California fire updates: Death toll rises to 5 in Butte, Valley fires

See list below of the top 20 largest wildfires in California history. It includes statistics for the acreage, structures destroyed and the number of fatalities.

Taxpayers affected by wildfires in Amador, Calaveras, Lake and Napa counties will automatically qualify for tax relief when they file their returns, officials at the California Franchise Tax Board announced Thursday.

Special tax rules apply to disaster losses, the agency said in a statement.

-- Ann M. Simmons

Authorities have announced plans to lift the mandatory evacuation order for the Napa County community of Berryessa Estates in the Valley fire zone.

Residents would be allowed to begin returning home at 4 p.m., according to a statement from CalFire officials.

The decision to allow the repopulation of the community was based on several factors including "potential fire behavior, and the reestablishment of crucial infrastructure," the statement said.

-- Ann M. Simmons

Weather service officials are advising residents forced from their homes and living in tent camps because of the Butte and Valley fires to prepare for a change in the weather this weekend as the thermometer gets ready to spike again.

"We're looking at temperatures going into the mid-90s over the area," said Nathan Owen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

Officials suggested that those living in tents place their shelter in a shady area, use portable, battery-operated fans and drink plenty of water.

"The main thing for evacuees and emergency services [personnel] is to stay hydrated," Owen said.

The warmer weather was expected to continue into Monday, with temperatures dropping back into the mid- to upper 80s by Tuesday or Wednesday, Owen said.

— Ann M. Simmons

Authorities planned to host a community meeting in Calistoga on Thursday evening to provide an update on operations pertaining to the Valley fire and field questions from community members.

Battalion Chief Hugo Patino, a spokesman for Cal Fire, said an undetermined number of evacuees had already been allowed to return home. Residents are encouraged to heed safety tips from fire officials before heading to their properties.

— Ann M. Simmons

An 80-year-old man who did not heed evacuation orders was identified by officials Thursday as one of two men who died in the Butte fire in Calaveras County.

The body of Owen Goldsmith was found Tuesday in his home on Eagle View Drive in Mountain Ridge, said Calaveras County coroner Kevin Raggio.

Goldsmith's home was "completely consumed" by the fire, Raggio said.

The body of a second man, 66-year-old Mark McCloud, was also discovered Tuesday. He was found outside his home on Baker Riley Road in Mountain Ranch, officials said.

-- Hailey Branson-Potts

Officials are investigating whether a tree branch that came into contact with a phone line may have caused the Butte fire.

Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant told reporters Thursday that crews working with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. were looking into the branch scenario as reason behind the the blaze that has claimed two lives.

Both of those found dead in the fire were in evacuation areas "and did not heed those warnings," Berlant said.

Officials said the body of Mark McCloud, 66, was discovered Tuesday outside his home on Baker Riley Road in Mountain Ranch. Cadaver dogs also discovered the body of another person, an adult male, in the M-24 subdivision of Mountain Ranch, officials said.

Rainy weather in the area has helped douse the fire, which is now 49% contained, but Berlant warned that "we cannot become complacent ... we could see some flare-ups as temps go up."

-- Hailey Branson-Potts and Ann M. Simmons

The number of victims from massive wildfires raking Northern California has grown to five, with two more bodies recovered in the Valley Fire on Wednesday, Lake County sheriff's officials said.

One of the bodies, found in the Anderson Springs area, is presumed to be that of Leonard Neft, a 69-year-old former newspaper reporter, who had told his family by telephone that he would try to escape his Anderson Springs home by driving to a side road and hiking out. His charred car was found three days later.

The second body was found in the Hidden Valley area. Based on the location, the sheriff's department said, it was presumed to be that of Bruce Beven Burns, who was reported missing two days ago. According to a business website run by his wife, Burns was from a family that had homesteaded the area in the mid-1800s.

-- Paige St. John

Lake County law enforcement officials have released more information on one of three people arrested for entering the Valley fire disaster zone.

Steven Worley, 36, was discovered off Highway 175 in Cobb Mountain on Monday. The area is closed to the public with active fires, downed power lines and empty homes.

According to a press release from the Lake County Sheriff's Department on Wednesday, a deputy recognized Worley from "prior law enforcement contacts" and began pursuit as Worley tried to speed away. The deputy said he found Worley wearing a yellow rain jacket - similar from a distance to the yellow fire-resistant garb emergency crews wear - and a red baseball cap with a California Highway Patrol logo.

Inside Worley's car, the deputy found computer and cellular devices, a scorched wallet belonging to someone else, and a locked safe, as well as 13 obsidian points (archaeological artifacts), authorities said.

Worley has been charged with petty theft during an emergency, with impersonating an officer and with removal of an archaeological artifact.

Looting is a growing problem in the evacuated communities as crews of firefighters and utility workers deal with the still-dangerous Valley fire. At least three arrests have been made.

-- Paige St. John

The Calaveras County coroner on Wednesday confirmed that the raging Butte fire had killed two people.

The body of Mark McCloud, 66, was discovered Tuesday outside his home on Baker Riley Road in Mountain Ranch, said Calaveras County Coroner Kevin Raggio. He "refused to leave the scene, and his home was overcome by the fire," Raggio said.

Raggio said an autopsy had been performed and that the cause of death was thermal injury. "He was definitely killed by the fire," he said.

Another person, an adult male, was also found on Tuesday by cadaver dogs in the M-24 subdivision of Mountain Ranch, Raggio said. That man, whose name and age have not been released, also refused to leave as the fire spread, and his residence was destroyed, Raggio said.

The Butte fire deaths bring to three the number of people killed by California wildfires this week. Earlier this week, the body of a 72-year-old disabled woman was found in the Valley fire debris in Lake County.

-- Hailey Branson-Potts

Officials on Wednesday confirmed the first fatality in the huge Butte fire, bringing to two the number of people killed this week in California wildfires.

Firefighters found the remains of one person about 5 p.m. Tuesday on Baker Riley Way in Mountain Ranch, said Sgt. Anthony Eberhardt, a spokesman for the Calaveras County Sheriff's Department.

The body was badly burned, and coroners were expected to perform an autopsy, he said.

The Butte fire had burned 71,780 acres in Calaveras and Amador counties as of Wednesday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

One person, a 72-year-old woman, has been confirmed dead in the Valley fire burning in Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties.

-- Hailey Branson-Potts

A second person has been confirmed dead in California's violent wildfires this week, Cal Fire officials announced.

Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for Cal Fire, announced the death, a result of injuries sustained in the Butte fire in Gold County, on Twitter, saying Calaveras County Sheriff's officials would release more information later.

Earlier this week, Lake County Sheriff's officials confirmed a death in the fast-moving Valley fire. Officials believe the fatality was a disabled woman who was "unable to self-evacuate."

-- Christine Mai-Duc

Looting is a growing problem in evacuated communities as crews of firefighters and utility workers deal with the still-dangerous Valley fire.

Law enforcement teams encountered looters through the night, officers were told during a Wednesday morning briefing.

Lt. Steve Brooks, a Lake County sheriff's spokesman, said at least one arrest had been made. He expected to release details shortly.

According to the Lake County jail log, a 60-year-old man from Clearlake Oaks was arrested after venturing past manned blockades late Tuesday. He was booked and charged with impersonating an officer and was also carrying a concealed weapon, according to the log.

Officials are allowing residents back into areas north of California 29 with address verification, said Sheriff Brian Martin.

But farther south, the fire remained too hot and downed power lines made the area too dangerous. The department will continue to escort residents to homes there to check on pets and animals left behind and to collect some belongings.

-- Paige St. John

David Mecchi, a bulldozer contractor, follows wildfires across the state, helping with the massive cleanup of rubble and debris after large blazes.

At most of them, he's able to add to an odd and growing collection of unexpected fire mementos: T-shirts to commemorate the disasters.

Mecchi, who lives in Mariposa, says he's been to dozens of fires, and at nearly every one, he finds vendors who travel from fire to fire, selling T-shirts, long-sleeved shirts and sweatshirts. They don't come cheap -- each one is typically $20 to $40.

This navy sweatshirt, which he bought at the Valley fire incident command center, features a towering inferno, bulldozers and a helicopter. It set him back about $40, he said.

-- Lee Romney

Leonard Neft, a 69-year-old former San Jose Mercury News reporter, is among those unaccounted for after the Valley fire ripped through Lake County on Saturday, his family said.

Around 2 p.m. Saturday, Neft phoned his wife, Adela, to tell her he'd received a call saying there was a non-mandatory evacuation order for his Anderson Springs neighborhood, family members said. He didn't think much of it, they, said, but stayed in touch with his wife and daughter, who live in Sacramento, throughout the afternoon.

“For the first couple of hours they would talk on and off on the phone, and he said nothing was really happening,� said his daughter, Joslyn Neft.

By 6 p.m., her mother was frantically trying to convince her husband to leave, she said. “He said he didn't smell any smoke, he didn't see any ashes, and the glow of the fire seemed to be across the highway,� she told The Times in a phone interview Wednesday morning. “He didn't think it would reach him.�

Twelve phone calls in, she said, Adela convinced her husband to pack up the car and leave.

Around 8 p.m., there was another phone call, Joslyn said, and Leonard told his family he didn't think he could make it out of Anderson Springs on the main road. His daughter said he told them he would try driving up one of the side roads and hike up to the highway.

On Tuesday, she said, officials found her father's car, a 2005 Honda Civic, burned out on the side of a dead-end road. She said authorities told her there was nothing in the car.

“It's rough terrain, with rocks and trees,� she said. “He was in fairly good health ... but the conditions were not ideal.� Joslyn said she's concerned that her father may have made it out but is hurt or disoriented. He doesn't own a cellphone but would have found a way to reach them by now if he was OK, she said.

Napa County Sheriff's Department officials, overwhelmed with handling evacuations and search-and-rescue operations, have offered to send cadaver dogs when they can. she said. Joslyn Neft and her mother are headed to the Napa County Fairgrounds this morning, hoping that officials will escort them in to look for him.

“I just need people out there searching for him, I don't care who,� Joslyn Neft said.

Neft's family hasn't seen him in a few years, and believe he has salt-and-pepper hair and possibly a beard. Anyone with information can contact Joslyn Neft at (707) 355-2433.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

The raging Valley fire that has destroyed more than 600 structures and killed one person is now considered the ninth most destructive wildfire in state history, officials said Wednesday.

The blaze has claimed an estimated 603 structures, including 585 homes. That number is "likely to increase by several hundred," CalFire officials said Wednesday.

The Butte fire, which was slowed by cooler temperatures overnight, also now ranks among the state's most damaging blazes. That fire has destroyed at least 400 structures, but fire officials believe it is now 45% contained.

-- James Queally

Bay Area television station KTVU attached a GoPro camera to one of its news vans as it surveyed the damage wrought by the Valley fire in one Middletown neighborhood.

Driveway after driveway is shown with no homes, just burned out cars and rubble. A melted trash can stands on what used to be a curb. Further down the road, a still-white picket fence looks pristine next to the leveled home it once protected.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

So far this week, firefighters have knocked down two of the large wildfires burning in the state, CalFire says. The Tenaya fire in Yosemite Valley and the Antelope Fire in Kern County are both 100% contained.

Firefighters continue to battle 10 major wildfires across California , covering 464,414 acres. That's about 725 square miles of land, or more than twice the size of New York City.

There are nearly 14,000 firefighters battling these 10 fires statewide, an increase of about 3,000 personnel since Monday, according to officials.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

Northern California should see temperatures well below normal and a widespread chance of rain, according to the National Weather Service.

About a tenth of an inch of rainfall is expected today in the area of the Valley fire, where firefighters need all the help they can get to keep the 70,000-acre blaze from spreading.

Winds may still be a factor, and if fire crews can't make headway with the favorable weather today, they'll be facing a warmup later in the week and into the weekend.

— Christine Mai-Duc

The Valley fire grew by nearly 3,000 acres overnight, but firefighters were able to hold the blaze at 30% containment.

Winds picked Tuesday afternoon, whipping up fire activity in some parts of the burn zone, with flames towering more than 100 feet in the air in some places.

Cooler temperatures kept the Butte fire from growing overnight, and firefighters now have that fire 45% contained.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is ready to help farmers and ranchers in areas affected by the recent wildfires with their recovery. The Farm Service Agency will assist those who lost livestock, grazing land, fences or eligible trees, bushes and vines as a result of a natural disaster, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the agency.

Funding and technical assistance to help rehabilitate farmland and carry out emergency water conservation measures in periods of severe drought is also available, the agency said.

In addition to California, wildfires have ravaged parts of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington in recent months. According to the agriculture department, fire seasons are 78 days longer today than they were in the 1970s. This year, there have been more than 46,000 fires and since 2000, at least 10 states have had their largest fires on record, the agency said.

-- Ann M. Simmons

With 12 major fires raging throughout the state, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that the way the federal government pays for wildfire suppression exacerbates the problem.

"California is suffering from one of the worst fire seasons in decades," she said in a statement . "Unfortunately, the way we pay for firefighting activities worsens the situation."

Feinstein noted that the U.S. Forest Service will borrow $700 million this year to fight fires that are currently burning, siphoning funds away from prevention efforts like removing brush and dead trees.

"This approach means California and other Western states will be even more vulnerable to devastating wildfires next year as vital prevention programs are delayed, sometimes indefinitely."

Feinstein says she supports a recently introduced bill that would allow firefighting to be funded more like hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters that are given unlimited money once spending hits a certain threshold.

"No one should have to worry about getting an appropriation of additional funding to fight fires in the driest conditions in 500 years," Feinstein said.

Earlier in the day, the Obama administration announced that it was directing $250 million in additional funds to help fight the fires in California , in addition to the $450 million already transferred from the federal budget this year.

Administration officials also called on Congress to treat wildfires as natural disasters.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

Jay Albertson returned to his home near Hidden Valley Lake hoping to find his cat, Blue. Instead, what greeted him was a sheet of rubble--the remains of the home that he and his wife, Bonnie, built three decades ago in a secluded gateD community.

"This is 30 years of memories gone," said a visibly emotional Albertson. "This is a chapter of our lives that is gone forever."

Albertson was among evacuees who law enforcement escorted back to their properties on Tuesday to examine the status of their homes. They were given just 10 minutes to conduct a preliminary review.

-- Marcus Yam and Ann M. Simmons

Red Cross officials are encouraging residents affected by the wildfires sweeping Northern California to register on the agency's Safe and Well Database.

The site allows people to log in and register their status, said Red Cross spokeswoman Pooja Trivedi.

"It's a way for people to communicate and notify their loved ones that they are safe," Trivedi said.

The number of registrants for the database related to the Valley fire was not immediately available. But Trivedi said the site had proven to be useful, especially during disasters when cellphone and Internet connectivity were disrupted.

-- Ann M. Simmons

Officials have lifted all evacuations and road closures in Amador County for the Butte Fire, burning in California's Gold Country.

Closures and evacuations in Calaveras County, where the overwhelming majority of the fire has been burning, remain in place, said

Jaime Moore, a Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief and spokesman for the Butte fire.

"Caleveras County is still being threatened," Moore told Th eTimes. "There are areas of concern and that is because the fire is pushing in that direction."

As of Tuesday morning, the Butte fire had burned more than 71,000 acres and was 37% contained. More than 10,000 people had been displaced by the blaze.

Moore said that cooler temperatures overnight allowed firefighters to lay down fire retardant and lay other groundwork to prevent the fire from spreading further Tuesday.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

Law enforcement agencies, government officials and aid groups are warning residents who were forced to flee their homes due to the wildfires ravaging Northern California to be aware of scams.

The duplicitous acts include would-be burglars pretending to be news reporters and asking evacuees for their home address.

Lake County Sheriff's officials could not be immediately reached for comment regarding the extent of fraud and whether anyone had fallen victim to scams.

Concerns were also raised on social media about possible looting in fire zones that had been evacuated.

The Lake County Office for Emergency Services offered some measure of comfort.

-- Ann M. Simmons

As the sky darkened to a menacing orange Saturday afternoon, Susan Bennett debated whether to evacuate. Around 3 p.m., she called 911 as her husband Bo nursed a beer on the patio.

"Get out," the dispatcher told her. "Get the hell out right now."

The couple fled with two of their three cats, expecting to return within hours.

Twelve hours later, her husband couldn't take the suspense anymore. He dodged the highway blockade and drove the back roads to Middletown. Every home on his block was reduced to smoldering rubble - all that was left of their home was the chimney.

"But it's like it still isn't closed, for me, until I can see it for myself," Susan Bennett said from the Napa County Fairground, which is serving as an evacuation center. "It's going to be terrible. But I want to go see my dirt, and all the ashes."

-- Laura J. Nelson

With cooler temperatures and even a little rain keeping fire activity down, some firefighters have been focusing on the unglamorous but crucial process of "mopping up."

This involves spraying down smoldering ashes and hot spots, clearing away dead and burned brush, and cutting down charred trees so they don't fall.

Though authorities are escorting some residents back to their homes to retrieve important documents and medications, most have been told to stay out of the area due to hazards such as downed power lines and fallen trees.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

The Valley fire, which has torched nearly 600 homes and burned a total of 67,000 acres so far, is shaping up to be one of the most destructive in California's recorded history.

"When all is said and done, this is likely to be one of the top five," said Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant at a morning briefing on the status of the state's wildfires.

In addition to destroying 585 homes, the Valley fire has also leveled hundreds of other businesses and outbuildings, Berlant said. One person has been confirmed dead, and others are still unaccounted for.

About 13,000 people have been displaced by the blaze so far.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

About 1,000 Valley fire evacuees found refugee Monday night at the Napa County Fairground, where the Red Cross erected a tent city.

The displaced residents, wearing donated clothes and blankets, passed the night on cots. They awoke Tuesday to face another day without homes.

The blaze that raced eastward from Cobb on Saturday afternoon has destroyed nearly 600 properties.

For some evacuees, an initial sense of relief at surviving the fire has given way to exhaustion, frustration and sadness as the think about homes, mementos and pets left behind.

-- Laura J. Nelson

Robert Michael, the incident commander for the Valley fire, struggled this morning with questions about why more resources are not being diverted to the blaze, which threatens 9,000 homes. The Butte fire, which remains 35% contained, has 6,400 threatened structures, but thousands more firefighters currently assigned to it.

Michael said it is not fair to compare the number of crews, trucks and helicopters sent to different fires, and that how the state assigns resources is not just a matter of how many fires, but which ones started first and "the resources that were assigned initially."

"I don't know why you need to compare. Each incident is different. They are all equally important," Michael said. "They lost structures on the Butte fire; they lost structures here.

"They do prioritize incidents but right now because they're all losing structures, they're all having extreme fire behavior, they're all probably equal."

-- Paige St. John

The Obama administration has directed $250 million toward fighting the wildfires raging in California and elsewhere, in addition to $450 million already transferred from different parts of the federal budget earlier this year to go toward fighting such disasters, officials said Tuesday.

As three major wildfires rage out of control in Northern California, the Obama administration also called on Congress to start treating the ravenous blazes just like hurricanes, tornadoes and other disasters ¿ as emergencies exempt from spending limits.

“With the dramatic growth in wildland fire over the last three decades and an expected doubling again by mid-century, it only makes sense that Congress begin treating catastrophic wildfire as the natural disaster that it is,� Sally Jewell, secretary of the Interior, wrote in a letter to lawmakers also signed by the Department of Agriculture secretary and President Obama's budget director.

-- Christi Parsons

Those who swiftly fled the fast-approaching flames of the Valley fire will have a chance to return home to retrieve cherished pets and livestock.

On Tuesday, the Lake County Sheriff's Department will begin escorting residents to their homes, providing a brief window to pick up or feed the animals.

Certain restrictions apply. For security reasons, a pet owner has to provide an ID confirming his or her address in the evacuation zone, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Residents have a maximum of 15 minutes to pick up or feed the animals, and they must have equipment ready to retrieve the animal.

Sheriff's Department officials will not escort animal owners to homes in active burn areas.

-- Matt Hamilton

All public schools in Lake County are scheduled to be closed at least through Tuesday as officials grapple with the devastation caused by the Valley fire.

But in Middletown and Cobb -- where the inferno has leveled scores of homes -- schools are closed until further notice, according to the Lake County Office of Education.

About one-third of the staff of the Konocti Unified School District has been displaced by the fire, and the homes of many teachers and staff have been destroyed, according to a statement provided by the district. Classes for Konocti students are scheduled to restart on Sept. 21.

Classes are expected to resume Wednesday in communities outside the burn area, including Lakeport, Upper Lake and Lucerne, county officials said.

With classes out, several students have joined in the relief effort. At the Moose Lodge near Clear Lake, the football team from Lower Lake High School volunteered to help evacuees.

-- Matt Hamilton

State fire officials said late Monday that the Valley fire has leveled 585 homes along with hundreds of other structures and continues to grow largely untamed.

The fire, one of a dozen burning in California, has ravaged Middletown and neighboring communities located about 90 miles north of San Francisco.

About 9,000 other structures are threatened by the blaze, which has raced through 62,000 acres since it ignited Saturday, according to Cal Fire.

Mandatory evacuation orders remain in place for those in Twin Lakes, Hidden Valley Lake, Middletown, Aetna Springs, Seigler Canyon and Loch Lommond. Some residents in Pope Valley and Angwin are advised to evacuate.

-- Matt Hamilton

A cool system drawing moisture from remnants of former Hurricane Linda will bring rain Tuesday and some relief to firefighters battling destructive fires throughout California.

After more than a week of triple-digit temperatures and low humidity, a band of light showers blanketed portions of California on Monday, extending from Sacramento to Ventura.

Los Angeles Times reporter Paige St. John spotted rain drops near the Valley fire:

-- Veronica Rocha

Gadi Schwartz, a reporter for KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, captured these terrifying videos of structures going up in flames on Saturday.

Schwartz tweeted the images Monday after his phone, which had been run over by a fire truck, was repaired.

One of the videos Schwartz posted shows a structure with flames that appear to be 20 or 30 feet high shooting up into the night sky.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

The woman who died Saturday in her home as the Valley fire roared through had advanced multiple sclerosis and had no way to get out, her caretaker said.

Authorities have not released her name, but her caretaker identified her to The Times as Barbara McWilliams, 72, of Lake County.

McWilliams was the first reported fatality of the fast-moving fire, and her death has raised questions about the evacuation efforts.

On Monday, the Lake County Sheriff's Department issued a statement saying that deputies responded to the area 22 minutes after receiving a 7:12 p.m. call asking rescuers to help her. By that time, sheriff's officials said, the subdivision "had already been engulfed by flames."

The caretaker, Jennifer Hittson, 30, had worked for McWilliams for the past five months, said she had tried for hours to get officials to retrieve the woman, but was told by both deputies and Cal Fire officials that they did not have the time to assist.

"More should have been done," Hittson, of Kelseyville, told The Times on Monday.

McWilliams lived on Cobb Mountain, and though her health was failing, Hittson said, enjoyed feeding birds near her well-kept home. In the midst of the attempts to reach McWilliams, a neighbor confirmed her home had burned to the ground, Hittson said.

Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin said in a brief interview at a mobile command post Monday that "the fire spread too violently and too quickly for us to be able to get to her on time."

Hittson says she has been torn by grief and regret. "I could have made her get in my car," she said.

-- Lee Romney

It's called a pyrocumulus cloud, or a cloud created by fire.

And on Friday, climate scientist Peter Gleick snapped a photo of one created by the Rough fire in Central California as he flew by it at 30,000 feet.

The Rough fire is currently the largest active blaze in the state and has burned more than 138,000 acres.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

Bark beetles likely exacerbated the fire that ravaged Lake County over the weekend, and the drought is the ultimate reason.

Cal Fire officials have upgraded previous evacuation warnings to an "immediate evacuation order," asking residents along Lower Forbestown Road and Forbestown Road to leave right away.

Officials say the evacuation is due to "an imminent threat to life."

"The fire was 500 acres this morning and has increased in size," said Mary Ann Aldrich of Cal Fire. "The fire is now burning toward some structures, and that's why we initiated the evacuation."

Aldrich said officials don't know yet exactly how much the fire has grown, or how many people are being told to evacuate.

"We're focused on trying to get the residents out," Aldrich said.

The fire, which began Friday afternoon in Butte County, had injured eight firefighters and burned 600 acres as of Monday morning. At last count, it was 25% contained.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

Five cooling towers at the Geysers geothermal power generation facility were damaged by the Valley fire. The facility is still producing electricity at more than two-thirds of its full capacity.

The Geysers, which sits on 45 square miles along the Sonoma County and Lake County border, is the world's largest geothermal power production operation.

-- Ivan Penn

The Rough fire in Fresno County is still burning, and at 138,053 acres charred, it's the largest actively burning fire in the state.

The fire was sparked by lightning on July 31, and is now 40% contained. New evacuations and warnings were issued over the weekend.

Firefighters battling the blaze are helping protect structures and historic trees, checking for embers in Kings Canyon National Park's Grant Grove, home of the famous giant sequoia, General Grant . Hundreds were forced to evacuate the park last week as the fire grew.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

The Valley fire in Northern California has burned more than 60,000 acres, about 94 square miles. For comparison, here is what 60,000 acres looks like on an interactive map.

Source: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

Many evacuation centers have stopped accepting food and clothing from the public, after being inundated with donations for victims of the Valley fire.

Several aid agencies, including those in Mendocino and Napa counties as well as the Red Cross, are asking the public to donate funds instead to redcross.org. Mendocino County also offered alternative disaster relief funds for donors.

The Mendocino County district attorney's office also reminded well-meaning donors to beware of scams that may arise in the wake of the disaster.

For those seeking shelter or supplies, a list of the evacuation centers is here .

-- Christine Mai-Duc

The first reported fatality in the Valley fire appears to have been an elderly disabled woman, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Department.

Emergency officials said they received a call around 7:15 p.m. Saturday requesting help for the woman, who lived on Hot Springs Road. About 15 minutes later, they said, firefighters arrived to find the neighborhood consumed by the fire.

"The resident was apparently unable to self-evacuate and responders were unable to make it to her home before the fire engulfed the structure," a Sheriff's Department news release said.

Firefighters later found the remains of a person but an identification has not been released, pending an investigation and notification of family members, officials said.

Authorities said other individuals remain unaccounted for in the blaze, but a specific number is yet to be determined.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

Forecasters are expecting a major cooldown and even some wet weather in Northern California this week.

That would be welcome news for firefighters, who battled massive fires across the state as temperatures soared last week.

Lake County, where the Valley fire exploded over the weekend, could see temperatures as low as the 60s on Wednesday, with some rainfall possible.

Before the weather system hits, though, the area could see increased winds, which would stoke the flames.

On Sunday, clouds grounded air tankers and helicopters set to join the firefight, and obscured the edges of the blaze from fire personnel.

But the gray skies also helped slow the spread of the fire from its initial 40,000-acre surge Saturday.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

The Valley fire in Lake County, Calif., has spread along two fronts, and as of Monday morning, had burned 61,000 acres, or 95 square miles, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Click on the map for more information.

Fire officials are warning residents near the Valley fire to be on alert and heed any evacuation orders as they come down.

Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott said many over the weekend were slow to evacuate, and that firefighters were forced to go door to door to get them to safety.

"We know folks were not heeding evacuation orders to leave," he said. Firefighters found burned-out vehicles on the highway, Pimlott said, an indication of how long some had waited to leave.

"Firefighters have to be careful, but so do people who live in the cabins and homes," Gov. Jerry Brown said. "They have to leave when they get word."

Though cooler temperatures and reduced winds helped firefighters gain traction overnight, Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant cautioned anyone living nearby to be prepared to leave at any moment.

"We are expecting the fire to pick up," Berlant said. "If you live in the general area ... you need to have everything ready to go in case the fire does shift."

-- Christine Mai-Duc and Hailey Branson-Potts

Before the Valley fire torched Middletown, the hamlet was probably best known for the nearby clothing-optional retreat, Harbin Hot Springs.

The resort was gutted by the flames over the weekend. A San Francisco Chronicle reporter got these images of the aftermath.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

Gov. Jerry Brown warned Monday that the explosive fire danger in California will persist as climate change continues.

"This is not just this year," Brown told reporters at a morning news conference. "This is the future from now on. Things are only going to get worse just by the nature of how the climate's changing."

Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott said the fire season has seen 1,500 more fires than normal for this time of year. Brown said intensifying fires and longer droughts are worsening due to climate change.

"This is damn serious stuff," Brown continued, pledging additional resources for firefighters. "Government is about many things, but its fundamental obligation is public safety."

-- Hailey Branson-Potts

Four firefighters were injured while fighting the Valley fire over the weekend. All are expected to recover.

More than 11,000 firefighters are battling 12 major fires across California, state fire officials said.

Of those, about 4,400 are still fighting the Butte fire in Amador and Calaveras counties, which began Wednesday and is 30% contained.

An additional 1,255 fire personnel are battling the Valley fire, which exploded over the weekend.

Some of the firefighters, including state prison inmates, tried to catch some rest wherever they could. A photographer for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat shot these images.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

Flames from the Valley fire were burning so hot and bright Sunday that they were visible from space, even through thick cloud cover.

Some patches of the fire appear to be even brighter than the city lights in Sacramento and San Francisco, while the flames from the Butte Fire further south are barely noticeable.

-- Christine Mai-Duc

As the Valley fire exploded Saturday, some residents had just minutes to escape their homes.

In a series of terrifying videos posted on YouTube, a driver flees a neighborhood called Anderson Springs, about five miles from the Northern California town of Middletown, Calif., which has been burned to the ground.

The videos (which contain some expletives) show tree trunks glowing red as the driver passes, and flames engulfing what appear to be buildings and a car.

Embers and ash spew across the headlights.

More than 400 homes have been lost so far in the Valley fire, and thousands have fled.

To see more video of this dramatic escape, click here .

-- Christine Mai-Duc

Experts said the Valley fire moved faster than any other in California's recent history. Extremely high temperatures across the state last week combined with drought-dried vegetation, they said, allowing the fire to pick up steam in forested areas and then enter towns with a vengeance.

The morning brought revelations of how far the Valley fire had spread, and renewed hopes that an aerial assault against the catastrophic fire would resume, even as it threatened to re-burn homes already ravaged once.

"The way it burned, it left so many pockets, the fire will turn around," said incident planning chief Rob Daugherty at the morning briefing for those fighting the fire. "If you saved the house, today you'll have to save the backside."

The same cloud cover on Sunday that grounded tankers and helicopters waiting to join the fight also prevented wildland firefighters from finding its edges.

"We had a hard time actually finding where parts of the fire were," Daugherty said.

But the dense gray sky also promised to keep the spread of the uncontained fire, now beyond 61,000 acres, at a crawl compared to Saturday's initial 40,000-acre run.

Flight commanders were concerned they would spend a second day grounded, preventing not only water and fire retardant drops but emergency medical evacuations.

"Yesterday we weren't able to fly. We might be in the same situation today," said air operations branch director Matt Stanford. Tankers and eight helicopters are on standby, waiting for visibility to improve. "If we get clear air, we will be flying," Stanford said.

-- Paige St. John

Yam, after grabbing a few hours of sleep, is heading back into the field now. He just posted this shot he took Sunday, taken near Middletown, Calif.

See more images from the fires in Northern California >>

Middletown, Calif., suffered a devastating blow from the fire. Entire blocks of homes and structures were burned to the ground. Images of the devastation show the Northern California town's main street in flames, along with an apartment complex and part of a school.

-- Sarah Parvini