2018 Redding Fire Tornado
| EF3 tornado | |
|---|---|
| Type | Fire Tornado |
| Formed | July 26, 2018, 7:30 p.m. PST (UTC−02:30) |
| Duration | 30 minutes |
| Dissipated | July 26, 2018, 8:00 p.m. CDT (UTC−03:00) |
| Max rating1 | EF3 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 30 minutes |
| Highest winds |
|
| Damage | unknown |
| Fatalities | 5 fatalities, "several" injuries |
| Areas affected | Shasta County, California |
| 1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
The 2018 Redding Fire Tornado is so far the most powerful fire tornado in history,[citation needed] and the most powerful in Californian history. It was also absolutely massive in size, about 1,000 feet wide, over three football fields, and rotation was measured up to 40,000 feet into the air.[1] It tore through Redding, California, during the Carr Fire. The winds within the deadly vortex were measured at 143 mph, but could have whipped up to 165 mph, just shy of an EF4 tornado. Based off of the damage, however, the whirl could have been even stronger, though that may have just been because of the extreme heat within it.
Damage
The damage observed in the path that the fire tornado took is the worst ever observed in California. The area was described as being "apocalyptic". Craig Clements, an associate professor at San José State University who works in its Fire Weather Research Laboratory, observed the damage and felt as if he was on a "different planet". Mature trees stood barren, lifeless, and half-debarked; others lay ripped out of the ground. There was no soil, just hard-packed dirt as the ground had been scoured. Cars and shipping containers had been flung and flipped by the winds. Roofs were torn off of houses, and power lines were completely destroyed. A gas pipe was wrapped around a tree. There was no ash on the ground, as it had all been lifted away by the intense winds. The winds shattered windows of firefighting bulldozers as debris, rocks, and embers were hurled through the air. Clements claimed that it was "completely decimated", with "not a living branch for kilometers". One house had its roof ripped off, resulting in its walls falling in on themselves, killing three people inside.[2] [3]
Deaths
The most well-known fatality in the apocalyptic storm was the death of Jeremy Stoke. Jeremy Stoke was a fire prevention inspector and had been conducting welfare checks that day. Jeremy sent a "mayday" signal over his radio as he was getting "burned over". He called for a water drop, but crews did not know where he was. Afterwards, fire crews completely lost contact with Stoke at 7:40 pm, and he was found dead the next morning.[2]
A private bulldozer operator who was working that evening to construct a fire line in the Spring Creek Reservoir was also killed in the tornado. After he reached the fire line, crews witnessed a "rapid increase in fire activity". The leader of the crew called the driver multiple times, urging him to "get out of there". The driver also called for a water drop, but once again, crews did not know his location. The bulldozer was engulfed in flames and wind, and he was later confirmed dead.[2]
The final three fatalities were Ed Bledsoe's wife and her two great-grandchildren. Amanda Woodley, Bledsoe's granddaughter, reported that the tornado was swirling above the house. The family believed that they were safe from the fire, so they stayed where they were. Ed Bledsoe's son drove towards the trapped family and watched as trees were ripped out of the ground and sucked into the air, where they burned. When he stepped outside, leaves blew into his face and the intense and hot winds sucked his breath out, so he got back into his car and tried to escape. Unfortunately, the tornado then tore through the house, killing Ed Bledsoe's wife and her two grandchildren. Nearby, Justin Sanchez watched as his neighborhood was consumed by the twister. He claimed that there was a "deep growling noise" as "two-foot sized pieces of debris" flew through the winds.[4]
References
 | This article uses bare URLs, which may be threatened by link rot. (March 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
- ↑ http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2018/images/08/17/green.sheet.18-ca-shu-007808.burn.over.fatalities.pdf
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 CNN, Dakin Andone. "What it felt like inside the fire tornado that killed a California firefighter". CNN.
- ↑ "What It Was Like Seeing 'Apocalyptic' Fire Tornado Destruction, According to a Scientist Who Was There". Time.
- ↑ "A tornado of fire killed 3 members of one family in Redding". August 3, 2018. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
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