Wildfires continued to spread Friday across Southern California, with local officials confirming the first fatality.
(Associated Press)
Authorities in Ventura County, Calif., confirmed the first-fire related death Friday as strong winds continued to whip a massive firestorm across South California — leaving a charred path of destruction.
Virginia Pesola, 70, of Santa Paula, died Wednesday as a result of crash injuries, smoke inhalation and burns, the county medical examiner’s office said in a statement. Pesola was found along an evacuation route near a fire northwest of Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, three people were burned Thursday trying to escape a fire that ripped through Fallbrook, and hundreds of racehorses were cut loose from their stables in order to escape the flames that engulfed a training facility in nearby Bosnall. However, dozens of horses died in the blaze.
This week’s California wildfires have destroyed more than 700 homes and buildings, and left hundreds of thousands of people fleeing from the infernos, which have burned nearly 260 square miles since Monday.
Firefighters have managed to gain some control over the largest fire, which broke out in Ventura County on Monday, and has since grown to 223 square miles and destroyed 476 homes and buildings.
Communities along the Pacific coast between Venutra and Santa Barbara managed to dodge the flames, and although the hills along U.S. Route 101 were blackened, homes went unscathed at La Conchita and Faria Beach.
A fleet of air tankers and helicopters assisted the 1,000 firefighters that have battled the flames, authorities said, and enough progress has been made against other large fires around Los Angeles to lift most evacuation orders.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
