At least 4 dead in California wildfires

Los Angeles, US, Sep 6 (EFE).- At least four people have died as a result of several wildfires that have affected California in recent days, United States media reported Tuesday.

Among the victims were two women aged 66 and 73 who died in a fast-spreading wildfire in the community of Weed, in the northern part of the state.

Three more people were injured in the fire and thousands of people were evacuated, local media said.

A prolonged drought in the state has created extremely dangerous conditions due to dry ground containing a lot of dead fuel, Cal Fire Battalion Chief for the area of Weed, Jon Heggie, told CNN.

“Now, when anything gets started it has that potential for exponential growth in a short period of time just because everything is so tinder dry,” Heggie said.

Two more people died in southern California in a fire that broke out on Monday and forced the evacuation of at least 5,000 homes.

The fire destroyed at least seven buildings and damaged several others near the town of Hemet in Riverside County. EFE

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