Two killed in Northern California wildfire as firefighters continue to battle blazes

Deaths confirmed by Siskiyou sheriff on Sunday as high temperatures add to challenge for firefighters

Two people have died in a wildfire that ripped through a Northern California town, a local official has said, as firefighters in the far north of the state on Sunday battled blazes that forced evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes.

There's no easy way of putting it," said Siskiyou county sheriff Jeremiah LaRue as he shared the news of the fatalities on Sunday afternoon during a community meeting held at an elementary school north of the rural community of Weed. He did not immediately provide names or other details including age or gender of the two people who died.