Person found dead as Gann fire burns more than 10,000 acres in California's Calaveras County

Sean Campbell, The Sacramento Bee on Aug 6, 2026

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A person was found dead inside a burned home as the Gann fire continued to tear through western Calaveras County, California, where the wildfire has burned more than 10,000 acres, destroyed at least seven structures and injured a firefighter, officials said Thursday.

The body was found inside a burned residence in the 4600 block of Jaquima Drive, according to the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities have not identified the person. A spokesperson for the Calaveras County Coroner’s Office said details would be released after the body is identified and next of kin have been notified. The Sheriff’s Office said it was investigating the cause of death and its relationship to the fire and could not immediately provide additional details.

Fox 40 reported that the victim was a 70-year-old woman, who did not evacuate from the area of the fire.

The death marked the first reported fatality from the wildfire, which had burned 10,372 acres and reached 26% containment Thursday morning, according to Cal Fire. Officials said at least seven structures have been destroyed, and one firefighter has been injured.

Containment of fire improved overnight

Despite what firefighters called challenging conditions, crews as of Thursday morning had reached 26% containment on the blaze, Cal Fire said.

After the fire sparked from a piece of equipment about 5:30 p.m. Monday, it quickly expanded to more than 6,000 acres within the first day, according to Cal Fire’s logs. The fire continued to grow and was mapped at 10,372 acres as of Wednesday afternoon.

Overnight, firefighters increased containment from 19% to 26% by strengthening control lines and conducting a firing operation, Cal Fire said. The agency said dry fuels and temperatures above 100 degrees continued to challenge the firefighting effort.

Sacramento Bee reporters on the scene saw evidence of properties burned by the fire. On Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for the fundraising website GoFundMe provided links to pages raising money for two families who reported losing their homes in the flames.

The wildfire is the fifth-largest in California this year, according to Cal Fire data. Officials said 67 crews, more than 2,700 firefighters, 12 helicopters, 247 fire engines, 46 dozers and 25 water tenders were assigned to the fire.

Firefighters will also get help from FEMA after Gov. Gavin Newsom secured a federal grant Tuesday morning that his office said would support the firefighting effort by improving access to resources.

Arrest made in connection with fire

Cal Fire on Monday arrested a Valley Springs man in connection with the fire after investigators determined he recklessly caused the fire while operating equipment that could spark near vegetation, according to a Wednesday news release.

The man, Herbert Wayne Smith, 65, was booked on suspicion of unlawfully causing a fire that burned structures or forest land, according to jail logs.

Smith was later released after posting $20,000 bail Tuesday, according to a jail official.

Investigators alleged Smith operated the tool without clearing flammable vegetation around his work area and without having firefighting tools on hand, both of which are required by law.

In an interview Wednesday with KCRA 3 in Valley Springs, Smith expressed remorse, saying he did not intentionally start the blaze.

Smith told the station the fire started while he was using a saw to gather scraps to sell for money to pay for a birthday dinner with his wife.

“I’m so sorry for everything that’s happened,” Smith said, according to KCRA 3. “That was never my intent. I was just out there trying to get some money together, and it turned into this.”

Charges had not yet been filed in Calaveras Superior Court as of Thursday morning. Cal Fire said Wednesday that it had submitted the case to the Calaveras County District Attorney’s Office.

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