2 More Bodies Discovered in Valley Fire

Photo by Al Francis, NapaSonomaPhotos.com

Written by Bea Karnes, Patch

Searchers looking for missing residents in the Valley Fire made two grim discoveries--bodies were found in Anderson Springs and Hidden Valley.

Lake County officials say that based on missing persons reports, the body in Anderson Springs is presumed to be retired newspaper reporter Leonard Neft, while the body in Hidden Valley is presumed to be Bruce Beven Burns.

Neither had been heard from since the firestorm on Sunday. Wind gusts of 60 MPH blew the wildfire one mile a minute in some areas, making escape down mountain driveways and roads difficult.

The death toll is now three, with four firefighters hospitalized for burns.

Two people remain missing.

According to the latest briefing from Cal Fire, the massive burn area is now 35 percent contained, with 73,700 acres burned.

Earlier fire coverage:

• Cadaver Dogs Search for Missing Residents in Valley Fire
• Valley Fire Already the 9th Most Destructive in California History
• Valley Fire Increases to 70,000 Acres, Still 30 Percent Contained
• Valley Fire at 67,200 Acres, 30 Percent Contained
• Pets and Livestock Being Rescued From Valley Fire Evacuation Area
• Wildfire Victim Was Disabled; Containment Doubles in One Day
• Highway Through Hell: Video Shows Driver’s Escape from Valley Fire Inferno
• One Dead as Valley Fire Explodes to 61,000 Acres, 5 Percent Containment
• Elderly, Disabled Woman Trapped in Home, Died in Valley Fire
• FEMA Grant to Cover Valley Firefighting Costs
• Evacuated Fire Victims Settling into Tent City
• One Person Killed in Valley Fire; 50,000 Acres Burned; Hundreds of Homes Lost
• Exhaustion, Desperation, Humor at Calistoga Evacuation Center
• “Huge Destruction. Homes Destroyed Will Be in Hundreds”
• Valley Fire Roars Through 40,000 Acres in 12 Hours