The Redding Searchlight reports this frightening wildfire has forced nearly 40,000 residents in the area to evacuate their homes, leaving many wondering if they’ll ever be able to return at all.
But it is while these residents evacuate that close to 4,000 brave men and women of the surrounding fire departments have sprung into action.
Countless firefighters have been working around the clock to keep the fire from claiming more land and lives.
A recent photo going viral proves just how heroic these firefighters are in such a time of crisis.
In an image posted to twitter by photojournalist Douglas MacDonald, a group of firefighters are captured sleeping in the yard of a home they saved from a fire the previous night.
This photo should be on the front page of every paper in the country.
Fire fighters curled up on the ground in the back yard of the house they just saved the night before, resting up for the next shift in their battle with the #CarrFire. pic.twitter.com/elGtpFKmtl
— Douglas MacDonald (@dmac5dmark2) July 28, 2018
“This photo should be on the front page of every paper in the country,” MacDonald tweeted.
“Fire fighters curled up on the ground in the back yard of the house they just saved the night before, resting up for the next shift in their battle with the [Carr Fire].”- READ MORE
[divider][/divider]The death toll has risen to five, as great-grandmother Mary Bledsoe and her great-grandchildren, James Roberts, 5, and Emily Roberts, 4, were killed as the Carr fire moved through Redding, CA on Saturday. The fire is currently 5% contained and has destroyed over 80,000 acres and 500 structures based on a revised counts.
President Trump has declared a state of emergency in California after deadly wildfires have ripped through over 102,028 acres across the state this week, according to the governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
According to the White House, Trump has authorized FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) to assist California firefighters who are battling tinder-fueled infernos thanks to nearly half-a-decade of drought.
The worst of the blazes has devastated Shasta County, as the Carr Fire has claimed the lives of two first responders, forced thousands to evacuate and burned 48,312 acres – around half the total affected area across the state. The fire was 5% contained as of Friday night according to officials, while Fire Inspector Jeremy Stoke was killed along with a bulldozer operator as they battled the blaze.– READ MORE
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