Search teams using cadaver dogs found the remains of two more people in the Valley fire, which as burned over 73,000 acres 62 miles north of San Francisco. The Lake County Sheriff’s office announced that on September 16 the remains were discovered in the Hidden Valley and Anderson Springs areas.
Based on the locations, reports about missing persons, and evidence found, the Sheriff’s office has tentatively identified the remains, but has not yet obtained positive identification.
This brings the total number of people killed in the Valley Fire to three. Earlier, the body of 72-year-old Barbara McWilliams, a retired teacher, was found. She had multiple sclerosis and was apparently unable to escape her home as the fire approached. There was a report that a neighbor offered to help her evacuate, but she refused.
On September 16 Kevin Ragio, the Calaveras County Coroner, confirmed that two bodies were found in another fire in California, the Butte Fire, which has burned over 70,000 acres south of Jackson, California. Both of the people killed were in Mountain Ranch.
Related:
—Our main article about the Butte Fire
—Our main article about the Valley Fire