At least 10 dead in California & 500,000 now evacuated in Oregon due to wildfires

GRIDLEY, California -- Authorities now say at least 10 people have died in a massive Northern California wildfire and 16 people remain missing.

Butte County sheriff's investigators found seven bodies on Thursday, a day after three other victims were discovered.

Among those unaccounted for are grandparents who told their son they were going to try to escape the flames by finding shelter in a pond.

The weeks-old fire was about 50% contained when winds drove it into explosive growth earlier in the week. Some 2,000 homes and other buildings officials have burned.

The fire is among five this year that have set records for the most land ever burned, including a blaze that broke the mark Thursday as the largest ever.

Meanwhile, authorities in Oregon now say more than 500,000 people statewide have been forced to evacuate because of wildfires.

The latest figures from Thursday evening come from the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. That’s over 10% of the state’s 4.2 million population.

More than 1,400 square miles have burned this week in the state. Authorities say the wildfire activity was particularly acute Thursday afternoon in northwestern Oregon as hot, windy conditions continued.

At a news conference Thursday, Gov. Kate Brown said there have been fatalities but the exact number is not yet known. There have been at least three reported fire deaths in the state.