California – Two women have succumbed to death because of the horrific Mill fire that has torn down the city of Weed.
The sheriff of Siskiyou County, Jeremiah LaRue confirmed that two elderly women aged 66 & 73 were found dead by the first responders in the County on 2nd September. The identification of the deceased women was not revealed and the family notification is still pending.
He further stated that it is still too early to determine when people would be able to get back to their houses or when the power would be back as the fire is still blazing at full throttle.
The fire has not been curtailed up till now and it has been spreading at a devastating speed.
Weed is a small town located near Interstate 5 and has about 2600 residents only. It has already witnessed 3 big fires in the past eight years so the residents are very familiar with ashes, smoke, and flames.
The fire has worsened because of the heat and soaring temperatures. California is witnessing a very severe heatwave which has raised the day temperatures to a triple-figure.
“Interior northern California is now heading for a truly dangerous, searing heatwave. All-time September records are now all but guaranteed in the Central Valley,” Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, stated.
According to the Cal fire, the gigantic fire has not destroyed more than 4200 acres of land and by Sunday night only 40% of it was contained by the fire department.
Dan McNamara, representative of Cal Fire stated that the “fire is still very dangerous. There are a lot of hidden and unknown hazards there, so please keep your head on a swivel.”
The Mill fire started on 2nd September though the cause of the fire is still unknown and an investigation is underway.
High temperatures and scorching heat accompanied by the high swaying winds have also made it next to impossible to curtail the roaring fire that has forced thousands of people to leave their belongings behind and evacuate their houses to save their lives.
It is a rough estimation that hundreds of homes have been destroyed completely as motorways and roadways get jammed because of the wildfire.
The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom has declared an emergency state in Siskiyou County and has announced that a federal grant has been received as well.
The Los Angeles county fire department’s deputy chief, Thomas Ewald stated that because of heat, it is possible that California witnesses more heat-induced emergencies, and fires of any level might occur again in the month of September.
