The first fire-related casualty amid horrific wildfires in southern California has been confirmed by authorities after it had been identified.
Virginia Pesola, 70, was reportedly found dead in a car that had been involved in a crash along an evacuation route in the Thomas fire in Ventura County on Wednesday.
"The death involved a traffic incident during active fire evacuation," a Ventura county medical examiner wrote in a news release as cited by Los Angeles Times, adding that the cause of death was blunt force trauma with terminal smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.
#Breaking #ThomasFire: First and only death so far identified. Virginia Pesola, age 70, from Santa Paula.
— Robert Kovacik (@RobertNBCLA) 9 декабря 2017 г.
At present, southern California is dealing with at least six major fires, with over 141,000 acres being burned forcing some 212,000 residents to evacuate from their homes.
the recent California wildfires left 110,000 acres of our beautiful California terrain burned. as a holiday gift to the families + animals affected, donate what you can! every tiny bit adds up. https://t.co/fZeh2iOLuh pic.twitter.com/l7gzU3cBOT
— The Marías (@themariasmp3) 9 декабря 2017 г.
On Thursday, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for a number of counties and asked President Donald Trump to sign an emergency declaration for the state.
As most of us rest our weary head in peace, in the comfort of our home… these images show some of the horrifying struggles the people of California are dealing with tonight. Please, keep them in your heart and prayers this evening! 🙏 #CaliforniaWildfires #SkirballFire #LAFire pic.twitter.com/jLWKkIFOoa
— James Wagner (@JamesWagnerTW) 7 декабря 2017 г.
