Californians run from wind-fanned blaze
OROVILLE, Calif. — Tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate a fast-moving wildfire that exploded in size Thursday, threatening several Northern California communities and forcing panicked residents to race to help neighbors and drive through walls of flames to escape.
As people fled in cars, some abandoned their vehicles, running from encroaching flames as they held babies and pets, said Gina Oviedo, who described a devastating scene as she evacuated the town of Paradise. Flames were engulfing homes, utility poles were crashing down and things were exploding, she said.
All of Paradise, a town of about 27,000 people 180 miles northeast of San Francisco, was ordered to evacuate, said Butte County Sheriff’s spokesman Miranda Bowersox.
At a late afternoon news conference, Chief Darren Read with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said he had reports of several hundred destroyed structures, but he cautioned that officials had not yet been able to assess damage.
“The blaze is being driven by fairly strong winds,” said Rick Carhart, a spokesman for the fire protection agency. “It’s really dry and we have low humidity — and unfortunately those are great conditions for a fire to spread.”
Officials were sending as many crews as they could gather, said Carhart, adding: “There are dozens of strike teams that we’re bringing in from all parts of the state.”
The National Weather Service issued red-flag warnings for fire dangers in many areas of the state, saying low humidity and strong winds were expected to continue through this evening.