California Fire Update: Evacuation Orders In Shasta County As Flames Spread

Over 3000 firefighters struggled to contain the massive wildfire that continued to grow in Shasta County, California, claiming six lives and threatening to destroy more than 5000 structures.

Although only 17 percent of the 95,000-acre blaze had been contained by the fire department, Bret Gouvea, a deputy Cal Fire chief, assured residents at a press conference Sunday all hope was not lost.

“We’re starting to make some good progress out there,” Gouvea said, Mercury News reported. “Tonight, you’ll start seeing those containment percentages increase.”

Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko confirmed six people had died due to the fire so far, after an unidentified body was discovered by fire officials. No other details regarding the sixth death have been released.

Prior to that, 70-year-old Melody Bledsoe and her great-grandchildren, Emily Roberts, 4, and James Roberts, 5 — who were reported missing on Thursday after her house was engulfed in flames — were declared dead on Saturday. A firefighter — Jeremy Stoke, also died fighting the blaze, along with an unidentified bulldozer operator.

On the other hand, nine out of the 16 missing persons reported, were found safe. Seven cases were still under investigation.

"We're finding that there are a lot of communication issues making it hard to locate residents," Redding Police Sgt. Todd Cogle said, according to CNN. "We spoke with several people who left their cellphones at their residences and in this day and age people don't remember people's phone numbers."

So far, the barely contained blaze has prompted around 38,000 residents to evacuate their homes.

Keeping in mind that the fire mostly spread on the west, away from the city of Redding on Saturday, the Shasta County sheriff’s office issued evacuation orders for the town of Lewiston, the area north to the Trinity Lake dam, north of Platina Road west of the town of Ono and Highway 299 west to Douglas City, according to another Mercury News report.

Evacuation orders were replaced with red flag advisory for the residents of the Redding Ranchettes subdivision, near the Win-River Casino. Although people living in the area were allowed to revisit their homes, many roads remained closed.

Redding resident Melody Santos Bauman, 62, whose three-bedroom house in White Water Circle was made a pile of rubble by the fire, found solace in the fact that the blaze did not touch her newly planted evergreen tree in the front yard and a Japanese-style fountain behind the house.

Others like Barbara and Jason Richards, have packed their vehicles with food and emergency supplies but have refused to leave their retirement home outside Lewiston in Trinity County, where they live with three dogs and three puppies, till the evacuation advisory for the region becomes a mandatory order.

“Everything means something to us; it’s our life,” Jason said. “But, it’s all just stuff.”

Fire crews from as far as Florida, along with the National Guard were deployed to bring the fire under control. However, dry vegetation, accompanied by strong winds and rising temperatures were fueling the fire faster than it could be put out.