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1 person killed by California wildfire

Posted at 5:00 PM, Jul 06, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-06 17:00:04-04

One person has died as a result of a wildfire in Northern California, officials said Friday.

The Klamathon Fire has burned 8,000 acres near the state's border with Oregon.

Neither the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection nor the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department gave details about the person who died. The agencies were still trying to notify the person's relatives.

The blaze, which started Thursday, prompted authorities to briefly shut down Interstate 5 on Friday in both the northbound and southbound lanes.

The fire is 5% contained and has destroyed nine structures, Cal Fire said. The blaze is one of about 10 major fires burning in the state, the largest of which is known as the County Fire.

It has burned more than 88,000 acres in Napa and Yolo County and is 37% contained.

More than 4,000 firefighters are battling the wildfires in California and extreme heat is likely to complicate things for them. Some areas will see temperatures in the 100s.