01 Jul Wildfire fatalities
Soon after a wildfire engulfed 35,000 acres of land at Erskine in the American state of California firefighters confirmed that two people had died in the blaze.
However they feared that they would find more victims as the fire had destroyed more than 150 homes, many of them quick-to-burn mobile homes and trailers which were reduced to little more than melted aluminium.
However, the ferocity of the blaze which was fanned by searing heat and strong winds prevented them using dogs especially trained to search out cadavers.
“The problem is this fire keeps shifting,” said the County Sheriff Donny Youngblood. “We are throwing all the resources we have at this.”
California governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for Erskine and also sought to have a federal disaster declaration which help both fight the fire and assist residents in recovering from the damage.