Wildfire deaths: Victims include baby, 13-year-old and grandma; At least 16 fatalities reported

At least 16 people have died in the wildfires across Oregon, Washington state and California, where hot, dry and windy weather combined to create near-perfect conditions for raging flames.

Here’s a look at what we know about victims in each state:

California

A Northern California wildfire that destroyed a foothill hamlet has become the state’s deadliest blaze of the year with 10 people confirmed dead — and the toll could climb as searchers look for 16 missing people.

On Thursday, Butte County sheriff’s Capt. Derek Bell said seven bodies were discovered, bringing the total to 10 in two days. At least four people with critical burns were hospitalized.

Deputies and detectives were searching for human remains as they made their way into devastated areas with a team of anthropologists from Chico State University, Bell said.

Among those unaccounted for were Sandy Butler and her husband, who had called their son to say they were going to try to escape the flames by finding shelter in a pond.

“We’re still hoping and praying for good news,” said Jessica Fallon, who has two children with the Butler’s grandson and considers them her own grandparents. “Everything is replaceable, but not my grandparents’ lives. I’d rather lose everything than those two. They kind of held the family together.”

Fallon said she’d been peppering hospitals with phone calls in search of her grandparents. There was no word of them late Thursday night.

Oregon

Oregon has reported at least three fire deaths in the state.

Two of the victims, 13-year-old Wyatt Mosso and his grandmother Peggy Mosso, were found in their car. It’s believed they may have been trying to escape the flames.

At a news conference Thursday, Gov. Kate Brown said there have been fatalities but the exact number is not yet known.

Authorities in Oregon now say more than 500,000 people statewide have been forced to evacuate because of wildfires.

Washington

The parents of a 1-year-old boy who died in a northern Washington state wildfire remained in critical condition Thursday in a Seattle hospital.
Okanogan County Sheriff Tony Hawley said the boy died after his family was apparently overrun by flames while trying to flee the giant Cold Springs Fire this week.

It was the state’s first death of this wildfire season.

Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday that he and his wife were heartbroken to hear about the child’s death.

Hawly said the family from the Seattle suburb of Renton was discovered by searchers Wednesday morning along the banks of the Columbia River. He said all were badly burned and the child was dead.

Hawley said the parents Jacob Hyland, 31, and Jamie Hyland, 26, were flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of third-degree burns.

The hospital listed them in critical condition and in intensive care on Thursday. According to a GoFundMe page set up for the family, Jamie Hyland is pregnant.