Two people have been found dead amid a huge wildfire that has forced thousands of people from their homes in northern California.
The bodies of the two dead were found inside a car in the driveway of a property caught in the blaze.
Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue told ABC News the pair seemed to have been trying to escape.
The McKinney Fire has burned more than 55,000 acres, making it California’s largest this year.
The identities of the two dead people are not being released until their families have been notified.
California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency over the fire, which began on Friday afternoon before rapidly exploding in size due to a combination of dry fuel after a drought, strong winds and lightning strikes.
Around 650 firefighters were battling to contain the fire, officials said, but with little success. Officials said on Monday that it was “0% contained”, but that light rains overnight had prevented the fire from spreading quicker.
As a result, more than 2,000 inhabitants of the area around the Klamath National Forest were told to evacuate.
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