Deadly wildfire burns Northern California
The Carr Fire is pictured burning out of control in the Redding area of Northern California, July 26, 2018.
Tens of thousands were evacuated as the Carr Fire roared into the outskirts of Redding, in Shasta County. As of Monday, July 30, nearly 100,000 acres had been burned and more than 900 buildings and structures destroyed. At least nine people have died, including firefighters, a bulldozer operator, and a woman and her two great-grandchildren, ages four and five.
Meanwhile, evacuations were also ordered due to the River and Ranch Fires in Mendocino and Lake counties.
They are among the 18 wildfires burning across the state, stretching fire crews to the limit.
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A fire truck crosses Whiskeytown Lake as the Carr Fire burns near Whiskeytown, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018.
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The Carr Fire is seen raging in Redding, California on July 26, 2018, in a tweet from @PBandJammers, who says, "It's actual Armageddon outside."
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Smoke and flames are seen as a wildfire spreads through Redding, California, July 26, 2018, in this still image taken from video.
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The Carr Fire tears through Shasta, Calif., Thursday, July 26, 2018. Fueled by high temperatures, wind and low humidity, the blaze destroyed multiple homes.
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A residence burns as the Carr Fire tears through Shasta, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018.
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California State Parks Superintendent Lori Martin keeps watch on historic buildings as the Carr Fire burns a residence in Shasta, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018.
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A structure burns as the Carr Fire races along Highway 299 near Redding, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018.
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Firefighters discuss plans while battling the Carr Fire in Shasta, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018.
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A car passes through flames on Highway 299 as the Carr Fire burns through Shasta, Calif., Thursday, July 26, 2018.
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The Carr Fire burns along Highway 299 in Shasta, Calif., on Thursday, July 26, 2018.
A firefighter with the Redding Fire Department was killed in Shasta County, officials said Friday. Another firefighter hired to try to contain the flames with a bulldozer was killed Thursday.
The Carr Fire is "taking down everything in its path," said CalFire spokesman Scott McLean.
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Emergency personnel work in front of a burned property Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Idyllwild, Calif. A fast-moving wildfire tore through trees, burned several homes, and forced evacuations from an entire mountain town.
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Cars scorched by the Carr Fire rest at a residence in Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. The fire rapidly expanded Thursday when erratic flames swept through the historic Gold Rush town of Shasta and nearby Keswick, then cast the Sacramento River in an orange glow as they jumped the banks into Redding.
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A burned-out home in the small community of Keswick, near Redding, California, is shown July 27, 2018.
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A motorcycle sits next to a home that was destroyed by the Carr Fire on July 27, 2018 in Redding, California.
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Homes leveled by the Carr Fire line the Lake Keswick Estates area of Redding, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018.
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California Highway Patrol officer Gavin Graham surveys homes leveled by the Carr Fire in the Lake Keswick Estates area of Redding, Calif., Friday, July 27, 2018.
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A Volkswagen Beetle scorched by the Carr Fire rests at a residence in Redding, Calif., Friday, July 27, 2018.
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A boat scorched by the Carr Fire floats on Whiskeytown Lake in Whiskeytown, Calif., on Friday, July 27, 2018. The flames moved so quickly that firefighters working in oven-like temperatures and bone-dry conditions had to drop efforts to battle the blaze at one point to help people escape.
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Keela Brilz holds her dog Zoe who was returned safely to her at her home burned during the Carr Fire, in Redding, Calif., July 27, 2018.
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An elk head is seen mounted to a wall as a CalFire firefighter douses a burning home during the Carr fire in Redding, California on July 27, 2018.
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A charred child's bike is seen at a home that burned in the Carr Fire west of Redding, California, July 27, 2018.
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A scorched car sits next to a house that burned in the Carr Fire, west of Redding, California, July 27, 2018.
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An inmate fire crew walks towards flames while they work to stop the spread of the Carr Fire, west of Redding, California, July 27, 2018.
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Helicopters drop water on hotspots of the Carr Fire burning in the hills west of Redding, California, July 27, 2018.
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The setting sun is turned red by the smoke from the Carr Fire burning in the hills west of Redding, California, July 27, 2018.
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Flames from a backfire, set by firefighters trying to contain the Carr Fire, burn in Redding, Calif., on Saturday, July 28, 2018.
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Flames leap above firefighters battling the Carr Fire in Redding, Calif., on Saturday, July 28, 2018.
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A firefighter walks along a containment line in front of an advancing wildfire Saturday, July 28, 2018, in Redding, Calif.
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Carla Bledsoe (facing camera) hugs her sister Sherry outside of the sheriff's office after hearing news that Sherry's children, James and Emily, and grandmother, Melody Bledsoe, were killed in a wildfire Saturday, July 28, 2018, in Redding, Calif.
"My babies are dead," Sherry said through tears, after she and family members met with Shasta County sheriff's deputies.
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A fawn pauses near a burned house as firefighters battle the Carr Fire west of Redding, California, July 28, 2018.
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A helicopter prepares to drop water on the Carr Fire as it burns west of Redding, California, July 28, 2018.
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Scarred hills remain after the Carr Fire west of Redding, California, July 28, 2018.
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The Carr Fire burns west of Redding, California, July 28, 2018.
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The debris of a burned home is seen after the Carr Fire tore through Redding, California, July 28, 2018.
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Toys stand untouched near a home destroyed by the Carr Fire west of Redding, California, July 28, 2018.
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The debris of a burned home is seen after the Carr Fire west of Redding, California, July 28, 2018.
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The suns sets over hills burned by the Carr Fire west of Redding, California, July 28, 2018.
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Burned vehicles sit in front of a wildfire-ravaged home, Sunday, July 29, 2018, in Redding, Calif.
As of Thursday, Aug. 2, the Carr Fire, which killed two firefighters and four civilians including two children, had destroyed 818 homes and 311 outbuildings, and damaged 165 homes, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Scott McLean said.
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A firefighter walks through smoke while fighting to save Olof Cellars winery in Lakeport, Calif., Monday, July 30, 2018. A pair of wildfires barreled toward small lake towns in Northern California.
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A firefighter with Cal Fire Mendocino Unit walks along a containment line as a wildfire advances Monday, July 30, 2018, in Lakeport, Calif.
Evacuations were ordered on Sunday, July 29, due to twin fires, the River and Ranch Fires, in Mendocino and Lake counties, including from the 4,700-resident town of Lakeport, a popular destination for bass anglers and boaters on the shores of Clear Lake, about 120 miles north of San Francisco.
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Firefighters with Cal Fire Mendocino Unit cover themselves from smoke and ash created by an advancing wildfire Monday, July 30, 2018, in Lakeport, Calif.
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A plane drops retardant over a property threatened by a wildfire, Monday, July 30, 2018, in Lakeport, Calif.
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Flames consume a home as the River Fire tears though Lakeport, Calif., on Tuesday, July 31, 2018.
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Flames consume a home as the River Fire tears through Lakeport, Calif., Tuesday, July 31, 2018.
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In this Tuesday, July 31, 2018 photo, bulldozer operators and their machines build containment lines while battling the River fire in Lakeport, Calif. The operators who steer heavy bulldozers across steep ridges face many dangers, from the flames themselves to unsteady dirt and rocky terrain. The deaths of two bulldozer operators battling California wildfires in July highlighted the dangers confronting these less-visible firefighters.
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A firefighter runs while trying to save a home as a wildfire tears through Lakeport, Calif., Tuesday, July 31, 2018. The residence eventually burned.
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An air tanker drops retardant on the River Fire burning near Lakeport, Calif., on Tuesday, July 31, 2018.
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A woman evacuates from Lakeport, Calif., as the River Fire approaches, Tuesday, July 31, 2018.
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A fire crew from San Luis Obispo County keeps an eye on an advancing wildfire from the perimeter of a residence Tuesday, July 31, 2018, in Lakeport, Calif.
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A helicopter carries water while battling the River Fire in Lakeport, Calif., on Tuesday, July 31, 2018.
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A firefighter rushes to save a home as the River Fire tears through Lakeport, Calif., on Tuesday, July 31, 2018. The residence eventually burned.
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A firefighter pats a horse during an operation to battle a wildfire in an area near Mendocino National Forest, California, August 4, 2018.
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In this Aug. 5, 2018 photo, a truck passes by flames during the Ranch Fire in Clearlake Oaks, Calif.
A rapidly-expanding wildfire burning over an area the size of Los Angeles has become the state's largest blaze in recorded history. It's the second year in a row that California has recorded the state's largest wildfire.
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A tree burns from the inside during the Ranch Fire in Clearlake Oaks, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018.
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A satellite image shows the River Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex Fire, in California, August 6, 2018.
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Firefighters monitor a backfire while battling the Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex Fire, on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, near Ladoga, Calif.
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A photographer takes pictures of a wildfire burning near a residential area Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018, in Lake Elsinore, Calif. The flames gained renewed strength Wednesday, sending up thick smoke that officials say is creating unhealthy conditions in some neighborhoods.