Body found inside perimeter of California wildfire that destroyed 37 homes
Posted Sep 12, 2013 12:42:20 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
REDDING, Calif. – Authorities have found a body inside the perimeter of a wildfire that destroyed 37 homes and forced the evacuation of 300 others in Northern California.
The burnt body of Brian Henry, 56, was found inside a motor home that was destroyed by the fire, Shasta County coroner’s Lt. Mark Lillibridge said Wednesday.
Sheriff’s deputies discovered Henry’s body late Tuesday while checking his home in the community of Igo.
The Clover Fire broke out Monday afternoon in the community of Happy Valley, 240 kilometres north of Sacramento, and winds sent it spreading at 200 hectares an hour. Residents were given just minutes to grab their belongings and leave, as the fire jumped roads and engulfed homes.
The fire burned 32 square kilometres. Cooler weather has helped firefighters contain 50 per cent of the blaze.
Evacuation orders were lifted for some of the 300 homes that were threatened by the blaze because power has been restored and “the major hazards have been abated,” state fire spokesman Mike Witesman said.
“We’re making excellent progress,” he added.
Officials reassessed the burned areas and revised the number of damaged homes to four instead of 30. In addition, 74 outbuildings in the rural area were destroyed.
Meanwhile, the Rim Fire in and around Yosemite National Park was 80 per cent contained, with full containment expected Sept. 20. That blaze burned 1,036 square kilometres.
