Five years after the Carr Fire, here are five things to know

By the time the Carr Fire was fully contained on Aug. 30, 2018, the catastrophic blaze had scorched 229,651 acres, flattened all but two buildings in Keswick and devastated communities in Shasta County and west Redding. The wildfire, which ignited on July 23, 2018, is blamed for killing eight people and destroying 1,614 buildings, making it the ninth-most destructive fire in California history.

Five years after the disaster, questions linger. Here are some answers.

Why didn't we ever find out who started the Carr Fire?

Little is known about the elderly couple whose trailer accident sparked the Carr Fire in the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Five years ago.

They were on the highway next to Whiskeytown, west of Redding, when a flat tire made their rim-riding trailer scrape the road and caused sparks, according to authorities.

Those sparks ignited dry brush nearby and spread along Highway 299 near the Judge Francis Carr Powerhouse in the park on July 23, 2018.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection didn't respond to questions about the couple's involvement. But the accidental nature of the fire and the driver's quick action may be why they were never named.

They pulled over when they could, stayed at the site and immediately called 911, as did other motorists driving on Highway 299 who spotted the fire, said Whiskeytown Superintendent Josh Hoines. Anyone who sees signs of fire should call 911 immediately, Hoines said. "Don’t assume anyone else has called it in."

The Carr Fire started unintentionally, according to the Park Service, and Cal Fire lists the cause as "vehicle" on its online incident report.

"Given the size, scope and accidental nature of" how the Carr Fire started, Hoines said, "I’m confident it was used to protect their privacy."

What is the status of rebuilding homes the wildfire destroyed?

The catastrophic Carr Fire was the most destructive wildfire in Shasta County history, destroying 1,083 homes in Redding and Shasta County. Nearly 45% of those homes have been rebuilt.

Most of the homes destroyed, or 817, were located in unincorporated areas of the county. Especially hard hit were the community of Keswick and the Swasey Drive area.

To date, 297 houses have been rebuilt, with 86 of those being manufactured homes, Shasta County Assistant Director of Resource Management Adam Fieseler said.

Fieseler said 55 houses are currently under construction or their owner has applied for a building permit.

Keswick Dam Estates and the Swasey Drive and Lower Springs Road areas have seen the most construction activity, Fieseler said.

In Redding, 266 homes were destroyed, including those in the Lake Redding Estates neighborhood, where about 65 homes were destroyed or damaged when the fire roared into that west Redding subdivision.

In the city of Redding, 180 homes have been rebuilt and another 23 are either under construction or the building permits are in the plan checking phase, Planning Manager Lily Toy said. That means permits for 23% of the homes — 63 of the 266 houses destroyed — have not been submitted to the city’s building department.

The pandemic, rising construction costs and the uneven availability of contractors are among the obstacles the county has heard are preventing people from rebuilding, Fieseler said.

Is anyone still displaced?

After exploding into the city on the night of July 26, 2018, the wildfire ultimately forced 39,000 Redding-area residents to evacuate.

Representatives for agencies with the now-disbanded consortium that had helped distribute relief funds and repair properties said this month that they were not aware of people who remain displaced by the wildfire.

Where does the Carr Fire lawsuit stand?

In October 2019, months after a class action lawsuit blaming the California Department of Transportation and city of Redding for the destructive Carr Fire was filed, the Record Searchlight reported that jury selection could be years away.

Since then, not much progress has been made. The lawsuit blames the city of Redding for the way the catastrophic wildfire spread into the west side of Redding, including the Stanford Hills and Land Park subdivisions.

Redding officials failed to heed warnings of a monster wildfire that were predicted in the city's 2014 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, the suit said. The city's plan emphasized the need to proactively create defensible space to reduce fire risks, including conducting brush cleaning and tree thinning.

Redding law firm Barr and Mudford filed the lawsuit in June 2019 nearly a year after the fire started.

“This case is moving very slowly,” Redding City Attorney Barry DeWalt said recently.

DeWalt said the lawsuit has reached a point where the plaintiffs need to file a motion to see if they can certify the case as a class action suit or not.

Brandon Storment and Estee Lewis, plaintiffs’ lawyers from Barr and Mudford working the case, said the motion was filed July 17 and a hearing to consider the motion is scheduled for Nov. 3.

Storment said the case has been moved to Sacramento County.

“The biggest impact is that means if it goes to trial, the jury will be from Sacramento (County),” he said.

DeWalt said after the class action question is resolved, “we will either proceed with individual cases or the class action.  Our process for discovery in the case will depend on what the judge decides relating to whether this litigation can proceed as a class action.”

What became of the relief funds raised for Carr Fire victims?

A alliance of community groups, health care providers and businesses set an ambitious goal to raise $15 million to help victims of the Carr Fire.

The NorCal Community Recovery Team ended up raising a little over $6 million and the alliance disbanded about two years ago after completing its mission, said Peter Griggs, a member of the team’s executive committee and spokesman for the group.

“The majority of the funds were used to purchase and place factory-built homes for survivors,” said Kerry Caranci, CEO of the Community Foundation of the North State.

Other partners in the alliance included the Salvation Army, Shasta Builders’ Exchange, Northern Valley Catholic Social Service and Bethel Global Response.

According to a spending report released in 2022, the money constructed 24 factory-built homes and four traditional houses.

Other projects completed include:

• 36 power poles erected

• 150 gift cards distributed to families

• 43 households got septic system repairs

• 11 homes received gravel and got electrical repairs

• 22 homes got waterlines repaired

• 4 homes had debris removed

• 20 properties received erosion control

• 2 households had culverts constructed

In addition, the Whiskeytown Environmental School — which lost seven cabins and sustained other damage — received a $225,264 grant.

Bethel Global Response also received $386,028 to help with fire mitigation efforts in the city of Redding.

David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Five years after the Carr Fire, here's what we know.