Death toll from California fires rises to 10

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The toll from the California wildfires rose to 10 Thursday after a heavy equipment mechanic assigned to the Carr Fire was killed in a road accident, authorities said. The Carr Fire, near the city of Redding, has proved to be the deadliest of nearly 20 major fires raging across the state, having previously claimed seven lives, including two firefighters.

Two other people have died in the Ferguson Fire, which has forced the partial closure of Yosemite National Park. "We are saddened to report the death of a CAL FIRE heavy equipment mechanic from the Butte Unit assigned to the Carr Fire," Cal Fire, the state's department of forestry and fire protection, said.

"He was killed early this morning as the result of a traffic accident on Highway 99 in Tehama County," it said. The Carr Fire is 48 percent contained but has burned through 177,450 since it ignited July 23. The biggest fire currently is the Mendocino Complex fire, which actually consists of two big fires -- the Ranch Fire and the River Fire -- that together have consumed more than 300,000 acres.

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