Late Season Fire Hits Redding Area From a news story by October 17, 1999
The flames raced like the wind, winds that pushed the fire straight up the treetops, travelling so fast firefighters had a tough time keeping up. Fire Capt. Kirk Mathews says, "The fire traveled fast, and there's a time element to be able to get resources in safely." A firefighter told residents, "It's gonna get wild and crazy; let's go" The fire burned twenty thousand acres along a seventy-mile strip in a little more than fifteen hours. Hundreds of residents grabbed what they could and fled. Susan Silveira escaped with what she could, but the next day firefighters wouldn't let her back down her street. She says, "The people here won't let me in to see if I have a house standing, so I'm just a little testy." Silveira's garage burned to the ground, but her house was untouched. Across town a pile of rubble, what's left of the local Baptist church in Belle Vista. About seventy-five evacuees spent the night at the local high school, anxiously awaiting the final word on whether they were spared. Deems Taylor says, "People here do not know if they have homes to return to, and they are anxious to get back in. The Red Cross is ready to assist those who've lost their homes long term." As power crews raced to fix burned power lines, firefighters watched to see if the flames would kick up, still keeping many residents from going back to their neighborhoods. This smoldering oak tree is a good example of why firefighters don't want residents to go back to early. A gust of wind could send embers to the nearby field starting another fire. More than three thousand firefighters from throughout California were called to battle this late season blaze. A blaze firefighters hope to contain by Monday, if only the winds will stay at bay.
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