Sheriff's officials in Northern California say the five people found dead in vehicles torched by a wildfire's flames could not immediately be identified because of the burns they suffered.
The Butte County Sheriff's Office said Friday that autopsies will be conducted.
Officials say the victims were found in the same area in the town of Paradise, near a main thoroughfare heading out of the town that was consumed by flames.
All of the city's 27,000 residents were ordered to evacuate on Thursday as the wildfire quickly turned into an inferno, setting off a desperate exodus in which many motorists got stuck in gridlocked traffic and abandoned their vehicles to flee foot. People reported seeing much of the community go up in flames, including homes, supermarkets, businesses, restaurants, schools and a retirement center.