California reports first wildfire death of the 2024 season as fires persist across the West
Associated PressSAN FRANCISCO — Wildfires fueled by strong winds and an extended heat wave have led to the first death in California of the 2024 season, while wind-whipped flames in Arizona have forced hundreds to flee from what tribal leaders are calling the “most serious” wildfire on their reservation in decades. California’s first death of the fire season was reported after Mendocino County officials said they found human remains in a home that burned in a fire that started Monday. Officials said arson was suspected in the fire, which had so far burned about 2 square miles and remained at 0% containment as tribal leaders declared a state of emergency on the reservation. Meanwhile, California’s top fire official said this week that so far this year, the state has responded to more than 3,500 wildfires that have scorched nearly 325 square miles — five times the average burned through July 10 in each of the past five years.