Wildfires

Wildfires - California, USA

The two California wildfires prompting Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency last week are still raging. Together, they have killed five people and destroyed more than 1,100 homes, according to multiple reports.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, aka Cal Fire, the so-called Butte Fire, spread out across Calaveras and Amador counties, burned 70,760 acres, destroyed 503 homes and killed two people between its beginning 10 days ago and Saturday morning, when it was 65 percent contained. A Cal Fire representative, Lynette Round, said the fire’s two fatalities rejected orders to evacuate their homes.

A separate blaze, the so-called Valley Fire, centered in southern Lake County, scorched 74,500 acres, destroyed 585 homes and killed three people between its start seven days ago and Saturday morning, when it was 48 percent contained, Cal Fire reported. According to the Associated Press, it is unclear whether those who perished in the Valley Fire received evacuation notices, but two of the three declined requests by friends and relatives to vacate their residences.