Carr Fire

Not to be confused with Car fire.
Carr Fire
The Carr Fire's smoke plume produces a large pyrocumulus cloud on July 26, 2018
Date(s)
  • July 23, 2018 (2018-07-23) –
  • August 30, 2018 (2018-08-30)
LocationWhiskeytown–Shasta–Trinity National Recreation Area, California, United States
Coordinates40°39′44″N 122°37′43″W / 40.66222°N 122.62861°W / 40.66222; -122.62861
Statistics[1][2]
Burned area229,651 acres (92,936 ha; 359 sq mi; 929 km2)
Impacts
Deaths3 firefighters, 5 civilians
Non-fatal injuries11
Structures destroyed1,604
Damage>$1.659 billion (2018 USD)[3][4][5]
Ignition
CauseSparks from tire failure of a vehicle
Map
Carr Fire is located in Northern California
Carr Fire
Location of the fire in California
Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
5km
3miles
French Gulch
French Gulch
Carr Fire
Carr Fire
Point of ignition of Carr Fire
Perimeter of the Carr Fire based on orbital remote sensing

The Carr Fire was a large wildfire that burned in Shasta and Trinity Counties in California, United States. The fire burned 229,651 acres (92,936 ha; 359 sq mi), before it was 100% contained late on August 30, 2018. The Carr Fire destroyed at least 1,604 structures (at least 1,077 were homes) while damaging 277 others,[1] becoming at the time the sixth-most destructive fire in California history (now the ninth-most destructive fire),[6][7][8] as well as the fourteenth-largest wildfire recorded in modern California history (seventh-largest at the time).[9] The Carr Fire cost over $1.659 billion (2018 USD) in damages, including $1.5 billion in insured losses and more than $158.7 million in suppression costs.[3][4][5] The fire destroyed multiple towns around Whiskeytown Lake. At its height, the fire engaged as many as 4,766 personnel from multiple agencies.[10] The fire was reported on the afternoon of July 23, 2018, near the intersection of Highway 299 and Carr Powerhouse Road, at mile marker 9, in the Whiskeytown district of the Whiskeytown–Shasta–Trinity National Recreation Area. Coincidental to the name of the incident, the fire was started when a flat tire on a vehicle caused the wheel's rim to scrape against the asphalt, creating sparks that set off the fire.[11]

On July 26, the fire jumped the Sacramento River, making its way into the city of Redding, causing the evacuation of 38,000 people. Evacuations also took place in Summit City, Keswick, Lewiston, Shasta Lake City, Igo, Ono, and French Gulch. Eight people died in the fire, including three firefighters.

  1. ^ a b "Carr Fire - Incident Update". CALFIRE. State of California. August 30, 2018. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  2. ^ Bransford, Scott; Caron, Christina (July 28, 2018). "Woman and 2 of Her Great-Grandchildren Die in Carr Fire, Family Says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Don Jergler (August 2, 2018). "Carr Fire Losses May Reach $1.5B in Likely Another Destructive Season for California". Insurance Journal. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Alejandra Reyes-Velarde; Hugo Martin; Alene Tchekmedyian (August 24, 2018). "California's wildfires are deterring tourists and hitting taxpayers hard, officials say". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "2018 National Large Incident Year-to-Date Report" (PDF). National Interagency Fire Center. September 5, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  6. ^ "Carr Fire becomes 6th most destructive fire in California state history". FOX40. July 31, 2018. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  7. ^ "Top 20 Most Destructive California Wildfires" (PDF). CalFire. September 10, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 30, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  8. ^ "Top 20 Most Destructive California Wildfires" (PDF). California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. October 24, 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  9. ^ "Top 20 Largest California Wildfires" (PDF). CAL FIRE. September 10, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 26, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  10. ^ "CAL FIRE SHU (@CALFIRESHU)". twitter.com. Twitter. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  11. ^ Hutzler, Alexandra (August 4, 2018). "A flat tire caused California's deadly Carr wildfire, hundreds of thousands of acres burned". Newsweek. Archived from the original on August 4, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2018.