A body found at the site of a Mendocino County wildfire is suspected to be that of a resident who was last seen trying to protect her home with a garden hose.
The Mina Fire was reported around 2 p.m. Monday, July 8, in a wooded area near the Mendocino-Trinity county line about 12 miles northwest of Covelo. It is thought to have started from a burn pile at a residence.
When sheriff’s deputies arrived to assist firefighters, they found a house on fire. A man at the property said that one resident, a 66-year-old woman, was missing and had been trying to extinguish the fire, the sheriff’s report said.
Nearby residents were evacuated as firefighting continued, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
Around 2 a.m. Tuesday, firefighters reported the discovery of human remains in a burned structure. The coroner has not yet identified the body, the sheriff’s office said, but because of the circumstances it is believed to be that of the missing woman.
As of Friday, the Mina Fire had burned 98 acres and was 70% contained, CalFire said. Two structures were destroyed.
The death is the first attributed to a California wildfire this season.
