At least four die in California fire

Search teams discovered two bodies Monday at residences along State Route 96 leading to the remote area. The first two bodies were found Sunday in a small town destroyed in the McKinney Fire. By Tuesday afternoon, no other people were reported missing, but the McKinney Fire, California’s largest wildfire this season, had engulfed more than 100 structures covering in excess of 88 square miles. Firefighters dug a trench around the town of Yreka, keeping the blaze about 4 miles away. Most of the city’s 7,500 residents are evacuating. Authorities said the fire is not contained and have not announced what caused it. 

What about other fires in the West? In Idaho, the Moose Fire covers about 90 square miles and firefighters had it about 23 percent contained as of Tuesday. The blaze started about two weeks ago, and authorities are investigating its origins, believing it was human-caused. In northwestern Montana, the Elmo Fire began on Friday and covers about 25 miles, with gusting winds forcing evacuations.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew on the drought in the West.