Wildfire kills two firefighters near Redding

REDDING, Calif. -- The deadly Carr Fire that has engulfed more than 44,000 acres in Shasta County and claimed the life of two firefighters prompted new evacuations orders Friday, sending more than 37,000 residents fleeing for their lives after the aggressive inferno jumped the Sacramento River near Redding.

Fire inspector Jeremy Stoke was the second fightfighter to die battling the Carr Fire, the Redding Fire Department announced Friday. The first victim, a contracted bulldozer operator, has not yet been identified.

The deaths bring to three the number of firefighters who have died this month battling wildfires in the state. Braden Varney, who was operating a bulldozer, died fighting the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park on July 14.

The Carr Fire has destroyed 125 homes since Monday, according to the Associated Press. It has also damaged 55 structures and nearly 5,000 homes were threatened, officials with the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. A dozen historic buildings have reportedly burned, and the flames have consumed structures in Shasta Historic State Park, a ghost town west of Redding.

As of Friday, the fire had burned 44,450 acres in total and was 3 percent contained. Evacuation orders have been issued to at least 37,363 people, Cal Fire officials said.

Among those injured in the Carr Fire on Friday were three Marin County firefighters who suffered burns to their ears, face and hands. Two were treated and released, while the third was transported to the University of California at Davis Medical Center, said Battalion Chief Bret McTigue, of the Marin County Fire Department.

``A sudden gust of wind pushed the fire forward ahead of the fire front, and they received severe heat lash from adjacent pine trees,'' McTigue said.

The injured firefighters were identified as Scott Pederson, 37; Tyler Barnes, 34; and Brian Cardoza, 26 -- department veterans for 19 years, four years and three months, respectively.

Gov. Jerry Brown tweeted support Friday for those impacted by the state's latest inferno.

``Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the two firefighters we lost fighting the #CarrFire & with the many Californians who have lost their homes,'' he said. ``We are with you.''

The Carr Fire is believed to have been caused by a vehicle mechanical failure on Monday near Whiskeytown, about 30 miles west of Redding. Winds pushed it across the Sacramento River late Thursday and into Redding, a city of 90,000 just south of Shasta Lake.

The blaze -- one of more than a dozen wildfires across California -- has been stoked all week by triple-digit temperatures that are expected to continue through the weekend and reach as high as 110 degrees.

In the West Gate neighborhood of Redding on Friday, Vanessa Cantwell, 61, and her daughters stood with neighbors under a red sky in the scalding heat. They had evacuated Thursday, but many neighbors had walked back in, considering whether to try and haul out more stuff.

``It's not the kind of neighborhood meeting you want to have,'' Cantwell said.

In the nearby Mary Lake neighborhood, many residents were less lucky.

A row of six houses was leveled and smoldering. Small balls of fire still carried a torch on each property, signaling the burning gas lines that are safer when allowed to burn themselves out. The only sounds in the neighborhood were the eery hissing of the gas lines and the incessant drone of helicopters.

Andrew Skow, 19, stared in disbelief at a charred home around the corner from his family's house, which avoided the blaze. The home belonged to his friends' grandparents.

``It really sucks,'' Skow said. ``We know everyone here.''

Austin Kaser emerged from his backyard in the same neighborhood with the calm of someone well-versed in chaos. The firefighter-turned-paramedic had come as close to losing his home as one can get. His charred backyard and the blackened backside of his neighbor's home offered proof.

``We got lucky,'' Kaser said.

Northwest wind gusts up to 25 mph were expected Friday evening in the canyons near the fire, he said.

Driving through Shasta County, Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean said he saw large and small trees that had been ripped out of the ground and fallen onto homes. One gust blew out the windows of a Cal Fire pickup truck, he added.

``That tells me there was a heck of a lot of erratic winds,'' McLean said. ``That's what these firefighters are having to deal with.''

In addition to the firefighters who were killed and injured, the blaze has injured several civilians, officials said.

There are 1,748 fire personnel responding to the Carr Fire, including 110 engines, 34 water tenders, 10 helicopters, 51 hand crews and 22 bulldozers.

On Thursday, Gov. Brown declared a state of emergency for Shasta County to mobilize the state's Office of Emergency Services and other agencies to provide aid.

An evacuation center was available at Shasta College and Weaverville Elementary School.

Further south, the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park had burned 45,911 acres and was 29 percent contained, officials said. Parts of the park have been closed through Sunday because of the unhealthy plumes of smoke. Brown also declared a state of emergency for both the Ferguson Fire and the Cranston Fire in Riverside County.