14 die in historic floods in US state

NEW YORK (AA) – At least 14 people are confirmed dead in flooding in the state of West Virginia, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said Friday at a press conference.

He said the flooding was "among the worst in a century for some parts of the state," and the state’s transportation agency was working to rescue hundreds of victims trapped at a mall after a storm system dumped nearly 10 inches of rain on parts of the West Virginia and washed out a bridge.

Tomblin declared a state of emergency in 44 of West Virginia’s 55 counties and has assigned 150 members of the state's national guard to assist local emergency responders.

Congressional Rep. Evan Jenkins offered sympathy for his state’s victims. "The floods we are seeing in southern West Virginia are historic and tragic, and my heart goes out to all of the affected residents and businesses," he said.

While West Virginia deals with floods, on the other side of the country, a wildfire in California has gutted nearly 100 houses and threatenes 1,500 more, ABC News reported.

Tyler Townsend, public information officer with Erskin Creek Fire, said in a live Facebook broadcast late Thursday that the cause of the fire was unknown and there had been no fatalities, but several firefighters were hospitalized for smoke inhalation.

"I've been a firefighter for nine years," Townsend said. "This is definitely the most destructive fire I've ever been to,” he added.