California firefighters make progress in battling deadly wildfire

“I knew. When I couldn’t get a hold of him, I knew”, she said.

About 38,000 people were under evacuation orders, 5,000 homes were threatened and the fire was just 5 percent contained.

The fire, which started more than a week ago, has burned 103,772 acres – scorching an area bigger than the size of Denver.

Northern California remains under siege as fast-moving wildfires continue to threaten more than 14,000 buildings.

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.

“Winds in the area of the fires will be locally gusty, with gusts up to 25 miles per hour”.

Ed Bledsoe said he wasn’t able to use his usual route to get home because of traffic congestion in the fire area, so he left his vehicle and tried to make it home on foot but that, too, was not possible. “And that allowed us to turn the fire from those homes, to be proactive instead of reactive”.

Carr Fire incident commander Bret Gouvea, speaking Monday afternoon at the Redding Civic Auditorium, sought to reassure the community.

There are many reasons for the grim totals, but experts say one common denominator connects the disastrous fires: California is facing extreme heat, the likes of which it has never seen in the modern historical record.

These risky conditions were expected to continue through Friday night. “The fires are likely to generate their own winds, which could be stronger at times”, she said. Temperatures also crept toward the triple digits on Friday.

McLean, the state fire spokesman, said there was no guarantee of safety in a state that has been ravaged by years of drought that has turned trees and brush to tinder.

More than 3,000 fire personnel are battling the blaze with more than 300 engines and 17 helicopters, Cal Fire reported, as tall smoke plumes turn the sky an eerie orange-brown hue.

The death toll in northern California’s Carr blaze has risen to six as firefighters from across the country struggled to control flames that have scorched tens of thousands of acres.

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. “The fire community is extremely heartbroken for this loss”.

Three commercial structures and 240 outbuildings were destroyed.

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.

“Erratic winds and hot dry conditions resulted in greater growth and increased fire behavior during night operations”.

It’s now the largest fire burning in California.

The Ferguson Fire in Mariposa County has burned more than 56,000 acres and is 30% contained.

The Carr Fire prompted mandatory evacuations for tens of thousands of people in Redding, a city hundreds of miles north of San Francisco.

Residents described a sense of confusion as the fire continued to burn closer. The sixth victim, who was not identified, did not evacuate despite receiving a warning, authorities said.

Hughes says he and about five of his neighbors chose to protect their homes against fire and looters, despite an evacuation text alert they got Sunday evening.

He said he was told that the sheriff’s office picked them up and rescued them.

While he discussed the worst-case scenario of the three staying put as the flames closed in, Decker held out some hope Saturday morning until he got the word they were dreading. “We have our lives and family and friends, but we just feel lost”.

The two blazes have destroyed six homes and are threatening 10,000 others.

Another method known as the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System can be directed to any cellphone within reach of a particular transmission tower, said Sherry Bartolo, operations manager for the Shasta County dispatch centre. He is watching over her chickens, sheep and other animals. “We still have a lot of open line”.

“I would’ve died right there with them”. “That is kind of that new normal that we are dealing with in California”. How long before we have a home again?’ she asked.

Last Tuesday, Bush returned to his mobile home in Keswick after undergoing quadruple bypass surgery.

“We’re starting to feel good about where we’re going”, he said.

He found out that he was among the lucky ones: His house was still standing.

“There’s houses still smoldering”, he said, “and plenty of green stuff still to burn if the fire comes back this way”.