UPDATED: Enormous 28,000 ac. Carr fire jumps Sac. River, roars into W. Redding

UPDATE: Friday, July, 27, 2:45 a.m., With additional details and interviews

UPDATE: Friday, July, 27, 1 a.m. With additional videos

See original report, photos, and videos below.

REDDING — KRCR News Channel 7 is reporting that Mercy Medical Center’s emergency room has begun receiving “several” burn patients with “severe” injuries. NICU infants and high-risk patients are being evacuated from the hospital and while KRCR was filming from the parking lot a Dignity Health helicopter left the hospital’s helipad to assist with ongoing firefighting efforts.

KRCR further reported that the hospital has been “overwhelmed” with “severely burned” victims and that their resources were being stretched to their limits.

The hospital is not yet turning patients away from their E.R.; however, hospital officials have advised that the E.R. would only be receiving potential mass-casualty patients.

Shortly before the massive blaze jumped the Sacramento River and swept into residential neighborhoods in the western end of Redding CHP reported via social media, “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,” CHP continued. “Don’t wait for evacuation calls.”

“For the most part, West Redding is on fire,” and many of the more than 2,000 firefighters working the are in “life safety mode,” Scott McLean, spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, reported via Twitter two hours ago.

McLean had previously reported the imminent danger to Redding and surrounding communities, describing the blaze as “very dynamic” and calling firefighters’ ongoing efforts “a heck of a fight.”

The fire, which has grown to nearly 30,000 acres with only six percent containment, is now visible from space, according to US Storm Watch, who Tweeted, “Firefighters have been ordered to abandon structure defense and containment efforts to protect human life.”

During a press conference regarding the civilian bulldozer operator killed while battling “an active fire line” Unified Incident Commander Chief Brett Gouva called the fire “extremely dangerous,” and said the erratic and fast-spreading blaze was moving “without regard” for anything – or anyone – in its path.

Because of the fire danger, the evacuation center at Shasta High School is now closed. Officials have established a new evacuation center at Shasta College, located at 11555 Old Oregon Trail, in Redding.

Residents west of Trinity Mountain Rd are being directed to an evacuation center at Weaverville Elementary School. located at 31020 Highway 3 in Weaverville.

An animal evacuation center for large animals has been set up at Redding Rodeo Grounds, located at 715 Auditorium Drive, in Redding. Small animals can be taken to Haven Humane 9417, at East Side Drive, in Redding.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

KRCR News Channel 7 video

KRCR News Channel 7 video

 

 

Original Story

REDDING — Already burning four days, the Carr Fire erupted earlier this evening into a massive and devastating inferno that killed one civilian contractor battling the blaze and injured several citizens and fire officials after the inferno jumped the Sacramento River and quickly swept into Redding, along the city’s west end.

As area temperatures soared into the mid 110’s, more than 1,700 firefighters were battling the blaze this afternoon when the already 28,750 acre fire erupted into a monstrous conflagration, turned and roared directly toward Redding’s city limits.

The fire’s unexpected turn and jump of the Sacramento River sent flames sweeping into residential neighborhoods in the rolling hills along the city’s western end, even as panic-stricken area residents scrambled for safety and fled for their lives, clogging many area roads and highways out of the city.

LEADING THE SCNS HEADLINES:

Montgomery Creek evacuations ordered as firefighters continue battling blaze, now at 50 acres

Burney woman hospitalized, arrested, after fight involving hedge trimmers, baseball bat

First responders attacked with bricks & rocks during Redding medical aid call

As burn victims and other serious injuries began to fill Mercy Medical Center’s emergency room, the hospital went onto high alert, Mike Mangas, External Communications Manager for the hospital, explained at 9:45 p.m. this evening. According to Mangas, hospital staff had begun preparing to move newborns and intensive-care patients from the facility.

Kelley Grandell/Facebook photo

“Structures are burning,” Scott McLean, spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, explained late Thursday night. “The fire is moving so fast that law enforcement is doing evacuations as fast as we can.”

McLean reported via Twitter that the blaze had destroyed dozens of homes in the communities of Shasta, Keswick, and the west side of Redding.

According to Mclean, the fire is “taking everything down in its path.”

“There have been some injuries to civilians and firefighters,” McLean explained, although he was not able at the time to elaborate further. “It’s way too dynamic and burning quickly,” McLean explained.

Officials have not provided an estimate of how many people have been injured since the fire crossed the Sacramento River, but Cal Fire earlier reported that a private bulldozer operator died while helping battle the enormous and still growing blaze.

Despite four days of fierce firefighting efforts the enormous blaze, which began Monday afternoon in the Whiskeytown area after a vehicle malfunction, had tripled in size as of Thursday afternoon.

“It’s extreme. It’s blowing up off and on again,” said McLean. “Right now they’re doing what they can, they’re trying to make a stand where they can, if possible.”

“It crossed the Sacramento River north of Redding from the reports we got,” McLean continued. “It’s within the city limits of Redding and it’s in an area of rolling hills, so it’s not house-to-house neighborhoods but it’s burning into Redding and prompting immediate and urgent evacuations.”

Many firefighters have reportedly been pulled from firefighting efforts, as they are forced to assist law enforcement officials with door-to-door emergency evacuation orders.

In an effort to prevent fire-damaged electrical equipment from sparking additional fires, at 9 p.m. Cal Fire requested Redding Electric Utility to shut off electricity to residents of the North Redding area. KRCR news, which has since ceased all live programming and evacuated their Redding broadcast facility, confirmed that parts of the city are without power before going off the air.

Because of the fire danger, the evacuation center at Shasta High School is now closed. Officials have established a new evacuation center at Shasta College, located at 11555 Old Oregon Trail, in Redding.

In addition to other assistance requested by local and state fire officials, the Redding Record-Searchlight has reported that Cal Fire made a request for help and additional resources from the California National Guard. It was not immediately known if or when that extra assistance would be approved and available.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

Click any image to open full-size gallery.

Mike Daly photo
Mike Daly photo
Mike Daly photo
Mike Daly photo
Mike Daly photo
Kelley Grandell/Facebook photo

Additional pictures being uploaded, please check back soon.

Mike Daly video

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations, including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook, as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and The Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 27 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 14 – soon to be 15 – grandchildren.

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