Multiple explosions heard as three homes burn in Redding fire
Fire damaged three homes and one detached garage in east Redding, a block west of Enterprise High School on Tuesday afternoon.
The fire broke out around 5:45 p.m. behind homes on School Street in the area of Linda Lane. A wind from the south spread the fire to nearby houses. Redding Fire Department Investigator Ron Krznarich said three homes burned in the blaze.
Peter Chenard, who lives on Adams Lane just to the west of the fire, said he was at home at the time the fire broke out.
"We're sitting there watching television, trying to debate whether or not we're going to eat right now. And we heard a big boom, and I ran outside to look at what it was because my wife thought maybe it was a branch that had fallen out of that big oak," he said, pointing to a large tree in a vacant lot adjacent to his home. "Everybody was already standing out here pointing and saying 'fire!'"
There were no reports of injuries due to the fires, officials said.
Police closed School Street and Linda Lane to through traffic as numerous fire crews were called to the scene and power was shut off to the area. Traffic lights at several nearby intersections were also not functioning.
The roads in the area did not reopen until just after 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The fire put up thick black smoke that could be seen for miles in all directions. All of the city of Redding's fire crews were sent to the scene, as well as engines from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Shasta County Fire Department. There were 40 firefighters and other personnel working on the fire.
Krznarich said they hadn't yet determined the cause of the blaze but confirmed there were multiple explosions heard at the time the fire broke out. The homes involved in the blaze sustained major damage, he said.
Gordon Hastings said he was driving along Churn Creek Road when he saw smoke in the area, so he drove over to help residents evacuate their homes. He also heard explosions near where the fire broke out.
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"As I pulled up, I noticed that the fire was starting to pop up behind the house. I started hearing crackling. So I ran inside and one of the gentlemen up here he said he needed help getting his dogs out. So I ran inside and helped him pick up one of his Huskies," Hastings said.
"We got her out and heard a couple more booms. His dog took off down the road. And by the time I had turned around, almost his whole backyard was already engulfed in flames," he said, pointing to a house on the west side of School Street, just south of Linda Lane.
Residents living three houses to the north sprayed down their yard with garden hoses. The wind blew embers from the fire to the north and caught their front lawn on fire, but they were able to extinguish it with a garden hose.
Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Multiple explosions heard as three homes burn in Redding fire
