Fourth body found in burned rubble of Valley Fire

The Lake County sheriff said Tuesday that authorities continue to search for two men reported missing.

Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, says the fire destroyed 1,900 structures, including 1,238 homes.

Damage assessment teams have counted 888 homes burned in Lake County, many of them in the town of Middletown, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant said.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Department said firefighters found the suicide victim’s body near the fire’s ignition point. The state is weathering its fourth year of a catastrophic drought, which in addition to water shortages, sets the stage for extreme dryness that allows dead plant matter and brush to ignite with a simple spark.

The three bodies reportedly belong to 65-year-old Bruce Beven Burns, 72-year-old Barbara McWilliams and 69-year-old Leonard Neft.

The body was found Tuesday night in the rubble of a fire in Lake County, about 160 kilometres north of San Francisco.

Mr. Fletcher, whose home was destroyed in the blaze, was last seen on September 16, 2015. The Valley Fire is considered to be the third-most destructive wildfire in the state’s history.

Right now, there are massive wildfires are burning in Northern California with the Valley Fire and Butte Fire. Also on Wednesday, authorities said a man’s suicide was involved in the start of a separate fire that destroyed 12 homes south of San Francisco.

The blaze has charred 118 square miles and was 80 percent contained Wednesday.

In order to make way for federal assistance for home repairs, temporary housing, and other programs to help people affected by the Valley Fire, President Barack Obama declared yesterday that the circumstances in California’s Lake County constitute a major disaster.

Eaton said firefighters’ quick response to the blaze wasn’t enough to save a few of the homes. His home was destroyed.

One person so far has been killed by the Tassajara Fire, spanning 1,000 acres in Monterey County.