Evacuations Still In Place, 150 Structures Damaged Or Destroyed In Weed Wildfire
WEED (KCBS) – There is still a red flag warning up and evacuations remain in place in the Northern California town of Weed, after a wildfire broke out on Monday afternoon.
The wind-driven fire quickly spread and has damaged or destroyed 150 structures, including homes and churches. It is only 25 percent contained.
Evacuations Still In Place, More Than 100 Structures Burned In Weed Wildfire
There are 950 firefighters trying to bolster containment lines around the 375 acre fire, while utility crews are just getting in to assess damage to equipment.
Dozens of homes burned completely to the ground. All that's left of Holy Family Catholic Church is twisted metal where the altar used to be.
"I turned to my side and the fire just rushed up the hill. In a matter of minutes, it was engulfed," said one resident.
State fire officials said a significant number of the structures damaged are houses. "We were opening the door to our car, hot ashes were coming in," said another Weed resident. "Our neighbor's trees were on fire and our gutter was on fire."
MORE: Complete Coverage Of California Wildfires
Siskiyou County Supervisor Michael Kobseff represents Weed and toured the disaster zone with the head of the state's Office of Emergency Services on Tuesday, an agency that is promising resources to help.
"There's nothing left. Most of them are only able to get one car out, so many cars were left behind as well," Kobseff said. "Their personal belongings, all of their personal property – it's just gone."
The fire broke out near Boles Creek just east of the town of Weed at 1:30 p.m. Monday and quickly spread across Highway 97, thanks in large part to 40+ mph winds in the area. It is still not clear what caused the fire.
