Two people have been found dead amid a huge wildfire that has forced thousands of people from their homes in northern California.
The bodies of the two dead were found inside a car in the property's driveway caught in the blaze.
Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue told ABC News the pair seemed to have been trying to escape.
The McKinney Fire has burned more than 55,000 acres, making it California's largest this year.
The identities of the two dead people are not being released until their families have been notified.
California's Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency over the fire, which began on Friday afternoon before rapidly exploding in size due to a combination of dry fuel after a drought, strong winds, and lightning strikes.
Around 650 firefighters were battling to contain the fire, but with little success. Officials said on Monday that it was "0% contained", but that light rains overnight had prevented the fire from spreading quicker.
As a result, more than 2,000 inhabitants around the Klamath National Forest were told to evacuate.
'I just saw it explode'
Harlene Althea Schwander, an artist, had only moved into her new home near the fire's starting point a month ago and had not yet unpacked everything.
"Three generations of beautiful things, all of my paintings... they're all gone," she told Reuters.
"When I saw it coming over from the community center, and I just saw it explode in the dark. I knew the house was gone," she said. "The fire department came and told me, 'just leave now.'"
Despite its vast size, the McKinney fire is far smaller than last year's Dixie fire, which tore through hundreds of thousands of acres and became the second-largest wildfire ever recorded in California.
The Oak Fire, far to the south near Yosemite National Park, is still ablaze after more than a week - though it has now been brought under control and is no longer growing.
Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires, scientists say.
An investigation last year by Cap Radio and National Public Radio found that Governor Newsom had slashed $150m from the state's wildfire prevention budget and grossly overstated the number of acres that had been treated for the kind of fuel breaks and prescribed burns designed to stop such conflagrations.
The McKinney Fire comes as America's two other West Coast states broke records for the most number of consecutive days of extreme heat.
Oregon officials say they have seen 10 deaths which they believe are tied to the heat wave.
Seattle, Washington, on Sunday recorded its sixth consecutive day of temperatures over 90F.
Very few residents of the normally cool US Pacific Northwest region have air conditioning in their homes.
More Americans die every year from extreme heat than from any other weather-related event.
A state of emergency has been declared in part of California as the largest active wildfire in the US rapidly spreads near Yosemite National Park.
The Oak Fire has quickly grown since starting on Friday, and firefighters have struggled to get the blaze under control.
"Explosive fire behavior is challenging firefighters", California's fire department said.
More than 6,000 people have been evacuated and 10 homes destroyed.
The state of emergency, which has been declared in Mariposa County, will allow the state to access some federal assistance to tackle the fires.
Around 400 firefighters and four helicopters have been deployed to fight the blaze. Natasha Fouts, a spokeswoman for CalFire, said officials don't expect to contain the fire until next week.
Locals described evacuating their homes with the flames approaching and one shoeless elderly man attempting to flee the blaze on Friday was rescued by firefighters after crashing his car into a ditch.
The scale of the evacuation means it is proving challenging to find accommodation for all those seeking shelter.
"We're full with evacuees," Alyssa Wildt, a local hotel owner, told the LA Times.
"Today we have a bunch of fire crews looking for rooms," Ms. Wildt added. "We don't have them. I believe most of the town is full."
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