14 victims identified from Butte County fire as firefighting efforts continue

As the North Complex Fire continues to burn, officials have released the names of 14 of the 15 fatalities from to the wildfire’s West Zone, with all but one of the victims being positively identified as families have been notified.

The North Complex overall has burned 291,200 acres and is at 62% containment as of Sunday afternoon. The West Zone Fire, which is part of the North Complex and was previously called the Bear Fire, has reached a size of 79,900 acres in Butte County. It is 52% contained.

With cool temperatures and higher humidity, firefighting efforts have been more successful. Calm weather is expected for the next few days, with little wind and continued humidity. On Sunday, warming temperatures and low humidity were predicted to come later this week.

“Strong down canyon winds developed last night. Expect temperatures to remain fairly similar this new week,” Cal Fire said in an update Sunday. “General winds are expected to stay around 10 mph during the day. Temperatures may fluctuate slightly as a cold front moves into the Pacific Northwest Monday/Tuesday. Humidity will also see minor fluctuations with the temperature. Smoke will be over the area which could cause some operational concern with aircraft.”

Smoke in the region persisted, but the density of the pollutant has decreased since earlier in the week.

The western and southern perimeter of the fire have held, with crews working toward repopulation in the future. The fire continues to burn in the southeast area, aided by heavy fuels and steep terrain. Despite concerns with flames moving north of Forbestown, the flames stayed within the perimeter.

Evacuation orders, warnings and road closures continue to be in effect in Butte County and parts of Plumas and Yuba counties.

All but one of the 15 people who died as a result of the West Zone Fire have been identified by officials.

John Butler, 79, and Sandra Butler, 75, were residents of Berry Creek. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said the Butlers told family they were going seek refuge at a nearby pond. Their bodies were found near their home.

Jorge Hernandez-Juarez was a 26-year-old resident of Berry Creek. Detectives found his body at a Berry Creek property following a call from a relative reporting him missing since the start of the fire.

Philip Rubel, 68, and Millicent Catarancuic, 77, were residents of Berry Creek. They had packed up their belongings to escape the wildfire, but they changed their minds and decided not to evacuate after receiving false information that the wildfire had been 51% contained. The sheriff said their bodies were found near their destroyed home; Rubel was found in a burned Toyota pickup and Catarancuic in a nearby embankment.

Khawar Bhatti was a 58-year-old resident of Berry Creek.

Josiah Williams was a 16-year-old resident of Berry Creek. Williams was identified as the first victim from the fire, overtaken by its flames before he could get out.

“He was adventurous, he was very outgoing, he was very kind,” his aunt, Bobbie Zedaker, said.

Other victims include:

Larry Holder was a 61-year-old resident of Berry Creek. Susan Zurz was a 76-year-old resident of Berry Creek. Mark Delagardie was a 61-year-old resident of Berry Creek. Kin Lee was a 64-year-old resident of Berry Creek. Jacob Albright was a 74-year-old resident of Feather Falls. Paul Winer was a 68-year-old resident of Berry Creek. Randy Harrell was a 67-year-old resident of Feather Falls.

The blaze that ravaged the community of Berry Creek came rapidly in with strong winds on Sept. 8. It hadn’t been a major concern as it burned for weeks in the Plumas National Forest, after being started by a lightning strike in mid-August. As part of a complex that was 50% contained, the flames hadn’t done any lethal damage.

Meanwhile, other wildfires in Northern California continue to burn. The Fork Fire, 15 miles from Pollock Pines, has charred steep, rugged terrain in the burn scar from 2014 King Fire. With increased containment in recent days, the Eldorado National Forest and other forests, beaches and lands opened with safety restrictions on Saturday morning.

The August Complex fire has reached 832,891 acres in the remote Mendocino National Forests southeast of Eureka with 30% containment. The fire officially became the largest wildfire in modern California history over a week ago.

The Slater Fire, burning in Klamath National Forest and southern Oregon, has reached 153,842 acres and 25% containment. The cooler weather with higher humidity has allowed for progress toward further containment, but the national forest remains closed.

The Sacramento Bee’s Michael McGough contributed to this story.