Five people were found dead in their burned-out vehicles after a Northern California wildfire incinerated most of a town of about 30,000 people with flames that moved so fast there was nothing firefighters could do, authorities said Friday.
A sixth death was reported later in the day, as crews battled multiple fires in the state.
The problems weren't limited to the north end of the sprawling state — crews in Southern California were also dealing with two major fires that sparked evacuations in areas like Malibu.
The problems weren't limited to the north end of the sprawling state — crews in Southern California were also dealing with two major fires that sparked evacuations in areas like Malibu.
Only a day after it began, the blaze near the Northern California town of Paradise had grown to nearly 285 square kilometres and was burning completely out of control.
There was really no firefight involved," Capt. Scott McLean of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said, explaining that crews gave up attacking the flames and instead helped people get out alive.
"These firefighters were in the rescue mode all day yesterday."
"The magnitude of the destruction we're seeing is unbelievable," Mark Ghilarducci, of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, said earlier Friday.
More than 6,000 firefighters were on firelines across the state on Friday morning, a top Cal Fire official said. There were six major fires burning Friday, but the three major fires officials were most concerned about were:
www.sfgate.com/news/article/Camp-Fire-Before-and-after-images-show-blaze-s-13379357.php
A sixth death was reported later in the day, as crews battled multiple fires in the state.
The problems weren't limited to the north end of the sprawling state — crews in Southern California were also dealing with two major fires that sparked evacuations in areas like Malibu.
The problems weren't limited to the north end of the sprawling state — crews in Southern California were also dealing with two major fires that sparked evacuations in areas like Malibu.
Only a day after it began, the blaze near the Northern California town of Paradise had grown to nearly 285 square kilometres and was burning completely out of control.
There was really no firefight involved," Capt. Scott McLean of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said, explaining that crews gave up attacking the flames and instead helped people get out alive.
"These firefighters were in the rescue mode all day yesterday."
"The magnitude of the destruction we're seeing is unbelievable," Mark Ghilarducci, of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, said earlier Friday.
More than 6,000 firefighters were on firelines across the state on Friday morning, a top Cal Fire official said. There were six major fires burning Friday, but the three major fires officials were most concerned about were:
- Camp Fire, in Butte County.
- Hill Fire, in Ventura County.
- Woolsey Fire, in Ventura County.
www.sfgate.com/news/article/Camp-Fire-Before-and-after-images-show-blaze-s-13379357.php
