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Three people were killed in a California wildfire that has forced thousands of people from their homes, authorities say.
The Butte County Sheriff, northeast of San Francisco, said two people were found dead in one location and a third in another.
One of the three was a motorist apparently trying to escape the Bear fire, police told local media.
The Pacific Northwest states of the US are currently facing unprecedented wildfires.
- Smoke from California wildfires turns the sky orange
California, which is in the midst of a 20-year mega-drought, is experiencing more than two dozen wildfires, including three of the five largest in history.
The latest deaths mean fires in the state have killed at least 11 people since last month. This year, more than 2.3 million acres have been burned in the state.
California Highway Patrol Officer Ben Draper told the East Bay Times that one of the fatalities discovered Wednesday was someone who appeared to have been trying to flee the wildfire.
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He said investigators believe the unidentified driver had fled his car after driving into a ditch before being overtaken by smoke and flames.
“Someone was trying to run away and it just didn’t work,” he said.
Where else do forest fires burn?
Fires are also burning in the northwestern state of Washington and neighboring Oregon, which is unusual given the region’s cold and wet weather.
Two deaths in Oregon were attributed to wildfires and one in Washington state.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said at a news conference Wednesday: “This could be the largest loss of life and property due to wildfires in our state’s history.”
An Oregon evacuee, Jody Evans, told NewsChannel 21 about her ordeal.
“Fire on both sides, winds blowing, ashes flying – it was like driving through hell,” he said.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Tuesday that more than twice the area had burned in the previous 24 hours than his state had burned over the past year.
Wildfires are raging in nine other western states, according to the National Fire Information Center.
