Carr Fire tornado
{{Short description|2018 fire tornado in California, U.S.}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox weather event
| image = Carr Fire tornado 1.jpg
| width = 300
| alt =
| caption = The tornado at around its peak intensity near Redding, California.
| duration = ~30 minutes
| formed = July 26, 2018, ~7:30 p.m. CST (UTC–06:00)
| dissipated = July 26, 2018, 8:00 p.m. CST (UTC–06:00)
}}{{Infobox weather event/Tornado
| basin = atl
| winds = {{convert|143|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| fujita-scale = EF3
| fujita-ref = https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2018/08/03/fire-tornado-california-carr-fire-143-mph-winds/897835002/
| agency = California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
| header = EF3-equivalent tornado
}}{{Infobox weather event/Effects
| deaths = >3 (exact number unknown)
| injuries = 5
| year = 2015
| damages =
| affected = Redding, California
}}{{Infobox weather event/Footer
| season = Carr Fire and Tornadoes of 2018
}}
In the evening hours of July 26, 2018, a large fire tornado formed inside of the Carr Fire. The fire tornado, which had peak windspeeds of {{Convert|143|mph|km/h}}, killed at least three people and injured five others while on the ground for approximately thirty minutes. The fire tornado was the most powerful in California history, and was the deadliest fire tornado to ever form as part of a larger event. In addition, the fire tornado was the second ever to be recorded, after one that occurred in the 2003 Canberra bushfires. The tornado trapped several bulldozer operators in their vehicles, resulting in the death of Jeremy Stoke, 37, a bulldozer operator who was killed as the fire tornado tracked over him. Don Smith was also killed by the fire under unknown circumstances.
Background
{{Main|Carr Fire}}
The Carr Fire was reported on the afternoon of July 23, 2018, at the intersection of Highway 299 and Carr Powerhouse Road, in the Whiskeytown district of the Whiskeytown–Shasta–Trinity National Recreation Area, in Shasta County, California, near French Gulch. The fire was believed to have been started accidentally by a vehicle towing a dual-axle travel trailer. One of the tires on the trailer blew out, causing the steel rim to scrape along the pavement, generating sparks that ignited dry vegetation along the edge of the highway. Wind caused the fire to spread quickly.{{Cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/letters-support-carr-fire-couple_us_5b7422e5e4b0182d49af4491 |title=Letters Pour In Supporting Couple Whose Trailer May Have Sparked Carr Fire |work=HuffPost |last=Golgowski |first=Nina |date=August 15, 2018 |access-date=11 January 2025 |archive-date=September 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914011643/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/letters-support-carr-fire-couple_us_5b7422e5e4b0182d49af4491 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/30/us/carr-fire-california/index.html |title=Carr Fire in California is so hot it's creating its own weather system |first=Nicole |last=Chavez |date=July 29, 2018 |access-date=11 January 2025 |work=CNN |archive-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730082904/https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/30/us/carr-fire-california/index.html |url-status=live}} Hot conditions and steep, inaccessible terrain presented challenges for fire crews as they strengthened containment lines. Highway 299 was closed and French Gulch was placed under mandatory evacuation.{{cite web |title=Incident fact sheet |url=http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/pub/cdf/images/incidentfile2164_3660.pdf |website=CALFIRE |publisher=State of California |access-date=11 January 2025 |archive-date=July 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725153306/http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/pub/cdf/images/incidentfile2164_3660.pdf |url-status=dead }}
Tornado summary
File:Carr Fire tornado dashcam.webm
Between 8:24 and 8:36 CST, a tornado vortex signature was monitored on radar. The fire whirl developed within the Carr Fire in Redding, California. The fire tornado was first seen developing north of Land Park, and began to fill the sky with embers as it rapidly intensified.{{Sfn|CalFire|2018|p=11}} Several firefighters who were caught in the tornado ran and took refuge on Sutro Mine Road as the tornado passed over.{{Sfn|CalFire|2018|p=11}} Shortly after touching down, the tornado impacted a group of bulldozers that were sitting on Buenaventura Boulevard; every dozer and another car were burnt out and were rendered destroyed as a result.{{Sfn|CalFire|2018|p=11}} A driver of a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CALFIRE) truck would say that as the tornado moved past his location, every windshield in the vehicle shattered and the truck was battered with large rocks and other debris carried by the fire tornado.{{Sfn|CalFire|2018|p=11}} A person who was attempting to enter another pickup truck nearby sustained severe burns as a result of the heat.{{Sfn|CalFire|2018|p=11}}
Remaining on the ground from 7:30–8:00 p.m., the fire whirl reached an estimated height of 18,000 ft (5,500 m) and caused extensive tornado-like damage while spreading the fire. The winds toppled transmission towers, shredded foliage, and debarked and uprooted trees. The smoke plume from the whirl dominated the site of the wildfire. Substantial damage occurred in areas untouched by fire, including signs of ground scouring.{{Cite web |title=The Giant Fire Whirl From California's Carr Fire Produced Damage Similar to an EF3 Tornado in Redding, an NWS Survey Found {{!}} Weather.com |url=https://weather.com/safety/wildfires/news/2018-08-03-fire-whirl-carr-fire-california-damage |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=The Weather Channel |language=en-US |archive-date=2018-08-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805083134/https://weather.com/safety/wildfires/news/2018-08-03-fire-whirl-carr-fire-california-damage |url-status=live }} Three people were reportedly killed inside their Redding home after the structure's walls were blown out and the roof collapsed on the occupants. Several other homes suffered significant roof damage.{{Cite web |date=2018-12-19 |title=How a weird fire vortex sparked a meteorological mystery |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/how-weird-fire-vortex-sparked-meteorological-mystery |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=Science |language=en |archive-date=2024-11-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241122084331/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/how-weird-fire-vortex-sparked-meteorological-mystery |url-status=live }} The heat of winds and debris within the fire tornado was estimated to be up to {{Convert|2700|F|C}}. It was reported that several firefighters were caught off guard as the tornado rapidly widened to {{Convert|300|yd|m}}.{{Cite web |date=2018-08-17 |title=Carr Fire: Video shows massive fire tornado that killed Redding firefighter Jeremy Stoke |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carr-fire-video-shows-massive-fire-tornado-that-killed-redding-firefighter-jeremy-stoke/ |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=CBS News |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-12-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216003443/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carr-fire-video-shows-massive-fire-tornado-that-killed-redding-firefighter-jeremy-stoke/ |url-status=live }}
Aftermath
= Damage =
The tornado heavily damaged several structures in the city of Redding, including homes and at least two electrical transmissions towers, both of which collapsed as the fire tornado moved by.{{Cite web |last=Benda |first=David |title=Destructive and deadly, yes. But unprecedented? Trying to understand the Carr fire twister |url=https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2018/08/24/carr-fire-tornado-fast-fierce-but-not-first-and-maybe-not-tornado/1052343002/ |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=Record Searchlight |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205163638/https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2018/08/24/carr-fire-tornado-fast-fierce-but-not-first-and-maybe-not-tornado/1052343002/ |url-status=live }} The fire tornado also exhibited unusually strong winds, which were able to toss a large metal container.{{Cite web |last=Fedschun |first=Travis |date=2018-08-16 |title=Fire tornado spawned by California's deadly Carr Fire seen in video |url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/fire-tornado-spawned-by-californias-deadly-carr-fire-seen-in-video?msockid=38107703d2d0626018ce63e7d3936301 |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}
= Casualties =
At least three people were killed by the tornado, including a dozer operator who was fatally wounded from debris and heat as the tornado passed.{{Sfn|CalFire|2018|p=11}}{{Cite web |date=2018-08-16 |title=Report: Massive Carr Fire tornado trapped, killed Calif. firefighter |url=https://www.firerescue1.com/fallen-firefighters/articles/report-massive-carr-fire-tornado-trapped-killed-calif-firefighter-oQhxxEUaApugtcS0/ |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=FireRescue1 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Gabbert |first=Bill |date=2018-08-20 |title=Report concludes fire tornado with 136+ mph winds contributed to a fatality on Carr Fire |url=https://wildfiretoday.com/2018/08/20/report-concludes-fire-tornado-with-136-mph-winds-contributed-to-a-fatality-on-carr-fire/ |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=Wildfire Today |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-05-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518155125/https://wildfiretoday.com/2018/08/20/report-concludes-fire-tornado-with-136-mph-winds-contributed-to-a-fatality-on-carr-fire/ |url-status=live }} A later investigation by CALFIRE showed that while a temporary fire shelter was located behind the operator's seat, the fire curtain was never deployed for unknown reasons.{{Sfn|CalFire|2018|p=15}} Additionally, every operator of the dozer group that was struck sustained some form of injury, ranging from eye wounds to severe burns.{{Sfn|CalFire|2018|p=15}} A total of five people were injured.{{Cite web |last=Chapman |first=Mike |title=Carr Fire report: Stoke died while trapped in fire tornado |url=https://www.redding.com/story/news/2018/08/15/firefighter-died-while-trapped-carr-fire-tornado-report-says/1002748002/ |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=Record Searchlight |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240417002232/https://www.redding.com/story/news/2018/08/15/firefighter-died-while-trapped-carr-fire-tornado-report-says/1002748002/ |url-status=live }}
| class="wikitable"
|+List of finalized fatalities from the Carr Fire tornado - July 26, 2018{{NoteTag|A third death is not listed in the official count by CalFire.}} !Name !Age !Date located !Location !Rank !Ref. |
| Jeremy Stoke
|37 |July 26, 2018 |Benson Drive, Redding, California |{{Cite web |title=USA Firefighter Fatality Notification |url=https://lessonslearned-prod-media-bucket.s3.us-gov-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2023-02/Smith_Fatality_Notification.pdf |website=CalFire}} |
| Don Smith
|81 |July 27, 2018 |Bulldozer operator |
See also
Notes and footnotes
= Notes =
{{reflist|group=note}}
= Footnotes =
{{reflist}}
= Sources =
- {{cite journal |last=CalFire |year=2018 |title=Burn Over Fatalities: Carr Incident |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/386315263/Cal-Fire-Carr-Fire-Report |journal=California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection |pages=1–27 |doi=10.55599/ejssm.v8i1.46 |doi-access=free}}
{{2018 tornado outbreaks}}
Category:Tornadoes in California
Category:July 2018 in the United States
Category:Wildfires in Shasta County, California
Category:Natural history of Shasta County, California