Couple who died in California fire were ready to evacuate but reconsidered after ‘erroneous information’

Two people found dead near their destroyed home were packed and ready to evacuate the North Complex Fire in Northern California last week but changed their minds based on erroneous information, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said Tuesday.

Six days ago, Philip Ruble, 68, was found inside of burned-up Toyota pickup at the home and Millicent Catarncuic, 77 was found in a nearby embankment, according to the sheriff.

“After speaking to family members, it is believed the pair was aware of the fire in the area,” Honea said. “They had packed their belongings in preparation to evacuate but later decided not to evacuate based on erroneous information that the fire was 51% contained.”

The pair lived in Berry Creek, which has been all but decimated by the Bear Fire, part of the North Complex.

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Berry Creek was under an evacuation order as of 3:15 p.m. PT last Tuesday. The information was posted on social media sites and on the fire information line, and transmitted via ham radio. Deputies also went through the area with evacuation sirens and door to door where possible, Butte County spokeswoman Megan McCann told CNN.

It is unknown where the couple saw or heard the containment figure. The number is not typically part of evacuation orders. The fire also quickly grew the day the couple died.

The North Complex Fire has caused 15 fatalities, with 13 people currently unaccounted for. It has been burning for close to a month and is the eighth largest in California history, having charred 273,000 acres and burned down more than 780 structures, including the Berry Creek Elementary School.

One firefighter has been injured.

Man survives flames but loses farm

Eddie Campos watched helplessly as flames raced toward his family farm in Jamul, California.

“We called for air support. We called for ground support. We called for chopper support. And we couldn’t get no help at all,” Campos said.

Firefighters look out over a burning hillside as they fight the Blue Ridge Fire in Yorba Linda, California, on Monday, October 26, 2020.

A man evacuates his home as flames from the Blue Ridge Fire approach in Chino Hills, California, on Tuesday, October 27, 2020.

Firefighters conduct a backfire operation in Chino Hills on October 27, 2020.

A firefighter uses a hose as the Silverado Fire approaches near Irvine, California.

Firefighter Raymond Vasquez battles the Silverado Fire in Irvine on Monday, October 26, 2020.

Flames rise from mountain ridges near a farmstead as a wildfire burns near Granby, Colorado, on Thursday, October 22, 2020.

Evacuees drive through a traffic jam exiting Big Thompson Canyon as the East Troublesome Fire forced residents out of Estes Park, Colorado, on October 22, 2020.

Structures burned by the Cal-Wood Fire are seen in Boulder County, Colorado, on October 18, 2020.

Flames from the Cameron Peak Fire, the largest wildfire in Colorado history, work their way along a ridge outside Estes Park on October 16, 2020.

An airplane drops fire retardant on the Bruder Fire in Redlands, California, on October 15, 2020.

Dr. Alex Herman, right, and veterinary technician Linden West examine Captain Cal, a 6-week-old mountain lion cub recovering from severe burn injuries at the Oakland Zoo Hospital in Oakland, California. The zoo later took in two more cubs rescued from the same fire.

Burned bottles of wine sit in a pile at the Castello di Amorosa winery, which was destroyed by the Glass Fire in Calistoga, California, on October 1, 2020. Wildfires have damaged and destroyed dozens of the region's famed wineries, many of them family-owned businesses.

A firefighter walks along a path as the Glass Fire burns in Calistoga, California, on October 1, 2020.

Vehicles burned in the Glass Fire sit outside of a home that survived in Calistoga on September 30, 2020.

The remains of guest houses smolder at Calistoga Ranch after the Glass Fire passed through on September 30, 2020.

Firefighter Abraham Garcia signals a water truck in Angwin, California, on September 29, 2020.

Firefighters watch the Glass Fire slowly creep across a clearing near Calistoga on September 29, 2020.

Damaged wine barrels sit stacked at the Fairwinds Estate Winery in Calistoga on September 29, 2020.

The Glass Fire burns in the background as Josh Asbury, an employee of CableCom, installs fiber-optic cable in Calistoga on September 28, 2020.

Residents of the Oakmont Gardens senior home are transported to safety as the Shady Fire approaches in Santa Rosa on September 28, 2020.

Cellar worker Jose Juan Perez extinguishes hotspots at Castello di Amorosa, a Calistoga winery that was damaged in the 2020 Glass Fire.

An officer with Napa County Animal Control rescues a cat after the Glass Fire passed through Napa Valley, California, on September 28, 2020.

The Glass Fire burns on a Napa County mountainside on September 28, 2020.

Flames from the Glass Fire consume the Black Rock Inn in St. Helena, California, on September 27, 2020.

Embers fly from a tree as the Glass Fire burns in St. Helena on September 27, 2020.

An air tanker drops fire retardant on the Glass Fire, which was burning near the Davis Estates winery in Calistoga on September 27, 2020.

Cal Fire Capt. Jesse Campbell works to save the Louis Stralla Water Treatment Plant as the Glass Fire burns in St. Helena.

A photograph of Charles Morton, a firefighter killed battling the El Dorado Fire, is displayed at a memorial service in San Bernardino, California, on September 25, 2020. Morton, 39, was a 14-year veteran of the US Forest Service and a squad boss with the Big Bear Hotshot Crew of the San Bernardino National Forest.

An inmate firefighter takes a break while working to contain the Bear Fire in Oroville, California, on September 24, 2020.

Inmate firefighters extinguish hot spots while working to contain the Bear Fire on September 24, 2020.

The Bobcat Fire burns near Cedar Springs, California, on September 21, 2020.

Wildfire smoke rises in Medicine Bow National Forest in southeastern Wyoming on September 21, 2020.

A deer looks for food in an area burned by the Bobcat Fire in Pearblossom, California, on September 20, 2020.

A woman takes photos as the Bobcat Fire burns in Juniper Hills, California, on September 18, 2020.

Wind whips embers from Joshua trees burned by the Bobcat Fire in Juniper Hills on September 18, 2020.

Firefighter Kirk McDusky walks past smoke rising from the Brattain Fire in Paisley, Oregon, on September 18, 2020.

A Juniper Hills home burns during the Bobcat Fire on September 18, 2020.

A firefighter battles the Bobcat Fire while defending the Mount Wilson observatory in Los Angeles on September 17, 2020.

Stacey Kahny fixes her hair inside her tent at the evacuation center at the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Central Point, Oregon, on September 16, 2020. Kahny lived with her parents at a trailer park in Phoenix, Oregon, that was destroyed by fire.

A charred yearbook lies in the debris as Fred Skaff and his son Thomas clean up their home in Phoenix, Oregon, on September 16, 2020.

In this aerial photo taken with a drone, red fire retardant sits on leveled homes in Talent, Oregon, on September 15, 2020.

A firefighter works at the scene of the Bobcat Fire burning on hillsides near Monrovia, California, on September 15, 2020.

President Donald Trump listens as California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks about the wildfires during a briefing on September 14, 2020.

George Coble walks through his destroyed property in Mill City, Oregon, on September 12, 2020.

The Bobcat Fire burns in Angeles National Forest, north of Monrovia, California, on September 11, 2020.

Crystal Sparks kisses her 4-year-old twins, Chance and Ryder Sutton, as they escape the Obenchain Fire in Butte Falls, Oregon, on September 11, 2020.

North Valley Disaster Group member Kari Zeitler and Butte County Animal Control officer Linda Newman bridle up two donkeys wandering along a roadside in Berry Creek, California, on September 11, 2020. The donkeys were displaced by the Bear Fire.

A firefighter shoots an incendiary device during a back burn to help control the Dolan Fire in Big Sur, California, on September 11, 2020.

Dora Negrete is consoled by her son Hector Rocha after seeing their destroyed mobile home in Talent, Oregon, on September 10, 2020.

This aerial photo shows a destroyed mobile-home park in Phoenix, Oregon, on September 10, 2020.

A street is shrouded by smoke from wildfires in West Linn, Oregon, on September 10, 2020.

A tanker jet drops fire retardant to slow the Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest north of Monrovia, California, on September 10, 2020.

Looking up San Francisco's Columbus Avenue, the Transamerica Pyramid and Salesforce Tower are covered with smoke from nearby wildfires on September 9, 2020. This photo was taken in the late morning.

Visitors of San Francisco's Dolores Park are seen under an orange sky darkened by smoke on September 9, 2020.

Wildfire smoke hangs over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on September 9, 2020.

Bejhan Razi, a senior building inspector in Mill Valley, California, checks out repairs on a lamp-post clock as the sky is illuminated by nearby wildfires.

People stand in Alamo Square Park as smoke hangs over San Francisco on September 9, 2020.

People stop to take pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge as it is affected from smoke by nearby wildfires on September 9, 2020.

Firefighters cut defensive lines and light backfires to protect structures in Butte County, California, on September 9, 2020.

Flames shoot from a home in Butte County.

A Pacific Gas and Electric worker looks up at the advancing Creek Fire near Alder Springs, California, on September 8, 2020.

Lisa Theis unloads the last of her 44 alpacas after she evacuated her ranch in North Fork, California.

Flames burn at a home leveled by the Creek Fire in Fresno County, California.

A slide is melted at a school playground in Fresno County.

Rubble is seen on September 7 after a wildfire left the small town of Malden, Washington, in ruins. The fire destroyed about 80% of the homes and buildings in Malden, which is about 35 miles south of Spokane.

Firefighter Nick Grinstead battles the Creek Fire in Shaver Lake, California, on September 7, 2020.

A firefighter in Jamul, California, battles the Valley Fire on September 6, 2020.

A fire encroaches Japatul Road in Jamul on September 6, 2020.

Little League baseball players warm up for a game near Dehesa, California, as the Valley Fire burns on September 6, 2020.

A firefighter watches the advancing Creek Fire in Shaver Lake.

A business owner in Shaver Lake walks next to kayaks he rents as smoke from the Creek Fire fills the sky on September 6, 2020.

Family members comfort each other as the El Dorado Fire moves closer to their home in Yucaipa, California, on September 6, 2020.

A firefighter sets a controlled burn with a drip torch while fighting the Creek Fire in Shaver Lake.

Dozens of evacuees are airlifted to safety on a California National Guard helicopter on September 5, 2020. The Creek Fire had left them stranded in a popular camping area in the Sierra National Forest.

Firefighters walk in a line in Yucaipa on September 5, 2020.

Haze and smoke blanket the sky near Naches, Washington, as the Evans Canyon Fire burns on September 3, 2020.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, listens as Santa Cruz State Park Superintendent Chris Spohrer talks about the fire damage to the Big Basin Redwoods State Park on September 1, 2020.

Randy Hunt packs up his belongings, including his daughter Natasha's first Pooh bear, left, in case he and his wife Sheli had to evacuate the home they rent in Middletown, California, on August 26, 2020.

Firefighter Juan Chavarin pulls down a burning tree trunk in Guerneville, California, on August 25, 2020.

A sign reading "Vaca Strong" adorns a charred hillside in Vacaville, California, on August 24, 2020.

Austin Giannuzzi cries while embracing relatives at the burned remains of their Vacaville home on August 23, 2020.

A firefighter looks out from a helicopter while battling the LNU Lightning Complex fires in Lake County, California, on August 23, 2020.

Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires leap above Butts Canyon Road in Lake County on August 23, 2020.

Karol Markowski of the South Pasadena Fire Department hoses down hot spots while battling the CZU Lightning Complex fires in Boulder Creek, California, on August 22, 2020.

A burned-out vehicle is left in front of a destroyed residence as smoke fills the sky in Boulder Creek on August 22, 2020.

Smoke hangs low in the air at the Big Basin Redwoods State Park as some redwoods burn in Boulder Creek on August 22, 2020.

A firefighter watches the LNU Lightning Complex fires spread through the Berryessa Estates neighborhood in Napa County on August 21, 2020.

Veterinary technician Brianna Jeter comforts a llama injured by a fire in Vacaville on August 21, 2020. At right, animal control officer Dae Kim prepares to euthanize the llama.

Smoke from nearby wildfires hangs over San Francisco on August 21, 2020.

A firefighter monitors the advance of a fire in Boulder Creek on August 21, 2020.

Members of the US Forest Service discuss their next moves to battle the Grizzly Creek Fire near Dotsero, Colorado, on August 21, 2020.

People pack brown-bag lunches at an evacuation center in Santa Cruz, California, on August 21, 2020.

A smoke plume from the LNU Lightning Complex fires billows over Healdsburg, California, on August 20, 2020.

A firefighter battles flames in Santa Cruz County, California, on August 20, 2020.

Only scorched homes and vehicles remain in the Spanish Flat Mobile Villa in Napa County, California, on August 20, 2020.

Peter Koleckar reacts after seeing multiple homes burned in his neighborhood in Bonny Doon, California, on August 20, 2020.

A forest burns in Bonny Doon on August 20, 2020.

A man looks at a tree blocking his way after a fire ravaged Vacaville, California, on August 20, 2020.

A melted plastic fence lies on the charred ground after fire swept through Vacaville on August 20, 2020.

Sarah Hawkins searches through rubble after her Vacaville home was destroyed on August 20, 2020.

Fire crews maintain a backburn to control the River Fire near the Las Palmas neighborhood in Salinas, California, on August 19, 2020.

Gina Santos cries in her car after evacuating Vacaville on August 19, 2020.

People herd cows down Pleasants Valley Road in Vacaville on August 19, 2020.

Flames consume a home in Napa County, California, on August 19, 2020.

Embers burn along a hillside above Lake Berryessa as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through Napa County on August 18, 2020. This image was taken with a long exposure.

A resident runs into a home to save a dog while flames from the Hennessy Fire close in near Lake Berryessa on August 18, 2020.

A home burns as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through the Spanish Flat community in Napa County on August 18, 2020.

An air tanker drops retardant on fires in the Spanish Flat community of Napa County on August 18, 2020.

Flames from the Hennessy Fire consume a cabin at the Nichelini Family Winery in Napa County on August 18, 2020.

Tony Leonardini works on a spot fire as thunderstorm winds fan the Hennessy Fire in Napa County on August 17, 2020.

Smoke from the Grizzly Creek Fire is thick in Glenwood Canyon, near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on August 16, 2020.

Kathy Mathison looks at the still-smoldering wildfire on August 16, 2020, that, just a day before, came within several feet of her home in Bend, Oregon.

Firefighters look at smoke and flames rising from the Ranch2 Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains, east of Los Angeles, on August 14, 2020.

A helicopter makes a water drop over the Ranch2 Fire in Azusa, California, on August 13, 2020.

A car is charred by the Lake Fire near Lake Hughes, 60 miles north of Los Angeles, on August 13, 2020.

A couple watches the Ranch2 Fire from a distance on August 13, 2020.

A firefighter crew works in Lake Hughes on August 13, 2020.

The Lake Fire burns a home in Angeles National Forest on August 13, 2020.

Flames and smoke from the Lake Fire rise on Wednesday, August 12, 2020.

A firefighter works against the Lake Fire on August 12, 2020.

Firefighters make an escape plan as the Lake Fire burns a hillside on August 12, 2020.

A tanker makes a drop on the Lake Fire on August 12, 2020.

A plume of smoke rises from the Lake Fire on August 12, 2020.

Fire crews battle the Grizzly Creek Fire near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on August 11, 2020.

In photos: 2020 wildfires on the West Coast

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“We tried to get all our personal belongings. And I told our kids, ‘It’s time, and our lives are in danger now.’ It’s just a horrible experience, seeing this fireball headed toward us. It was devastating.”

Soon, his farm was engulfed in flames. But his family was lucky. At least 34 people have died in the Western wildfires, which have torched more than 4.7 million acres. That’s more land than six Rhode Islands.

The National Interagency Fire Center said at least 87 wildfires are burning in 11 states. Many are filling the sky with choking smoke and pushing firefighters beyond exhaustion.

“We have so many brave firefighters who are working unending hours to try to contain these fires,” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said Tuesday.

A resident runs into a home to save a dog while flames are getting close as the Hennessey fire continues to rage out of control near Lake Berryessa in Napa, California on August 18, 2020. - As of the late hours of August 18, the Hennessey fire has merged with at least 7 fires and is now called the LNU Lightning Complex fires. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

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“We are living through an unprecedented situation here on the West Coast and in California.”

Before Campos and his family fled, “we went down the street to help a neighbor rescue eight horses,” Campos said.

“We grabbed nine dogs. We helped get some chickens out – I think there were about nine or 10 chickens,” he said. “It’s a real tight community, and we worked together to rescue animals before we left this place.”

16 people are missing in Oregon

Near the Beachie Creek fire east of Salem, Oregon, Scott Fogarty has no idea what happened to his longtime friend George Atiyeh. But he knows what happened to Atiyeh’s property.

Linn County in Oregon has set up a mobile medical examiner facility in response to the wildfires in the area, an Oregon State Police spokesman confirmed to CNN. The facility was set up last Tuesday and will be staffed as needed, the spokesman, Timothy Fox, said. Fox added that this is the first time such a facility was needed to be set up.

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“His home was completely lost, and his shop,” Fogarty said, holding photos of his friend.

Atiyeh is among at least 16 people missing in the Oregon wildfires, which have already killed eight people in the state.

Officials had said 10 people died, but two sets of recovered remains turned out to be those of animals, according to Paula Negele of the state’s Office of Emergency Management.

Authorities fear more deaths. A mobile medical examiner facility has been set up in Linn County because of wildfires in the area, said Capt. Timothy Fox, a spokesman for the Oregon State Police.

He said this is the first time a mobile morgue of that kind has ever been needed.

A nurse packs for evacuation, then goes back to work

Betty Stevens and Fred Andrews packed in the dark as the fire approached their home near Medford, Oregon. They weren’t quite sure whether they should leave, but a police car went down the street urging people over the loudspeaker to leave.

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They did, but Stevens went back to work at a hospital where she is a respiratory therapist in the neonatal intensive care unit. She helped evacuate young patients.

“It was better than sitting in my friend’s home and thinking about what could be happening,” she told CNN’s Brooke Baldwin. “I was extremely concerned that the fire obviously would come to the hospital and that we’d have the adequate staff to evacuate premature babies who are dependent on oxygen.”

The next day, Stevens went by the neighborhood. The homes were gone. She went to their lot. It was ashes and rubble. The creek in the backyard was dried up.

“Nothing was really recognizable,” she said. “It didn’t feel like my home. It just felt like just pain. It was just very painful to see.”

The 36 victims include a boy and his grandmother

At least 25 people have died in the California wildfires. The Butte County Sheriff’s Office has identified seven victims of the North Complex Fire, who ranged in age from 16 to 70 and died in Berry Creek.

The Kern Valley Hotshot crew fights the Creek Fire.

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The eight people killed in Oregon included 13-year-old Wyatt Tofte and his grandmother, Peggy Mosso.

And in Washington state, one child was killed, Gov. Jay Inslee said.

Oregon Emergency Management Director Andrew Phelps urged those who are evacuating to register with the American Red Cross so officials and loved ones will know they’re safe.

“If you’re concerned for missing family, please report that concern to the local law enforcement entity,” he said.

Washington air quality is ‘oppressive’

A man stops on his bike along the Willamette River as smoke from wildfires partially obscures the Tilikum Crossing Bridge, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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In Washington, the air quality is more than uncomfortable. Inslee called it “oppressive.”

“It remains unhealthy at best, and hazardous at worst,” Inslee added.

In fact, parts of the West Coast now have the worst air quality in the world, according to the air quality monitoring group IQAir.

Inslee said the wildfires, which have burned 620,000 acres (about 970 square miles) in the state, have resulted in the most consecutive days of hazardous air quality since the state began regular monitoring nearly two decades ago.

CNN’s Andy Rose, Steve Almasy, Martin Savidge, Michael Guy, Konstantin Toropin, Carma Hassan, Jennifer Selva, Artemis Moshtaghian and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.