Some Carr Fire evacuees now staying in Bay Area
REDDING, Calif. (KGO) -- Some of the people forced out of their homes by the Carr Fire in Shasta County are now staying with friends or relatives here in the Bay Area.
MAPS: Wildfires burning across California
Sarah Welch recorded the sound of sirens and her brush with the Carr Fire on her cellphone on Thursday. She was staying with friends in Redding when it broke out Wednesday night, initially thinking it too small and too far away to be dangerous.
"We overheard Wednesday night the fire tripled in size and on Thursday, the smoke started blocking out the sun," Welch said.
TIMELAPSE: Destructive Carr Fire rips through Shasta County
She posted video on Instagram from a bridge, watching the flames jump the Sacramento River. "It wasn't until then that I realized that maybe staying in a place that I wouldn't be able to drive out of was unwise," she said.
That's when Welch packed her car and started driving south on I-5 until she got to a friend's house in Oakland late Thursday night.
Vanessa and Hudson Davis are siblings, originally from Hayward, who both live in Redding. They, too, watched the fire explode in size overnight. Vanessa posted video and her account of what happened on Instagram.
VIDEO: Drive through Carr Fire reveals apocalyptic scenes
"Every hour, we were checking updates and the fire is just getting closer and closer and my brother was really close to the fire and that's when it got kind of scary," Vanessa said.
Brother Hudson was at his boss' house. "All of a sudden, the helicopters started going overhead and we go outside and find out the fire is only two blocks away," he said.
They evacuated to their family home in Hayward, where they were still unloading on Friday.
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Welch and the Davises don't know each other, but they all expect to be doing the same thing this weekend - sticking close to their phones to make sure loved ones in Redding are OK.
In response to the devastating wildfires in Shasta County, Tri Counties Bank has created a verified GoFundMe campaign to help those impacted by the fires. Click here if you'd like to help.
Get the latest on the Carr Fire here and the latest on wildfires across California here.
