New wildfire in Northern California kills 1; damage mounts

The person who died has not been identified, and authorities are still trying to determine how the person died

A young mountain lion, burned by a wildfire, is cared for by Dr. Ben Gonzales, a wildlife Veterinarian, at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's investigation lab at Nimbus in Rancho Cordova, California.

A new wildfire in Northern California destroyed or damaged 10 homes in Monterey County and a body was found among the ashes, a week after two other blazes killed five people and destroyed at least 1,400 homes, fire officials said.

The blaze quickly grew to 1,200 acres (485 hectares) after starting on Saturday afternoon, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said on Sunday.

The person who died has not been identified, and authorities are still trying to determine how the person died.

Evacuation advisories were issued for residents of Jamesburg and the nearby community of Cachagua, Cal Fire said.

Farther north, the two earlier wildfires have destroyed 1,400 homes and continue to threaten thousands more, fire officials said. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant said teams are getting access to affected areas but the count is far from over.

One of those fires, which killed at least three people, was 53 per cent contained. Another 6,400 homes remain under threat.

The other fire destroyed 535 homes and killed at least two people. That blaze was 70 per cent contained yesterday but continued to threaten thousands of structures. All evacuation orders there were lifted, however.

A weekend of heat descended on the wildfires after several favourable days, raising fears that major gains could be undone. That makes it essential that the smouldering remains of the two giant blazes be dealt with as quickly and thoroughly as possible, Scott Mclean, a battalion chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said.