An elderly couple trying to flee from the flames were overcome with smoke outside of their house and killed, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said.
Their bodies were found yesterday near Lake Isabella, a popular recreation area east of Bakersfield that was ravaged by wind-whipped flames, said Phil Neufeld, a county fire spokesman.
At least 80 houses were destroyed in the southern Sierra Nevada as the fire burned out of control across nearly 47 square miles, leveling neighborhoods and forcing thousands of people to flee from fast-moving flames.
David Klippel, 78, a retired police officer, said he didn't see much of a threat after receiving an automated call advising him to leave. That changed dramatically within an hour Thursday afternoon.
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Neighborhoods of mobile homes were charred to their foundations. Gusty winds pushed the flames and smoke farther into drought-starved terrain. The fire is 5 per cent contained.
Scorching heat and tinder-dry conditions across the West have contributed to massive wildfires in the past week that have destroyed properties and sent residents to seek shelter and hope for the best.
Laura Rogers was one of those who thought she'd never see her home or her brother's home again. Instead, she was lucky to find both standing in a neighborhood of mobile homes that was devastated.
The downspout of her brother's home was melted on the ground, but the structure was intact.
Dozens of other homes were gone, left in piles of charred sheet metal and cinderblock foundations. Scorched tricycles, air conditioners and TV dishes littered the landscape.