California authorities ID 2 more fire victims

SANFRANCISCO » Awoman and a child have been identified as two of four people killed in a blaze in Northern California, authorities said Thursday.

Alaina Michelle Rowe, 45, of Igo, was found dead along a road on Sept. 28, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Thursday minor victim was found the same day along the same road but their identity will not be released because of their age, the office said in a statement.

Rowe and her eightyear- old daughter tried to escape the fire but didn’t make it out, KRCR-TV reported.

The Shasta County sheriff ’s previously released the names of two other victims: Karin King, 79, who was found on Sept. 28 on the road where the fire started, and Kenneth Vossen, 52, who suffered serious burns that day and later died in a hospital. Both were from the small town of Igo.

The Zogg Fire erupted in Shasta County during high winds and grew quickly. It later spread to neighboring Tehama

County. It has burned 88 square miles and destroyed more than 200 buildings, about half of them homes. It was 90% contained.

More than 8,400 wildfires have scorched well over 4 million acres since the beginning of the year. There have been 31 fatalities and more than 9,200 structures have been destroyed.

Most of the loss has occurred since amid-August blitz of lightning ignited fires in northern and central sections of the state amid withering dry heat. Several large fires have burned in Southern California.

California weather turned cool Thursday as firefighters worked to increase containment of numerous wildfires, but a once- promising prospect of significant weekend rain in some areas was fizzling.

“The rain event is now turning into a non- event,” the San Francisco Bay Area weather office wrote.

Instead, the most likely precipitation is expected to be drizzle or light showers, followed by dry and warming conditions starting early next week, with potential for winds.