Firefighters 'in Lifesaving Mode' as Wildfire Tears Through Towns in Northern California

REDDING, Calif. (AP) — An explosive wildfire tore through two small Northern California communities before reaching the city of Redding, killing a bulldozer operator on the fire lines, burning three firefighters, destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands of terrified residents to flee. Flames swept through the communities of Shasta and Keswick before jumping the Sacramento River on Thursday and reaching Redding, a city of about 92,000 people and the largest in the region. The so-called Carr Fire is "taking down everything in its path," said Scott McLean, a CalFire spokesman for the crews battling the blaze. Residents in the western part of Redding who hadn't been under evacuation orders were caught off guard and had to flee with little notice, causing miles-long traffic jams as flames turned the skies orange. "When it hit, people were really scrambling," McLean said. "There was not much of a warning." Many firefighters turned their focus from the flames to getting people out alive. "Really we're in a life-saving mode right now in Redding," said Jonathan Cox, battalion chief with Cal Fire. "We're not fighting a fire. We're trying to move people out of the path of it because it is now deadly and it is now moving at speeds and in ways we have not seen before in this area." Some residents drove to hotels or the homes of family members in safer parts of California, while other evacuees poured into a shelter just outside of...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: News Mass Casualty Incidents Source Type: news