![]() ![]() “Best first responders ever! Our heroes,” one sign read. Some have posted handwritten signs all over the city. To show their appreciation to firefighters and emergency personnel, Northern California communities are offering them food, water, even free haircuts. Of the seven people killed in the Carr Fire, two were firefighters: Jeremy Stoke, who was helping evacuate people, and an unidentified bulldozer operator killed while fighting the flames. Other firefighters lost their lives while trying to save others. “Once I saw my house gone … there’s going to be plenty of time to go back through the remains and see what we can salvage.” “I don’t feel that I did anything special,” he said of continuing to work despite losing his home. He took a picture of the charred debris where his house once stood and continued fighting the blaze, at times working 24-hour shifts with some of the nearly 5,000 firefighters battling it. ![]() As he flew over his neighborhood this week, he realized his home had burned to ashes, too. Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Imagesįirefighter David Spliethof was doing his job as a spotter pilot, flying over the fiery chaos to assess damage and flag trouble. The Carr Fire spread toward the towns of Douglas City and Lewiston near Redding, California. “I tried to call them back and it just went to nothing,” Bledsoe said as he wept. His wife and the two children were among the seven people killed in the Carr Fire. But the roads were congested and the heat and flames so intense, the area near his house was cordoned off. “He just kept saying, ‘Grandpa, Come get me … come on, Grandpa,’ ” Ed Bledsoe said. James took the phone and pleaded with his great-grandfather to hurry up and save them. She begged him to come get her and their great-grandchildren: Emily Roberts, 4, and James Roberts, 5. ![]() While he was out, his wife, Melody Bledsoe, 70, called and told him the fire was getting closer to their home. At the time, it had burned for three days, but away from his neighborhood. The Shasta County resident had left home to see a doctor, unaware of the fire’s erratic movement. The Associated Press contributed to this report.Ed Bledsoe lost his wife and their two great-grandchildren in the fire, all within 15 minutes. Until the Camp Fire, Griffith Park was the deadliest wildfire in California history. GRIFFITH PARK - (Los Angeles County), October 1933 The Rattlesnake Fire killed 15 people, one of the deadliest in state history. It also destroyed 2,900 structures, making it the third most destructive. The Tunnel Fire was the third deadliest in state history, killing 25 people. TUNNEL - Oakland Hills (Alameda County), October 1991 It is also the third largest in state history, burning 273,246 acres. The Cedar Fire killed 15 people and destroyed 2,820 structures. At 197,990 acres, it was also among the 10 largest.ĬEDAR FIRE (San Diego County), October 2003 The fire destroyed 1,650 structures, making it the sixth most destructive in state history. Fortunately, it destroyed no structures and caused no deaths. The Rush Fire was among the state's largest at 271,911 acres in California (with an additional 43,666 acres in Nevada). The Valley Fire burned 1,955 structures, one of the most destructive in state history. VALLEY (Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties), Sept. Official cause: Still under investigation The Tubbs Fire was also among the most deadly recent fires, killing 22 people. Until the Camp Fire, it was most destructive wildfire in state history. The Tubbs Fire destroyed 5,636 structures. TUBBS (Napa and Sonoma counties), October 2017 ![]()
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