courtesy Creative Commons

The fire killed June Hargis, 93, and destroyed 29 homes. An elderly man admitted to starting the fire by throwing out fireplace ashes, but the victim’s family decided not to press charges, according to the Associated Press. The family said they decided not to press charges because the man that started the fire has admitted wrongdoing and is remorseful.

"The man had the courage to come up and say he did this. He's remorseful. I think he's punished himself enough. It was a silly, stupid mistake to make, there's no doubt about that. But I just want him to know I forgive him, and my heart goes out to him," the victims son, Jim Blueberg, told the AP.

Evacuations for the area were lifted, but now there are flood warnings in some burned areas.

The fire started a little after noon Thursday. It quickly spread across the dry land with winds of 82mph moving if forward. When the fire was at its highest, 10,000 people were called to evacuate.

Reach executive producer Hannah Madans here.