A raging wildfire in Northern California that swelled in size overnight has killed two people and injured at least three firefighters, officials said Friday. The Carr Fire in Shasta County has since claimed the lives of a bulldozer operator and a city of Redding firefighter, according to officials from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the U.S. National Park Service and the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office.
The “mechanical failure of a vehicle” ignited the blaze in Whiskeytown Monday, officials said. The fire had burned an area of more than 44,000 acres by Friday morning, with a containment of just 3 percent. The flames ripped through northwest Shasta County then spread southeast, sweeping across the Sacramento River overnight and roaring toward the city limits of Redding, which is home to 92,000. READ MORE