A former San Diego resident is among the victims killed this week during the Australian wildfires.
David Lee Holcombe, 61, and his wife, Carol, were found dead in the ruins of their home on Monday.
Holcombe grew up in San Diego and graduated from Helix High. He moved to Australia in the 1970s after earning a teaching degree from San Diego State University.
Holcombe married Carol, who was a native Australian, and the couple had three children.
The Holcombes' children were not physically harmed by the conflagration. Holcombe's sister, who lives in Point Loma, said that the children were turned away by emergency crews before reaching the Holcombes' home on Saturday. Five hundred homes were destroyed in the town besides with the Holcombes'.
Arson investigators believe two of the fires that burned during the last week are suspicious. More than 180 people have died in the fires. Australia's prime minister announced there would be a day of mourning for the victims.
