniel Bush died last week as fire swept through the Redding area.

His sister, Kathi Gaston, tells the Redding Record Searchlight that her brother had returned to his mobile home in the community of Keswick last Tuesday after undergoing quadruple heart bypass surgery.

The Carr Fire came through the neighborhood on Thursday. Gaston said her brother wasn't allowed to drive and couldn't evacuate without help but she couldn't reach him because the roads to his home were blocked by sheriff's deputies.

The fire also killed two firefighters, a 70-year-old woman and her two young great-grandchildren.

Fire officials say the blaze has destroyed 965 homes, 16 commercial buildings and 397 outbuildings.

The fire has burned more than 176 square miles (457 square kilometers) and is 30 percent contained.

Authorities are still searching for three people reported missing in Shasta County. The missing have been identified as:

Richard Bigby - Redding

Bruce Brown - Old Shasta

Glenda Prusa – Redding

That number was whittled down from 20 after an outpouring of support online.

UPDATE 9:30 p.m.:

Progress continues to be made in the fight against the Carr Fire, burning near Redding.

New numbers from CAL FIRE show the blaze is now at 30 percent containment. So far, it has consumed more than 112,000 acres of land and destroyed 965 homes. Another 413 other structures have also been destroyed.

Four civilians and two firefighters have been killed in the blaze. Authorities are still searching for three people reported missing in Shasta County. The missing have been identified as:

Richard Bigby - Redding

Bruce Brown - Old Shasta

Glenda Prusa – Redding

That number was whittled down from 20 after an outpouring of support online.

Update: 11:45 a.m.

Firefighters from across the United States are being sent to California to help crews stretched to the limit as they battle 17 wildfires across the state.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says firefighters from 10 states are already helping and another six states will send resources this week.

The agency says the out-of-state fire crews will relieve exhausted California firefighters who have been working non-stop for two weeks.

More than 50,000 people remained under mandatory evacuation orders Tuesday in Northern California, where a deadly blaze has destroyed more than 800 homes.

Another two wildfires burning about 14 miles (22 kilometers) apart are threatening 10,000 homes.

Update: 3:45 a.m. Tuesday

A fire official says a Northern California wildfire is now the ninth most destructive in the state's history.

State fire spokesman Scott McLean says the blaze rampaging in the area of Redding has destroyed 818 homes and 311 outbuildings. Another 165 homes have been damaged by the fire, which also killed two firefighters and four civilians.

Officials added the northwest portion of the fire, near Trinity County and Shasta County, is seeing an increase in winds.

More than 27,000 people remain evacuated because of the blaze, which has burned for more than a week. However, another 10,000 were allowed to return home today as fire crews managed to reinforce some containment lines.

The huge blaze is now 23 percent surrounded.

It's one of three that have burned homes in the north. Seven homes have been torched and more than 10,000 are threatened by a pair of fires in Mendocino and Lake counties.

Update: 7:30 p.m. Monday

The Carr Fire is now at 103,772 acres and is 23 percent contained. More than 800 homes have been destroyed so far, with more than 4,000 structures threatened.

Update: 1 p.m.

REDDING, Calif. (AP) — The number of people ordered to flee from two Northern California wildfires has swelled to 15,000, authorities said Monday as flames rolled toward several small towns in a rural area of lakes, forests and mountains.

Elsewhere in the same region, firefighters were hopeful that the state's largest and deadliest blaze of the year was slowing down after days of explosive growth.

The unpredictable blaze near Redding has killed six people. A man whose wife and two great-grandchildren were among the dead said he did not receive any warning to evacuate.

Ed Bledsoe told CBS News he did not know his home was in danger when he left his wife, Melody, and the 4- and 5-year-old children to run an errand on Thursday.

"If I'd have any kind of warning, I'd have never, ever left my family in that house," Bledsoe said.

Bledsoe said he received a phone call from his wife 15 minutes after he left saying he needed to get home because the fire was approaching. He said one of the children told him the blaze was at the back door. When he tried to return, the road was blocked and flames prevented him from returning on foot.

Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko told the network there's an investigation into whether the Bledsoe home received a warning call or a knock on the door. The sheriff said there is evidence that door-to-door notifications were made in the area.

Crews handling the blaze near Redding struck a hopeful tone for the first time in days as the massive fire slowed after days of rapid expansion. As of Monday, the Redding fire had destroyed 723 homes.

"We're feeling a lot more optimistic today as we're starting to gain some ground rather than being in a defensive mode on this fire all the time," said Bret Gouvea, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's incident commander on the blaze around Redding, a city about 230 miles (370 kilometers) north of San Francisco.

Authorities were also investigating at least 18 missing-persons reports, though many of them may simply be people who have not checked in with friends or family, police said.

The Carr Fire that threatened Redding — a city of about 92,000 people — was ignited by a vehicle a week ago about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of the city. On Thursday, it swept through the historic Gold Rush town of Shasta and nearby Keswick, fueled by gusty winds and dry vegetation. It then jumped the Sacramento River and took out subdivisions on the western edge of Redding.

Redding Police Chief Roger Moore kept up a round-the-clock work schedule despite learning that his home was one of those destroyed. He was helping evacuate people from his River Ridge neighborhood in western Redding when the flames became unbearable.

"I saw everything around it ignite, and I go, 'It's gone,'" Moore said.

At least one person was arrested on suspicion of stealing from evacuated homes, and authorities were keeping watch for other potential looters, said Deputy Travis Ridenour, whose home also burned.

"Lost our house like so many others," Ridenour wrote on Facebook. "Still out watching over the ones still standing. No looting on my watch."

After days of fortifying the areas around Redding, fire crews were increasingly confident that the city would escape further damage. The fire had not grown inside the city limits since Saturday, Gouvea said.

Some evacuees were frustrated because they didn't know whether their homes were still standing. Some evacuated neighborhoods were reopened Monday but many remained closed as firefighters mopped up.

Fed up, Tim Bollman hiked 4 miles (6 kilometers) Sunday to check on the Redding home he built for his wife and two sons 13 years ago. He found rubble.

"There's not even anything to pick up," he said. "It's completely gone."

Keswick, a mountain town of about 450 people, was reduced to an ashy moonscape of blackened trees and smoldering ruins.

Meanwhile, officials said a second firefighter died fighting a huge blaze to the south near Yosemite National Park. Brian Hughes, 33, was struck by a tree while removing brush and other fuel near the so-called Ferguson Fire's front lines, officials said.

Originally from Hawaii, Hughes had been with California's Arrowhead Interagency Hotshots for four years and reached the rank of captain. Earlier this month, firefighter Braden Varney was killed when the bulldozer he was operating overturned while he was fighting the flames near the national park.

Yosemite Valley, the heart of tourism in the park, will remain closed until Aug. 3.

Update: 9:15 a.m.

Police say five people have been arrested on suspicion of entering areas of Northern California evacuated due to an explosive wildfire, including a man dressed in camouflage and carrying a loaded handgun.

The Record Searchlight reports Monday that police arrested Mitchell Stuebgen late Saturday in an evacuated zone of Redding, California, where a massive wildfire has displaced 38,000 from their homes and killed six people.

Police say Stuebgen was dressed in camouflage and was carrying a loaded handgun, a billy club, nunchucks and a concealed dagger.

Authorities on Sunday arrested 44-year-old Brian Cordoza and 37-year-old Frank Webber, both of Redding for being in an evacuated zone.

The Sacramento Bee reports that 25-year-old Jade Ball and 19-year-old Jack Fannin, of Redding, were also arrested Sunday after police found what they said was evidence tying them to several burglaries.

Original story

Thousands more people fled their homes after wildfires surged near a small lake town in Northern California, and the advance of the state's largest, deadliest blaze slowed slightly after days of explosive growth, authorities said.

In all, more than 10,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders from the two blazes in Mendocino and Lake counties. Those fires were among 17 burning across the state, where fire crews were stretched to the limit.

The latest evacuations included about 1,000 people in Mendocino County, Undersherriff Matthew Kendall said Monday.

The rest are in Lake County, where residents of the town of Lakeport, population 5,000, were ordered to leave Sunday night. Two other towns with about 5,000 people are also under mandatory evacuation.

The two blazes have destroyed six homes and are threatening 10,000 others. The fires had blackened 87 square miles (225 square kilometers), with minimal containment.

The wildfires that started Friday are about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Redding.

Crews handling the blaze near Redding struck a hopeful tone for the first time in days as the massive fire slowed after days of rapid expansion.

"We're feeling a lot more optimistic today as we're starting to gain some ground rather than being in a defensive mode on this fire all the time," said Bret Gouvea, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's incident commander on the blaze around Redding, a city about 230 miles (370 kilometers) north of San Francisco.

As of Monday, the Redding fire had destroyed 723 homes, up from a previous count of 657 homes.

Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko said authorities found a sixth victim of the blaze at a home that was consumed by flames, though he declined to say where. The victim's identity was not released.

Authorities were also investigating at least 18 missing-persons reports, though many of them may simply be people who have not checked in with friends or family, police said.

The Carr Fire that threatened Redding — a city of about 92,000 people — was ignited by a vehicle problem a week ago about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of the city. On Thursday, it swept through the historic Gold Rush town of Shasta and nearby Keswick, fueled by gusty winds and dry vegetation. It then jumped the Sacramento River and took out subdivisions on the western edge of Redding.

Redding Police Chief Roger Moore kept up a round-the-clock work schedule despite learning that his home was one of those destroyed. He was finally able to shave on Saturday when his wife brought him a razor, he said.

Moore was helping evacuate people from his River Ridge neighborhood in western Redding when the flames became unbearable.

"I saw everything around it ignite, and I go, 'It's gone,'" Moore said.

At least one person was arrested on suspicion of stealing from evacuated homes and authorities were keeping watch for other potential looters, said Deputy Travis Ridenour, whose home also burned.

"Lost our house like so many others," Ridenour wrote on Facebook. "Still out watching over the ones still standing. No looting on my watch."

After days of fortifying the areas around Redding, fire crews were increasingly confident that the city would escape further damage. The fire had not grown inside the city limits since Saturday, Gouvea said.

Some of the 38,000 people forced to evacuate said they were frustrated because they didn't know whether their homes were standing or were destroyed. Authorities had not reopened any evacuated neighborhoods where fires raged due to safety and ongoing investigations and urged people to be patient.

Fed up, on Sunday morning Tim Bollman hiked 4 miles (6 kilometers) to check on the Redding home he built for his wife and two sons 13 years ago. He found rubble.

"There's not even anything to pick up," he said. "It's completely gone."

Keswick, a mountain town of about 450 people, was reduced to an ashy moonscape of blackened trees and smoldering rubble.

The terrain surrounding nearby Whiskeytown Lake — usually filled in July with vacationers swimming in the clear water — was burned, burning or seemingly about to burn Sunday. A heavy haze hung low over the water, where some of the docked boats had melted.

Firefighters and utility repair crews drove up and down the once-scenic highway, while California Department of Transportation water trucks sprayed roadsides in hopes of preventing potential wildfires from burning across the road, which can cost several million dollars to repair.

Meanwhile, officials said a second firefighter died fighting a huge blaze to the south near Yosemite National Park. Brian Hughes, 33, was struck by a tree while removing brush and other fuel near the so-called Ferguson Fire's front lines, officials said.

Originally from Hawaii, Hughes had been with California's Arrowhead Interagency Hotshots for four years and reached the rank of captain. Earlier this month, firefighter Braden Varney was killed when the bulldozer he was operating overturned while he was fighting the flames near the national park.

Some evacuations were lifted, but officials said Yosemite Valley, the heart of tourism in the park, will remain closed until Aug. 3.


Also see | How to defend your home from wildfires


One more before you go: Devastating fires aren't just a rural problem anymore. As our climate and communities change, so does when and where wildfires will strike next. ABC10's Monica Woods shows why:

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