McKinney Fire victims identified

The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office utilized DNA testing and dental analysis to identify the victims whose skeletal remains were discovered among the burnt wreckage.

The people who died in California’s biggest and deadliest wildfire of the year have been found, and now the focus is on finding out what started the huge fire.

It is thought that the McKinney Fire began on July 29 and quickly spread throughout the Klamath National Forest and the surrounding area, destroying more than 60,000 acres of land.

Many people were taken aback by the explosive intensity of the fire, and according to reports made by the firefighters, approximately 200 structures were either damaged or destroyed.

In the charred wreckage, human skeletal remains were discovered, and according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, they were able to identify the victims through the use of DNA technology and dental analysis.

On Friday, deputies identified the deceased as:

• Kathleen Shoopman, age 73
• Charles Kays, age 79
• Judith Kays, age 82
• John Cogan, age 76

It is believed by the deputies that all of the victims were locals of the Klamath River town in California, which was severely damaged by the fire.

“The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office would like to express its most sincere condolences to the victims’ families as well as their friends. In a statement, Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue asked all who are able to pray to keep those who have been impacted by the fire in their thoughts and prayers.

In spite of the fact that the United States Forest Service is still looking into what caused the wildfire, a lawsuit that was just submitted asserts that utility infrastructure was the cause of the blaze.

The lawsuit that was submitted to the Sacramento Superior Court says that infrastructure operated by PacifiCorp, the electricity provider that serves the region, may have been responsible for the ignition of dry brush, which then rapidly spread.