A 70-year-old woman has been found dead inside a fire-damaged home in Calaveras County, where the Gann Fire has burned through more than 10,000 acres across Northern California.
The woman, whose name has not yet been released, was discovered at a property in the 4600 block of Jaquima Drive near Angels Camp, the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities said investigators from the sheriff’s office and partner agencies are still working to establish how the woman died and whether her death was directly connected to the wildfire. “Investigators will continue to evaluate all available evidence as the investigation progresses,” the office said.
News of the death came after officials arrested a man accused of starting the Gann Fire.
Herbert Wayne Smith, 65, of Spring Valleys, told KCRA that the incident has left him fearing the consequences. “This is going to destroy my life, one way or another,” he said.
Smith told the station he had been cutting scrap metal with a saw when the flames began.
According to Fox 40, the woman was later found dead after she reportedly declined to leave her home during evacuation efforts. If investigators determine the Gann Fire caused her death, it would mark California’s first wildfire-related fatality of the year.
The sheriff’s office said the woman’s identity is being withheld until officials confirm who she is and notify her family.
The Gann Fire had burned 10,374 Acres as of Thursday afternoon with just 26% containment.
The wildfire forced both evacuation orders and warnings in the area, with homes and property threatened. The aggressive fire surged over days as triple-digit temperatures and critically dry fuels hampered firefighting efforts across the parched landscape.
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