A new wildfire broke out near California 299 between Redding and Burney Tuesday afternoon. Shasta County Deputies evacuated areas around Montgomery Creek.The Crest Line Fire was first reported around 3:30 PM. Within an hour, it had already grown to 50 acres. Shasta High School in Redding was prepared for use as an emergency shelter.
The same school was prepared for use as a shelter just a day earlier, for people evacuating from the Carr Fire, burning along 299 northwest of Redding. That fire had grown well beyond 3,000 acres in its first 24 hours and forced the closing of 299 at Carr Powerhouse Road. The nearby community of French Gulch was evacuated.
Cal Fire announced the cause of the Carr Fire as "mechanical failure of vehicle," without saying exactly what kind of vehicle or what kind of failure.
Meanwhile in Siskiyou County, strong thunderstorms struck around Yreka on Tuesday afternoon. Cal Fire's Siskiyou Unit reported one small new fire near Gazelle and a potentially larger one in the Scott Valley.
Fire crews continued to work on existing fires further north in California and Oregon. Multiple evacuation orders remained in effect in Jackson and Josephine Counties, most from the Garner Complex of fires burning on either side of the county line. Tuesday numbers showed the Garner Complex at 17,369 acres, 15% contained.
