Latest news with #ShastaCountySheriff
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15 hours ago
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UPDATE: Rancho Fire in Cottonwood grows to over 150 acres. Evacuation orders in place
A vegetation fire in Cottonwood on Thursday afternoon has burned more than 150 acres and prompted evacuation orders as structures are threatened. The Rancho Fire was reported around 1:30 p.m. in the area of Rancho Estates Road north of Gas Point Road in Cottonwood. It had quickly grown to nearly 50 acres around 2 p.m. as it was burning in grass and oak woodlands, according to Cal Fire. But by 3 p.m., Cal Fire had estimated the blaze had burned 157 acres with zero containment. The cause of the fire is under investigation. There are evacuation orders in place for zones COT-9660 and AND-9750. Residents living just to the north and southeast of where the fire is burning are under evacuation warnings. The zones are AND-1800, AND-9590, COT-9710, COT-9720, COT-9730, and COT-9740, according to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office. Rancho Estates Road at Gas Point is closed to northbound traffic; Rhonda Road at Lynhart and Rhonda Road at Gas Point were closed, but Rhonda Road was reopened to traffic just after 3:30 p.m., according to dispatch reports. Firefighters have relayed to dispatchers that winds in the area are causing spot fires to break out. Wind was gusting up to 20 mph on Thursday afternoon with the temperature hovering in the mid-90s, the National Weather Service. The forecast for Friday and the weekend calls for cooler temperatures, but wind will continue to gust between 20 and 30 mph in Shasta County. The National Weather Service issued a fire weather watch for the North State on Saturday. The high Friday will be 79 degrees. Saturday's high is expected to be 81 degrees. A red flag warning alerts people that there is an increased risk of fire danger brought on by warm temperatures, low humidities and stronger winds, according to a NWS office in Michigan. A new fire can grow rapidly under a red flag warning, according to the International Association of Fire Chiefs. People can help prevent fires from starting by removing dead shrubbery around their homes and avoiding using power equipment that creates sparks, NPR reported. Other tips from the IAFC include not driving your vehicle on dry grass as the heat from the underside of your vehicle can start a fire and never throwing cigarettes or matches out of a car. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Rancho Fire prompts evacuations in Cottonwood area
Yahoo
4 days ago
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After stranded kayaker on Battle Creek rescued, Cal Fire warns not to light signal fires
A stranded 24-year-old kayaker was rescued at Battle Creek, and her 'signal' fire snuffed by firefighters, after she went missing Sunday night, according to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office. A man who told deputies he was the woman's friend reported he last saw her floating in the kayak on a stretch of the creek near Coleman Fish Hatchery Road. He told deputies he waited for her to meet him at the bridge at Gover Road in Anderson. When she didn't show, he searched for her for her with no luck, then called law enforcement for help, according to sheriff's spokesperson Tim Mapes in a news release. Deputies heard a woman calling for help when they arrived at the creek just before 9:30 p.m., Mapes said in the announcement, but they couldn't immediately find her in the rugged terrain around the creek. Note to readers: If you appreciate the work we do here at the Redding Record Searchlight, please consider subscribing yourself or giving the gift of a subscription to someone you know. They eventually used a drone to find the stranded kayaker, who was on land, according to Mapes, and the Sheriff's Swift Water Rescue Team picked her up. The woman had ignited a fire to show rescuers her location, according to the announcement. 'With Shasta County currently experiencing high fire danger, thankfully that fire was extinguished by fire crews,' Mapes said. 'We're in wildfire season. Lighting an un-permitted fire — even for signaling — can be considered dangerous, reckless or unlawful, particularly during fire restrictions, red flag warnings or designated wildfire seasons.' said Jas Shaw with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Shasta-Trinity Unit. While the kayaker was lost for five hours, according to Shaw, and was likely frightened, people who get lost in Shasta County shouldn't rely on signal fires. Starting one could cause a wildfire, and possibly injure or kill the lost person and others, she said. Instead, Shaw recommends hikers, kayakers and people recreating in the wilderness use 'modern signaling methods like a whistle, strobe light" or other safe signaling method. The rescued kayaker wasn't injured, Mapes said. The sheriff's office didn't release the woman's name or town of residence, or report if she was unfamiliar with the area. Cal Fire crews helped deputies with the rescue, according to Mapes. 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 today. Thank you. This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: After kayaker rescued, Cal Fire cautions not to light signal fires
Yahoo
06-06-2025
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2 men, 1 dog survive drive into Whiskeytown Lake near dam; Kennedy Memorial Drive reopens
Kennedy Memorial Drive reopened just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4, after Whiskeytown National Recreation Area staff and local law enforcement pulled a vehicle out of Whiskeytown Lake. The park closed the road between East Beach and Glory Hole Spillway at 1:15 p.m., park staff posted on social media. The road stayed closed for almost four hours while a dive team located, then towed "a private vehicle out of the bottom of the lake," according to the announcement. Note to readers: If you appreciate the work we do here at the Redding Record Searchlight, please consider subscribing yourself or giving the gift of a subscription to someone you know. The vehicle crashed into the reservoir at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, the announcement said. Two young men and a dog, who were inside the vehicle when it went into the water, all survived, according to the park. Shasta County Sheriff's Office and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection helped park staff get the vehicle safely out of the lake. "The public is reminded to obey posted speed limits, drive defensively, and to never drive under the influence of alcohol or other substances. At least one fatal vehicle accident occurs inside the national recreation area annually; we do not want that fatality to be you," the park posted on Facebook. (This story was updated with new information.) 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 today. Thank you. This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: 2 men, 1 dog survive drive into lake near Whiskeytown Dam
