At least seven people have been killed in wildfires that have devastated communities in California, Washington state and Oregon, leaving behind nothing but ash.
More than 14,000 firefighters are battling 28 fires across the Golden State, according to the California Department of Fires and Forestry Protection.
The North Complex Fire has consumed more than 250,000 acres and was 24% contained as of Thursday morning.
In the central California mountains, the Creek Fire has destroyed more than 360 structures, fire officials said. It’s now grown to more than 166,000 acres and remains 0% contained.
About 30,000 people were evacuated due to the fire, which is burning northwest of Fresno. But returning residents to their homes will likely be a lengthy process, Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy Lieutenant Brandon Pursell said Wednesday.
A child in Washington state was killed in the Cold Springs Fire, officials said Wednesday. Two of the child’s relatives were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where they’re both in critical condition and being treated by burn specialists, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
Three people were killed in fires in Oregon, including two in Marion County and one in Jackson County.
“We also fear that this is not going to be the only folks we’ll find deceased up there,” Marion County Sheriff Joe Kast said.
In California, officials said they are working to recover the remains of three people who died in Butte County, about 80 miles north of Sacramento, in the North Complex Fire.❏
