The monstrous Bear Fire has been renamed the North Complex West Zone, according to Cal-Fire. There have now been ten civilian fatalities confirmed as vast areas are under evacuation orders. Grandparents who told their son they were going to try to escape by finding shelter in a pond are among those reported missing. Sandy and John Butler were among a dozen people unaccounted for. Also, a 16-year-old boy from Berry Creek whose family had desperately been seeking him has been found dead. Cal-Fire says that at least 2000 structures have been damaged or destroyed in Berry Creek, Feather Falls and other communities in the path of the inferno. The North Complex also includes the Sheep Fire and the Claremont Fire. It has burned a combined 244,000 acres with overall containment of 23%.
The Slater Fire that started Monday in the Klamath National Forest has grown to 140,800 acres, forcing the evacuation of all of Happy Camp and surrounding communities. There are at least 150 homes confirmed destroyed in Happy Camp. A second fatality was confirmed Thursday in the Happy Camp area. It’s crossed into Oregon, with no containment.