Two fires break out in Redding amid excessive heat

Redding firefighters stomped out a 6-acre vegetation fire and a house fire that broke out Saturday afternoon in the city as the temperature rose above 117 degrees and topped out at a record 119 degrees.

The vegetation fire was reported at 1:20 p.m. in the area of Clear Creek and prompted a second-alarm response due to flames threatening nearby homes.

Redding fire officials, in an incident report released Saturday night, credited the fast response, including from neighboring fire protection crews that assisted, and aggressive firefighting tactics for stopping the fire before it could reach and damage structures.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, and firefighters remained on scene for five hours after the initial call to soak the area and extinguish the blaze.

Among agencies providing aid to the Redding Fire Department were the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Happy Valley and Cottonwood fire departments.

The house fire at 2816 Lanning Ave. took about 30 minutes to knock down. It caused $35,000 in damages to the building and $5,000 in damages to the content inside the home.

The fire department said overloaded electrical equipment sparked the fire in the attic. It was reported at 4:09 p.m., and two people inside the home were able to escape uninjured.

"Quick actions by the resident to evacuate the structure and call 911 and the fast response by RFD personnel led to the fire being quickly brought under control," officials said in the report.

The Sacramento Valley, including Shasta County, is experiencing hazardous weather conditions. The National Weather Service in Sacramento has placed the region under an excessive heat warning, which is expected to last until 11 p.m. on Tuesday, July 9.

Saturday's weather service reading at Redding Municipal Airport showed the temperature reached 119 degrees at 4:53 p.m.

Find a center near you: Shasta County emergency cooling centers hours extended as Redding temperatures soar

Redding's previous record was 118 degrees, reached three times during the month of July over the past century — in 1971, 1981 and 1988, according to weather service data.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Two fires break out in Redding amid excessive heat