Wildfire spurs Redding area evacuation calls
SHASTA COUNTY » Fire crews are at the scene of a fast- growing wildfire northeast of Redding that had burned about 820 acres by Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
Officials have not confirmed the cause of the fire, but an online California Highway Patrol log lists reports of a houseboat fire beginning at 11:17 a.m. on Shasta Lake at Bear Mountain and Dry Creek roads.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection resources responded at about 11: 30 a. m. to reports of the fire north of the town of Bella Vista, about 15 miles northeast of Redding.
Just after noon, the fire was listed at 20 acres in size, but grew to 50 acres within minutes, hitting 300 acres by about 1:25 p. m. before doubling in size in just one hour. Shortly before 7 p.m., CalFire tweeted that the fire had burned 600 acres and was 20% contained.
By 5:30 p. m., Redding Fire Department Chief Cullen Kreider said that CalFire had increased its size to 820 acres.
The Shasta County Sheriff ’ s Office, which was coordinating evacuation orders for nearby towns, initially directed residents to the Shasta College gymnasium but was soon forced to evacuate the college as the fire spread. Residents are now being sent to Crosspointe Community Church in Redding.
At Tierra Oaks Golf Course on the eastern edge of Redding on Thursday afternoon, Faith Hornby at the pro shop said the fire appeared to be about six miles farther east — she could see the tall black plume — and she had no orders to evacuate. The wind seemed to be blowing toward the east, she said, away from town.
“I know there are probably trailer homes and storage units that are probably pretty unlucky right now,” Hornby said. “Other than that, it’s not toward Redding yet.”
The golf course remained open, she said, “but we’re just taking precautions. If anybody wants to go out and play, we make sure they take their phones with them and take a cart instead of walk.”
About 1,100 homes and structures were threatened, affecting about 3,885 people, with a large area under mandatory evacuation, Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Anthony Bertain said in a Facebook post Thursday.
Simpson University said its campus was not in danger, but a scheduled women’s soccer scrimmage has been canceled out of an abundance of caution.
Road closures included Highway 299 between Deschutes and Old Oregon Trail, Kitty Hawk at Bear Mountain Road, Bear Mountain Road at Dry Creek, Bear Mountain at Old Oregon Trail, and Old Oregon Trail at Oasis.
Anyone with animals in need of assistance should call the SHASCOM nonemergency dispatch line at 530- 245- 6540. Redding fire Chief Kreider said dogs and cats are accepted at Haven Humane, 7449 Eastside Road, while horses and other livestock should go to the Redding Rodeo Grounds, 715 Auditorium Drive.
Residents may text SHASTAFIRE to 898211 for up- to- date information on evacuations and road closures.
Conditions in the area have been breezy but not “overly” windy, said Craig Shoemaker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Northwest winds have been blowing about 10 mph, he said, with occasional gusts of between 17 and 20 mph.
Those winds are expected to die down even further today at about midday and shift to the south, which Shoemaker said should be better for grappling with the fire.
“North winds are worse for fire because they blow down into the canyon,” he said. “Winds shifting to the south should be better in pushing the fire to the lake; that’s the hope anyway.”
The air has also been very dry, he said, with humidity levels at about 15 to 20% Thursday.
“We’re expecting ( humidity levels) to maybe get up to 45 or 50%,” Shoemaker said. “It’s not a real big moisture increase, but some improvement overnight, which should help out a little.”
Contact George Kelly at 510-208- 6488, Julia Prodis Sulek at 408-2783409 and Annie Sciacca at 925-943-8073.