2 more bodies found, bringing death toll in wildfires to 5

Another unnamed man found by cadaver dogs on Tuesday had ignored advice to leave, said officials. He declined to identify the second victim, saying the family hasn’t been notified.

The body of 72-year-old Barbara McWilliams was found in the same area on Sunday in her razed home near Middletown.

About 170 miles southeast, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, two bodies were found inside burned-out homes, Calaveras County coroner Kevin Raggio said.

Sgt. Anthony Eberhardt says it was found at a burned-out home in the Mokelumne Hill area.

That wildfire was in rural Lake County, less than 100 miles north of San Francisco.

Rain fell steadily on Wednesday at an evacuation center where hundreds of people were staying in trucks and tents. “There’s going to be a lot of heartbreak for the folks who live out here”. The food was being prepared by wine country chefs who are donating their time and skill. He says he showed up at the center Saturday night, hours after it opened, and started giving orders in the kitchen.

California authorities expect to find several more bodies amid the ashes of a fast-moving wildfire.

Many people struggled to be strong for their children.

The body of an elderly, disabled woman was found Monday.

The latest blaze erupted Saturday, stunning firefighters with its rapid growth and chasing off an estimated 13,000 of its 64,000 residents.

The officials were considering asking President Barack Obama for emergency federal assistance.

Four firefighters have been injured fighting the blaze. It was 67 percent contained Wednesday.

The Lake County fire has charred 115 sq miles (300 sq km) and was 35% contained as of Thursday. It was threatening another 6 400 structures.

The weather was cooperating, with heavy rain falling on Wednesday morning. Containment is at 67 percent.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat (http://bit.ly/1Nx1ieN ) reports Wednesday that Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin said he didn’t have further details about the arrests.

So many evacuees say the hardest thing is not being able to go and see their homes for themselves.

From Sacramento, she pleaded with him to evacuate their Lake County home.

Police are being diligent about trying to protect homes.

The wildfire burning in the Sierra Nevada had destroyed at least 233 homes.

A total 73,700 acres have burned in Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties, according to the agency.

The most destructive fire in the state’s history was the Tunnel Fire in 1991 that burned only 1,600 acres but destroyed 2,900 structures and led to 25 fatalities.

Bender reported from San Francisco.

The cause of the blaze is unknown, but officials are investigating a burned-out shed next to a two-storey home in the community of Cobb which was unscathed.

His escape out of Anderson Springs may have looked like an inferno on either side.

In the Hidden Valley area, Lake County Sheriff’s Office search crews found the remains of Bruce Beven Burns, who was reported missing on Tuesday, spokesman Lt. Steve Brooks said.

His sister-in-law, Shirley Burns, said Thursday the 65-year-old man was living in a trailer at the family’s metal recycling yard in Northern California and was likely sleeping and didn’t realize the fire in Lake County was marching quickly toward him Saturday.