Hearst family chipping in to help victims of Northern California’s Carr Fire

A neighbor is chipping in to help victims of the deadly Carr Fire west of Redding: The Hearst Corp. and Hearst family, partnering with a Northern California foundation, will contribute $120,000.

People around the world know a lot about Hearst Castle, a former Hearst estate that’s now a state historical monument high above San Simeon, just east of Highway 1 about 8 miles north of Cambria.

However, another Hearst estate in California — Wyntoon, a quite private, 67,000-acre, heavily forested spread on the McCloud River northeast of Redding — stays mostly under the radar.

Stephen Hearst (a family heir, corporation vice president and general manager of the firm’s western properties) told The Cambrian Saturday, Aug. 4, that Wyntoon had been “a little smoky, depending on the wind,” but so far had not been in the crosshairs of the deadly Carr Fire.

The family and the corporation announced Aug. 3 that they will partner with Sierra Pacific Foundation to contribute $120,000 to help victims of the raging, mega wildfire.

The donation isn’t unique, Hearst said. Frequently, “Hearst Corp. teams up with the Red Cross and the United Way on many national disasters like floods and hurricanes.”

But this one hits home, and not just because Wyntoon is so close.

Hearst is well aware of the stress and pain caused by a wildfire, and knows that “the effects of the Carr Fire will linger long after the final flames are extinguished.”

The 2016 Chimney Fire came within a couple of miles of Hearst Castle, and blackened more than 20 percent of the adjacent Hearst Ranch’s 82,000 acres. According to the trust that holds an extensive Hearst Ranch conservation easement, that vast property includes “one of California’s most diverse assemblies of native plants and natural habitats, including more than 1,000 plant and wildlife species.”

Now, with so much support for Carr Fire victims coming “from near and far,” Hearst said in a media release, “we believe in the strength and determination of this community in working together to meet the many needs that will arise.”

As of Tuesday morning, the Carr Fire had burned 202,000 acres and is 61 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. It had destroyed 1,077 homes, 22 commercial buildings and 500 outbuildings, was linked to the deaths of seven people and is currently the sixth most destructive fire in state history.