NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office has released the names of the last of the victims of the Redwood fire to be identified.
The fire, which began early on the morning of Oct. 9, has burned 36,523 acres in Potter and Redwood Valleys and destroyed nearly 300 homes there, according to a Cal Fire damage assessment.
The fire has claimed eight lives, with all of the dead having been Redwood Valley residents, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
The agency on Oct. 13 had released the names of three victims who had been identified and whose families were notified: Kai Logan Shepherd, 14; and married couple Roy Howard Bowman, 87, and Irma Elsie Bowman, 88.
Capt. Greg Van Patten said Shepherd was found near his family residence in the 11300 block of West Road. It appeared he was attempting to evacuate the area on foot when he was overtaken by the fire.
The Bowmans were found in the burned remains of their home in the 4000 block of Fisher Lake Drive in Redwood Valley, Van Patten said.
On Thursday, the sheriff’s office released the five remaining victims’ names.
They are Steve Bruce Stelter, 56; Janet Kay Costanzo, 71; Jane Gardiner, 83; Elizabeth Charlene Foster, 64; and Margaret Stephenson, 86, according to Van Patten’s report.
Van Patten said these latest identifications were made from dental records with the assistance of Dr. Jim Wood, who is the California State Assembly representative for District 2.
Stelter and Costanzo were a couple and lived together in the 11300 block of West Road. Van Patten said Stelter was found near a vehicle outside his home; it appeared he was preparing the vehicle to evacuate the area when he was overtaken by the fire. Costanzo was found in the remains of the home, which was destroyed.
Gardiner was found in the burned remains of her residence, located in the 12500 block of Tomki Road, which she shared with her caregiver, Foster. Van Patten said Foster’s body also was discovered in the home.
Gardiner and Foster had telephoned Gardiner's stepson on Oct. 9 at 1:30 a.m., telling him that there was fire all around the residence and the pair were awaiting evacuation by the fire department, Van Patten said.
Stephenson was found in the burnt remains of her destroyed residence in the 12800 block of Tomki Road. Van Patten said it appeared she was evacuating through the residence's garage when she was overtaken by the fire.
Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office releases names of remaining Redwood fire victims
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