The explosive wildfire in Northern California continues to rage Sunday as officials in a city threatened by the flames are also having to deal with an outbreak of looting in areas where residents evacuated.

The Carr Fire has left five people dead so far since it exploded on Thursday: two firefighters, a woman and her two great-grandchildren, ages 4 and 5.

On Saturday, the blaze pushed southwest of Redding, the largest city in the region, toward the tiny communities of Ono, Igo and Gas Point, where scorching heat, winds and bone-dry conditions complicated firefighting efforts.

“The fire developed so rapidly due the weather conditions, that it just was a huge fireball coming into the west Redding area, extremely quickly, enveloping everything in its path,” Cal Fire Deputy Chief Scott McLean toldand Jerry Kieffaber told the Associated Press they grabbed most of their medications when they left their home but left behind Jerry's insulin. Bonnie told the AP being away from home the entire time is expensive.

"All of our food was there, and now we're draining our checking account trying to keep gas in the car and buy food, too," she said.

"It's exhausting," Bonnie Kieffaber told the AP. "The heat and the stress of it all, and praying for everybody and all of our friends."

The firefighters killed in the blaze included Don Ray Smith, 81, of Pollock Pines, a bulldozer operator who was helping clear vegetation in the path of the wildfire. Redding Fire Inspector Jeremy Stoke was also killed, but details of his death were not released.

Sherry Bledsoe's