The Carr Fire continues to rage across Northern California on Saturday morning, having moved into heavily populated areas, reported the Washington Post. “This fire is extremely dangerous and moving with no regard to what’s in its path,” Cal Fire Chief Brett Gouvea said.
The Carr Fire began Monday afternoon, July 23, and was caused by a vehicle’s mechanical failure, Cal Fire reported, forcing a TV station to evacuate mid-broadcast. Officials said the Northern California fire has tripled in size. Its growth was explosive, fueled by strong winds, low humidity and scorching temperatures.
Cal Fire said the blaze “became very active” Thursday night leading into Friday. On Thursday morning, it was burning across 20,000 acres, fire officials said. Within 24 hours, it had doubled in size, spreading across an area the size of the District of Columbia, and was only 5 percent contained Saturday morning and has now burned more than 80,000 acres.
“Firefighters continue to work aggressively to build containment lines around the Carr Fire,” the agency said in a statement. “Their efforts have been hampered overnight due to extreme fire behavior and challenging wind conditions.”
Forecasts for the weekend said temperatures could approach 110 degrees on Saturday and Sunday, the Weather Service said.
The fire created an apocalyptic scene around Redding and beyond, cloaking the sky in a haunting orange glow streaked by plumes of smoke. Authorities said they had dispatched more than 1,700 fire personnel, including dozens of fire crews, more than 100 fire engines along with bulldozers, helicopters and vehicles to deliver water.