The known death toll from fires in southern Oregon has been reduced from five to three. The sheriff’s office said Monday that two of the previously announced deaths were determined to be animal remains.
As first reported by the Medford Mail-Tribune, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office reported that two bodies found at burned sites were confirmed to be animal bone fragments.
“We can confirm our death toll went down to three,” said Rich Tyler, a spokesman for the Office of the State Fire Marshal who is working on the Almeda fire.
The Oregon Office of Emergency Management is still reporting 10 deaths statewide, including five in Jackson County.
Bobbi Doan, the lead public information officer for the Office of Emergency Management, said the state office is aware of Jackson County’s changing numbers, but said the agency has to wait until the state medical examiner has verified the county’s findings.
She noted that there are sometimes discrepancies between initial state and local reports.
“At the local level they have their own jurisdiction,” Doan said. “The investigators and boots on the ground are making the best determination with the information they have at hand.”
—Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR
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