wildfire

Woman grateful to be alive after fleeing wildfire on I-5 in Shasta County

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Thursday, September 6, 2018
A woman who became trapped by the rapidly-spreading Shasta fire says she's grateful to be alive. The New Orleans urban planner caught in Redding spoke with ABC7 on Thursday.
REDDING, Calif. (KGO) -- A woman who became trapped by the rapidly-spreading Shasta fire says she's grateful to be alive. The New Orleans urban planner caught in Redding spoke with ABC7 on Thursday.

Kate McKesson went to hell and back on Wednesday, all the while recording her ordeal on I-5 north of Redding.
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She tells ABC7 News she kept recording, "Just in case something would go wrong, I wanted it to be on film."

VIDEO: 'I might die here': Videos show drivers escaping wildfire on I-5 in Shasta County near Redding
'I might die here': Videos show drivers escaping wildfire near Redding


And so much could have gone wrong.

McKesson was driving a U-Haul, moving her sister's stuff to San Diego, when suddenly, she got boxed in by moving flames and stopped big rigs with nowhere to go.



"When the flames hit and shot up really high, you can see in the video they shoot up right next to me, higher than the trees, they were huge," she said. "The firefighters ran the other direction, full-speed, which is completely terrifying."
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It was terrifying for about 10 minutes, before the flames burned through the hillside and firefighters returned.

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That's when a water truck appeared. You can hear her in an Instagram videos saying, "Okay, water spraying right in front of me, thank god. And the smoke is clearing, too."

After that, McKesson kept driving.
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She skyped with ABC7 on Thursday from San Bernardino, where she showed us her U-Haul truck that was intact, except for some minor charring on the tires.

She says the whole ordeal has added to her understanding of wildfires, and will help her in her contract job with the state of California developing a wildfire action plan.

Get the latest stories and videos on wildfires burning across California, here.

PHOTOS: A look at wildfires burning across California
Hummer Estes watches a helicopter battling the Hat Fire, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018, in Fall River Mills, Calif.none
Starla Davis cries as she packs a suitcase in her makeshift tent at an evacuation center Aug. 9, 2018, in Redding, Calif. The evacuation center closes on Aug. 10.none
A firefighter keeps watch as the Holy Fire burns in the Cleveland National Forest along a hillside at Temescal Valley in Corona, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018.none
A thank you is etched into a burned out road sign at the Carr Fire, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018, in French Gulch, Calif.none
The Holy Fire burns the backyard of a home in the Cleveland National Forest in Lake Elsinore, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018.none
Loretta Root wipes her eyes while visiting the remains of her home in the Keswick area burned in the Carr Fire, Aug. 9, 2018, in Redding. "It's hard to see this," Root said.none
A firefighter lights a back burn while battling the Hat Fire, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018, near Fall River Mills, Calif.none
The Holy Fire burns in the distant behind a Target store, near Lake Elsinore, California on August 8, 2018.none
Onlookers are silhouetted against the reflection of a wildfire burning in the Cleveland National Forest in Lake Elsinore, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018.none
A girl wades through water while watching a wildfire burn in the Cleveland National Forest in Lake Elsinore, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018.none
A haze of smoke blankets San Francisco Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018.none
A whirlwind of ash rises from a ridge at the Holy Fire on August 7, 2018 near Lake Elsinore,California.none
Firefighter Brandon Esquer makes his way down a hillside while battling the Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex Fire, on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, near Ladoga, Calif.none
Firefighters monitor a backfire while battling the Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex Fire, on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, near Ladoga, Calif.none
A 747 Global Supertanker jet drops fire retardant at the Holy Fire near Lake Elsinore, in Orange County, California, on August 7, 2018.none
A plume of smoke from a wildfire burning near the Holy Jim area looms in the distance Monday, Aug. 6, 2018, in Lake Forest, Calif.none
The Ferguson Fire, still burning out of control near Yosemite National Park, is viewed from a southbound Alaska Airlines commercial flight flying at 34,000 feet on August 1.none
Alex Schenck carries a water bucket while fighting to save his home as the Ranch Fire tears down New Long Valley Rd near Clearlake Oaks, California, on Saturday, August 4, 2018.none
A firefighter gathers water from a pool while battling the Ranch Fire near Clearlake Oaks, California, on Saturday, August 4, 2018.none
A hillside smolders after flames passed through during the Ranch Fire in Clearlake Oaks, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018.none
Redding Police Dept. officer Brian Berg, right, comforts a resident, center, wishing not to be identified, after she saw her fire-ravaged home for the first time Thursday, Aug. 2.none
Firefighters conduct a controlled burn to defend houses against flames from the Ranch fire, as it continues to spreads towards the town of Upper Lake, California on August 2.none
A firefighter runs while trying to save a home as a wildfire tears through Lakeport, Calif., Tuesday, July 31, 2018.none
Tim Smith, at right, gets a first look at his wildfire-ravaged home alongside his daughter, Suzie Scatena, center, and aid worker Deborah Coombs Thursday, Aug. 2.none
This July 29 satellite image from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite shows the Ferguson fire near Yosemite National Park.none
A structure burns as the River Fire burns through the area on July 31, 2018 in Lakeport, California.none
Chickens stand near a burning home as the River Fire moves through the area on July 31, 2018 in Lakeport, California.none
A fire damaged basketball hoop in the Keswick neighborhood of Redding, as the Carr fire continues to spreads towards the town of Douglas City near Redding, California on July 31.none
Firefighters try to control a back burn as the Carr fire continues to spread towards the towns of Douglas City and Lewiston near Redding, California on July 31, 2018.none
Burnt antique cars sit ruined in the Keswick neighborhood of Redding, as the Carr fire continues to spreads towards the town of Douglas City near Redding, California on July 31.none
Firefighters watch a back burn during the Mendocino Complex fire in Upper Lake, California on July 31, 2018.none
An air tanker passes behind a smoke plume while battling the River Fire in Lakeport, Calif., on Monday, July 30, 2018.none
A burnt out boat sits at a marina on Whiskeytown Lake after damage from the Carr fire near Redding, California, on July 30, 2018.none
A firefighter watches as a building burns during the Mendocino Complex fire in Lakeport, California, on July 30, 2018.none
Firefighters keep watch at a containment line as the Carr fire continues to spreads towards the town of Douglas City near Redding, California, on July 30, 2018.none
Firefighters monitor a burning outbuilding to ensure flames don't spread as the River Fire burns in Lakeport, Calif., on Monday, July 30.none
The City of Lakeport posted this photo on Sunday, writing, ''It’s an eerie scene in downtown #Lakeport. #RiverFire #MandatoryEvacuation''none
Burned vehicles sit in front of a wildfire-ravaged home, Sunday, July 29, 2018, in Redding, Calif.none
''The view of #MAFFS6 from a U.S.D.A. Forest Service lead plane during a drop for the River Fire near Mendocino, CA,'' the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System wrote on July 28.none
Captain Brian Hughes of the Arrowhead Hotshots was killed battling the Ferguson fire.none
Friends of the Bledsoe family embrace in Redding, Calif., after hearing news of the death of Melody Bledsoe and her great-grandchildren James Roberts, 5, and Emily Roberts, 4.none
Plumes of smoke rise from the River Fire in Lakeport in a screenshot of a July 28 video licensed by Storyful.none
Deer graze along a road covered in fire retardant as the Carr Fire burns near Redding, Calif., on Saturday, July 28, 2018.none
Firefighter Scott Brown sprays water on a backfire while battling the Carr Fire in Redding, Calif., on Saturday, July 28, 2018.none
Mark Peterson, who lost his home in the Carr Fire, gives water to goats that survived the blaze on Friday, July 27, 2018, in Redding, Calif. Peterson.none
A firefighter hoses down a fire-ravaged property Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Idyllwild, Calif.none
Firefighters work as the Cranston Fire burns in San Bernardino National Forest on July 26, 2018 near Idyllwild, California.none
The Cranston Fire burns near a closed barber shop on July 26, 2018 in Idyllwild, California.none
An historic schoolhouse burns as the Carr Fire tears through Shasta, Calif., Thursday, July 26, 2018.none
An air tanker drops retardant while fighting to stop the Ferguson Fire from reaching homes in the Darrah community of unincorporated Mariposa County, Calif., July 25, 2018.none
Hannah Whyatt poses for a friend's photo as smoke from the Ferguson fire fills Yosemite Valley, Wednesday, July 25, 2018, in Yosemite National Park, Calif.none
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