A sixth person was found dead on Sunday in the North California Carr fire that authorities say has grown to just under 90,000 acres.
The wildfire, which exploded Thursday, has taken six lives, including two firefighters, a woman and her two great-grandchildren, ages four and five.
The sixth victim was not identified by officials during a news conference Sunday afternoon. Officials, however, said the victim — whose remains were found within the boundary of the Carr fire near Redding, about 230 miles north of San Francisco — didn’t evacuate the area, despite warnings.
Seven missing persons reports remain outstanding, according to the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office.
The National Weather Service alerted of a red flag warning in the vicinity of the Carr fire and remains in effect until Monday at 8 a.m. PT. The fire’s spreading “is not driven by the wind, but rather the fire itself,” the warning stated.
The highest threat remains near the city of Redding, the largest city in the region. The fire moved southwest of the town on Saturday, toward the small communities of Ono, Igo, and Gas Point.
Keswick, a mountain town of just over 400 people, was almost completely wiped out, officials said.
The Carr fire remains the largest fire burning in the state, threatening more than 5,000 structures. The flames were just 5 percent contained as of Sunday.
The latest tally showed at least 517 structures destroyed and another 135 damaged, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Anthony Romero said at the press conference.
“We are well ahead of the fire activity we saw last year. This is just July, so we’re not even into the worst part of fire season.”
“Right now, it’s going everywhere,” Romero said. “We still have a lot of open line. Any event could bring this back up again.”
Wildfires around the state have forced roughly 50,000 people from their homes, said Lynne Tolmachoff, a Cal Fire spokeswoman.
About 12,000 firefighters were battling 17 significant fires Sunday in California, she said.
“We are well ahead of the fire activity we saw last year,” she said. “This is just July, so we’re not even into the worst part of fire season.”
This Fox News piece is used by permission; the Associated Press contributed.
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