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Who They Were: Victims of the Deadliest California Wildfire
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By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
June 17, 2020

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SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing 84 of the 85 victims of a 2018 wildfire in Northern California. A report released by the Butte County district attorney listed the names of all but two who have not been identified and how they died.
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Joyce Acheson, 78, of Paradise, was found inside her home. She had limited mobility and lived in an area closed off to public access, preventing any caregiver from getting to her.
Herbert Alderman, 80 of Paradise, had a severely sprained ankle that limited his mobility at the time of the fire. He made several phone calls to friends seeking rescue but was found inside his home.
Teresa Ammons, 82, of Paradise, died attempting to flee the fire. She was found outside her trailer with her purse nearby.
Rafaela Andrade, 84, of Paradise, needed a walker to get around and did not have the ability to evacuate on her own. She was found inside her home.
Carol Arrington, 88, of Paradise, was found inside her home.

Photo of a home burning in Paradise, California.
Flames consume a home as the Camp Fire tears through Paradise, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
Julian Binstock, 88, of Paradise, was found with the remains of his dog in the shower of his home.
David Bradburd, 70, of Paradise, was near a power line knocked down by the fire outside his home.
Cheryl Brown, 75, of Paradise, was found in a recliner next to her husband, Larry Brown.
Larry Brown, 72, of Paradise, was found in a recliner next to his wife, Cheryl Brown.
Richard Brown, 74 of Concow, was found outside his home under his pickup truck, where he tried to hide from the fire.
Andrew Burt, 36 of Paradise, was found just outside the front passenger side door of a minivan with his dog. He was trying to escape in the minivan when it was overcome by flames. Three other vehicles with the remains of four other victims were nearby.
Joanne Caddy, 75, of Magalia, was found inside her home.
Barbara Carlson, 71, of Paradise, was found inside her home. Her remains were commingled with those of her sister, Shirley Haley.
Vincent Carota, 65, of Paradise, a partial leg amputee who did not have a vehicle, was found inside his home.
Dennis Clark, Jr., 49, of Paradise, was found in the passenger seat of a car with his mother Joy Porter in the driver’s seat. Their car was in a line of three other vehicles with remains inside.
Evelyn Cline, 81, of Paradise, was physically immobile and unable to leave her home without help. She was found inside her home.
John Digby, 78, of Paradise, was found inside his home.
Gordon Dise, 66, of Chico, was found inside his home. His daughter, who fled the house with him, said he went back inside for something and never made it back out.
Photo of fire burning in Paradise, CA
The Camp Fire rages through Paradise, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. Tens of thousands of people fled a fast-moving wildfire Thursday in Northern California, some clutching babies and pets as they abandoned vehicles and struck out on foot ahead of the flames that forced the evacuation of an entire town. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Paula Dodge, 70, of Paradise, was found between two cars in the carport of her home. Her husband, Randall Dodge, was found deceased next to her. They were trying to flee.
Randall Dodge, 66, of Paradise, was found between two cars in the driveway of his home with his wife, Paula Dodge.
Andrew Downer, 54, of Paradise, an amputee who used a wheelchair and was unable to drive, was found outside the front door of his home.
Robert Duvall, 76, of Paradise, was found in the passenger seat of his truck a third of a mile (half a kilometer) from his home. A second vehicle registered to him was nearby with the remains of his girlfriend, Beverly Powers, inside.
Paul Ernest, 72, of Paradise, and his wife tried to escape by driving their ATV off road through a canyon. When their escape route was blocked by a rock formation, they were overtaken by the fire. Both were severely burned and airlifted to UC Davis Medical Center Burn Unit in Sacramento. Ernest died at the hospital nearly 9 months later.
Rose Farrell, 99, of Paradise, was found on the front porch of her home, her wheelchair nearby.
Jesus Fernandez, 48, of Concow, was found on the ground between two vehicles.
Jean Forsman, 83, of Magalia, was found inside her home.
Ernest Foss, 63, of Paradise, was found with his oxygen tank outside his house. He had limited mobility and was attempting to escape.
Elizabeth Gaal, 80, of Paradise, was found in her apartment.
Sally Gamboa, 69, of Paradise, was found in a clearing behind her home. She died while attempting to flee the oncoming flames.
James Garner, 63, of Magalia, was found inside his home after calling his sister and nephew multiple times.
Richard Garrett, 58, of Concow, was running from the fire when he was overtaken by the flames. He was found among trees.
William Godbout, 79, of Concow, was found inside his home.
Shirley Haley, 67, of Paradise, was found in her sister’s home, her remains commingled with those of her sister, Barbara Carlson.
Photo of officials searching for people in Paradise, CA
A bag containing human remains lies on the ground as officials continue to search at a burned out home at the Camp Fire, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Dennis Hanko, 56, of Paradise, was found in his home.
Anna Hastings, 67, of Paradise, who couldn’t drive because of severe scoliosis, was found inside her home.
Jennifer Hayes, 53, of Paradise, was found inside her house.
Christina Heffern, 40, Ishka Heffern, 20, and Matilde Heffern, 68, of Paradise, were found in their bathtub. The three generations of women had called 911 as the fire approached. Somehow the phone line remained open as the house, and the three women, burned as helpless fire dispatchers listened to their screams.
Dorothy Lee-Herrera, 93, was found inside her home with her husband, Louis Herrera.
Louis Herrera, 86, of Paradise, was found inside his home with his wife.
Evva Holt, 85, of Paradise, was found in a burned vehicle, about 2 miles (3 kilometers) from her home.
TK Huff, 71, of Concow, was found inside his home. He only had one leg and generally used a wheelchair, which was found about 10 feet (3 meters) away. Evidence shows he tried to escape the flames by dragging himself along the ground.
Gary Hunter, 67, of Magalia, had limited mobility because of a stroke. He was found inside his home.
James Kinner, 83, of Paradise, was found inside his home.
Warren Lessard, 68, of Magalia, was found on the front porch of his home.
Dorothy Mack, 88, of Paradise, was found inside her home.
Sara Magnuson, 75, of Paradise, wrapped herself in a wet carpet and sheltered in the bathtub but she died there.
Dolores Joanne Malarkey, 90, of Paradise, was found in her home with her husband, John Malarkey.
John Malarkey, 89, of Paradise, was found inside his home with his wife, Joanne Malarkey.
Christopher Maltby, 69, of Paradise, was found in his home.
David Marbury, 66, of Paradise, was found in his apartment.
Photo of community wiped out by Camp Fire.
In this Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018 file photo a sign stands at a community destroyed by the Camp fire in Paradise, Calif. Most homes are gone, as are hundreds of shops and other buildings. The supermarket, the hardware store, Dolly-O-Donuts & Gifts where locals started their day with a blueberry fritter and a quick bit of gossip, all gone. The town quite literally went up in smoke and flames in the deadliest, most destructive wildfire in California history. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Deborah Morningstar, 65 of Paradise, was found inside her home. She was unable to drive.
Helen Pace, 84, of Paradise, who had medical issues that made it difficult to leave her home. She was found inside.
Joy Porter, 72, of Paradise, was found in the driver’s seat of her car with her son, Dennis Clark Jr., in the passenger seat. The car was in a line of three other vehicles with victims inside.
Beverly Powers, 64, of Paradise, was found in the driver’s seat of a pickup truck owned by her boyfriend, Robert Duvall. It was in a line of three other vehicles with victims inside.
Robert Quinn, 74, of Paradise, was found inside his home.
Joseph Rabetoy, 39, of Paradise, was found inside his home. He had no vehicle to get away from the blaze.
Forrest Rea, 89, of Paradise, was found in his home.
Vernice Regan, 95, of Paradise, was found inside her home.
Ethel Riggs, 96, of Paradise, spoke with her grandson on the phone at least twice that day, telling him because the power was out she couldn’t get her car out of the garage. She said she could not reach the manual release for the garage door, and even if she could, she was not strong enough to raise the door.
Lolene Rios, 56, of Paradise, was found in the basement of her house with the remains of her four dogs and two cats.
Gerald Rodrigues, 74, of Paradise, was found in her home.
Frederick Salazar, Jr., 76, of Paradise, was found in his home with his wife, Phyllis Salazar.
Phyllis Salazar, 72, of Paradise, was found in her house with her husband, Frederick Salazar, Jr.
Sheila Santos, 64, of Paradise, was found inside her home.
Ronald Schenk, 74, of Paradise was found inside his home.
Berniece Schmidt, 93, of Magalia, was found in her home with the remains of her cat and a kitten.
John Sedwick, 82, of Magalia, was found on the front porch of his home.
Photo of investigators recovering human remains
Investigators recover human remains at a home burned in the Camp Fire, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018, in Magalia, Calif. Many of the missing in the deadly Northern California wildfire are elderly residents in Magalia, a forested town of about 11,000 north of the destroyed town of Paradise. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Don Shores, 70, of Magalia, was found in a recliner in his home. The remains of his wife, Kathy Shores, were found in an adjacent recliner. The remains of two dogs and two cats were also there.
Kathy Shores, 65, of Magalia, was found in her home with the remains of her husband and their pets.
Judith Sipher, 68, of Paradise, was found in her home.
Larry Smith, 80, of Paradise, died of his injuries at UC Davis Medical Burn Center 17 days after the fire. He was found severely burned in the driveway.
Russell Stewart, 63, of Paradise, was found in his home.
Victoria Taft, 67, of Paradise was found in her home.
Shirlee Teays, 90, of Paradise, was found inside her home and appeared to be holding or hugging a framed photo.
Joan Tracy, 82, of Paradise, was found inside her home.
Ellen Walker, 72, of Concow, was found inside her home.
Donna Ware, 86, of Paradise, was found inside her home.
Isabel Webb, 68, of Paradise, was found inside her home.
Marie Wehe, 78, of Concow, was found inside a burned truck on the side of a lane near her home.
Kimber Wehr, 53, of Paradise, was found inside her home. She was unable to drive due to a neurological disability, and was unable to flee the fire on her own.
David Young, 69, of Concow, was found with the remains of two unidentified animals inside his minivan, which had crashed into a tree about a 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) from his home, as he fled the fire. An autopsy found he survived the crash, but was killed by the fire.
The remains of two unknown victims were found commingled in Concow. Officials are still trying to identify them.

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