2 children, great-grandmother found dead in California fire

The bodies of a 70-year-old California woman and her two great-grandchildren were found in the burned rubble of their home in Redding, which was destroyed by the Carr Fire, KDVR reported.

Melody Bledsoe, Emily Roberts, 4, and James Roberts, 5, had been missing since Thursday, KGO reported.

Donald Kewley, a relative, told The Sacramento Bee that the trio were last seen at their home -- which was destroyed in the fire that has raged in northern California since Monday -- before evacuations were ordered by authorities.

“We have no information about their whereabouts,” Kewley told the newspaper. The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office is helping family members by searching for Bledsoe and the children at hospitals and evacuation centers.

Kewley told the San Francisco Chronicle that he telephoned Bledsoe's home after watching the fire from his roof.

"She was screaming, 'It's getting closer,' and you could hear the sirens," Kewley told the Chronicle. "Then the phone went dead."

"We're praying to God that out of the 38,000 evacuees that three of them just got mixed up," Kewley told the Bee.

About the Author