No Cold Shoulder for Owners of Trailer Blamed for Deadly Fire

'It could have happened to any of us'
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 15, 2018 12:02 PM CDT
Kind Words Greet Owners of Trailer Blamed for Deadly Fire
Kim Burns sifts through the charred rubble of her home burned in the Carr Fire in Redding, Calif., on Sunday.   (AP Photo/John Locher)

The rim of a flat trailer tire scraping against asphalt sparked California's eighth largest wildfire near Redding three weeks ago, but the trailer's owners shouldn't blame themselves, many of their neighbors say. The couple, unidentified by authorities, have received at least 100 letters absolving them of blame for the deaths of at least seven people and the destruction of more than 1,000 homes across 211,000 scorched acres, per CNN and Redding Record Searchlight. Firefighters, counselors, even people who lost everything have written to the couple, with hundreds more sharing messages of support on social media. "Sending prayers for peace and healing," reads one. "It could have happened to any of us." The blaze was 65% contained by early Wednesday. (More California wildfires stories.)

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