Wildfire kills three family members, thousands flee

Two young children and their great-grandmother are among the five people who have died in a raging wildfire in Northern California that doubled in size overnight. Relatives on Saturday identified them as 70-year-old Melody Bledsoe, 5-year-old James Roberts, and 4-year-old Emily Roberts. The blaze claimed the lives of two firefighters earlier in the week, and tens of thousands of people evacuated their homes and sought refuge in shelters. President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for the state Saturday, allowing affected counties to access federal aid. The fire started Monday and has displaced at least 37,000 people, wiped out the small community of Keswick, swept through the historic Gold Rush town of Shasta, and hit homes in Redding. Nearly 5,000 more homes are threatened. California fire officials said more than 10,000 firefighters were working to stop the progress of 14 large wildfires across the state.