Massive Northern California wildfire is 'taking everything down in its path' as locals flee

AP Photo/Noah Berger

• An explosive wildfire tore through two small Northern California communities Thursday before reaching homes in the city of Redding.
• The fire has destroyed dozens of structures and a historic schoolhouse, and causing burn injuries to civilians and firefighters, a state fire official said.
• Firefighters tried in vain to build containment around the blaze Thursday but flames kept jumping their lines, authorities said.
• The 45-square-mile (115-square-kilometer) Carr Fire that began Monday tripled in size overnight Thursday amid scorching temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions.

---

REDDING, Calif. (AP) — An explosive wildfire tore through two small Northern California communities Thursday before reaching the city of Redding, killing a bulldozer operator on the fire lines, burning three firefighters, destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands to flee.

Scott McLean, a CalFire spokesman for the crews battling the blaze, said flames swept through the communities of Shasta and Keswick before jumping the Sacramento River and reaching Redding, a city of about 92,000 people — the largest in the region.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

NOW WATCH: I tried the newest BlackBerry phone for a week

See Also:

• These photos reveal why the 26-year-old organizer of the disastrous Fyre Festival could spend 10 years in prison
• It turns out the soccer ball Putin gifted to Trump really does have a transmitter chip inside
• Americans that live in these cities are most likely to suffer from floods

from Business Insider https://ift.tt/2mJUhQy