First fire-related death confirmed in Southern California
A woman, whose body was found at a crash site along an evacuation route, was the first-related death confirmed in a series of wildfires that ravaged Southern California this week, CNN reported.
According to the source, Virginia Pesola, 70, of Santa Paula was found dead in a car that authorities believe was involved in a crash during evacuations near the Thomas Fire on Wednesday.
The cause of death was "blunt force injuries with terminal smoke inhalation and thermal injuries," the Ventura County medical examiner office said.
To remind, President Trump on Friday declared an emergency in California, ordering federal aid to the state in response to a request from Gov. Jerry Brown (D). Firefighters, joined by reinforcements from outside the state, battled blazes that cropped up along a stretch of southwestern California greater than the distance between the District and Trenton, N.J.
Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed and thousands more remain at risk as more than a half-dozen blazes continued to burn, officials said. The fires Friday combined to burn across nearly 250 square miles.