California fires have killed 32 people and destroyed 3,500 homes and businesses, according to state officials.
A 14-year-old boy died trying to outrun one of the California fires in Redwood Valley, while his sister and parents suffered serious burns.
A 28-year-old woman who used a wheelchair didn’t make it out of her apartment. But her father who lived next-door in Santa Rosa made it to the hospital with serious burns.
And a couple who celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary last year died in their Napa County home, near each other.
These victims were among the 32 killed so far in wildfires rampaging across the state. The death toll is expected to rise.
“We are not even close to being out of this emergency,” said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the state’s Office of Emergency Services.
About 20 fires erupted since Sunday and firefighters continued to battle 17 on Friday, according to the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Fires spanned 300 square miles and forced 25,000 people to evacuate.
Four central fires in Sonoma and Napa counties — nicknamed Tubbs, Pocket, Nuns and Pressley — have killed 18 people, the department said.
Sonoma County Sheriff Robert Giordano’s office released the names of 10 victims:
Carol Collins-Swasey, 76, of Santa Rosa
Lynne Anderson Powell, 72, of Santa Rosa
Arthur Tasman Grant, 95, of Santa Rosa
Suiko Grant, 75, of Santa Rosa
Donna Mae Halbur, 80, of Larkfield
Leroy Peter Halbur, 80, of Larkfield
Valerie Lynn Evans, 75, of Santa Rosa
Carmen Caldentey Berriz, 75, of Apple Valley
Michael John Dornbach, 57, of Calistoga
Veronica Elizabeth McCombs, 67, of Santa Rosa
Eight deaths were reported in Mendocino County, where 34,000 acres have burned, according to the state department.
Kai Logan Shepherd, 14, was killed Monday after fire tore through his Redwood Valley home, his aunt Mindi Ramos told AP. His parents, Sara and Jon, and 17-year-old sister Kressa were each burned severely.
“It appears he was attempting to evacuate the area on foot when he was overtaken by the fire,” Mendocino County Sheriff Thomas Allman’s office said.
Two others were a married couple, Roy Howard Bowman, 87, and Irma Elsie Bowman, 88, whose remains were found in their Redwood Valley home that was destroyed by fire, according to the sheriff’s office.
Four deaths were reported in Yuba County’s Cascade Fire, which burned 10,000 acres.
Two fatalities were reported in the Atlas Fire that scorched 48,228 acres of Napa and Solano counties, according to the state.
Some of the victims have been identified through social media and news organizations:
The remains of the woman who used a wheelchair, Christina Hanson, were found after relatives began a search because her home was destroyed, according to Facebook posts.
“Sadly our search for Christina has ended with the news of her passing,” wrote her cousin, Brittney Vinculado, on Wednesday.
Christina’s father, Michael Hanson, 55, suffered third-degree burns over half his body and was put into a medically induced coma at the hospital, according to CNN.
Sara and Charles Rippey, 98 and 100, died Sunday near each other in their Napa County home, according to The Associated Press.
The couple had celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary last year, according to son Mike Rippey. His father, Charles, appeared to be heading to the room of his mother, Sara, when he was overcome by the smoke and flames, Rippey told AP.
Linda Tunis, 69, was found in the rubble of her Santa Rosa mobile home destroyed when the Tubbs fire had roared down the hill. “It’s the worst nightmare,” her daughter, Jessica Tunis, told NBC News.
Karen Aycock, 56, was found Thursday in the remains of her Santa Rosa home, her niece, Victoria Rilling, told The Press Democrat newspaper. Rilling commended the perseverance of deputies who continued looking for her aunt.
Sharon Robinson, 79, was found in her Santa Rosa home after days of searching. Her daughter Cathie Merkel posted on Facebook that she was notified Thursday and she thanked her friends for their help in the search.
“We received the news today that she did not make it out of her home the night of the fire,” she said.
