Explosive Northern California Wildfire Claims First Victim

Authorities in Northern California say at least one person has been killed as a rapidly spreading wildfire tears through the city of Redding. Fire officials have identified the first victim of the so-called Carr Fire as a private bulldozer operator. At least three firefighters have also been injured battling the blaze, which prompted emergency evacuations in and around Redding late Thursday as it reached residential communities. “The fire has burned into the west side of Redding,” Scott McLean, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, was quoted as saying by The Sacramento Bee. “The fire is moving so fast that law enforcement is doing evacuations as fast as we can,” he said.  The blaze exploded to cover more than 28,000 acres late Thursday after it was started by a vehicle malfunction in a brush area on Monday. Residents painted a terrifying picture of the wildfire on social media, reporting that certain neighborhoods just outside Redding were fully devoured by flames, with some people trapped in the area and multiple homes destroyed. There were also reports of several civilians being treated for burn injuries in local hospitals.