REVEALED: Sparks from a FLAT-TIRE rim ignited the devastating Californian wildfire which has killed at least six and scorched nearly 142,000 acres, say investigators… as it continues to rage
The cause of the devastating Carr fire is revealed to be a tractor-trailer with a flat tire on July 23
Since then the fire has burned 141,825 acres near Redding, California and is 41 per cent contained
Windy, hot weather this weekend could drive the flames into new areas and threaten more homes
Meanwhile, Mendocino Complex fire has grown even larger than the Carr fire, burning 156,687 acres
Ye another fire, the Ferguson fire, has shut down Yosemite National Park as crews race to contain flames
By KEITH GRIFFITH
DAILYMAIL.COM
4 August 2018
The cause of the deadly Carr fire has been revealed as a flat tire on a towed trailer.
The rim of the flat tire threw off sparks from the asphalt along Highway 299 outside of Redding, California on July 23, igniting what would become the sixth-most destructive wildfire in state history, CNN reported.
As of Tuesday morning, the Carr fire had killed six people, including two firefighters, and burned 141,825 acres. CalFire said the fire was 41 per cent contained.
The fire has destroyed 1,579 structures, including 1,073 residences, officials said.
Fire crews worked throughout the night on Friday to contain potential hot spots, but a weekend forecast of windy, hot weather raised fears that the flames will be driven into new areas and threaten more homes.
The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings of critical fire weather conditions through Saturday night, saying a series of dry low-pressure systems passing through the region could bring wind gusts of up to 35 mph that could turn small fires or even sparks into racing walls of flame.
‘This is a particularly dangerous situation with extremely low humidity and high winds. New fires will grow rapidly out of control, in some cases people may not be able to evacuate safely in time should a fire approach,’ the weather service said in its bulletin for the Mendocino area north of San Francisco.
As a precaution, new evacuations were called Friday for an area of Mendocino and Lake counties where week-old twin fires have destroyed 41 homes and threaten about 9,000 more.
The fire has charred an area of the forested, rural area five times the size of San Francisco. Thousands of people remain evacuated.
The fire remained several miles from the evacuated communities along the eastern shore of Clear Lake but ‘it looks like there’s dicey weather on the way,’ California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Jane LaBoa said.
However, some days-old evacuations were lifted Friday in an area near Redding, where armies of firefighters and fleets of aircraft have been battling an immense blaze about 100 miles south of the Oregon line. Some areas on the fire’s southeastern flank were reopened to residents.
The Carr Fire was 39 percent contained after killing six people and incinerating 1,067 homes.
Governor Jerry Brown was scheduled to visit the fire area in Shasta County on Saturday.
The fire burned slowly for days before winds suddenly whipped it up last week and drove it furiously through brush and timber.
The blaze burned so furiously on July 26 that it created a ‘fire whirl.’ The twirling tower of flame reached speeds of 143 mph, which rivaled some of the most destructive Midwest tornadoes, National Weather Service meteorologist Duane Dykema said. The whirl uprooted trees and tore roofs from homes, Dykema said.
The Rest…HERE
