REDDING, Calif. (AP) The deadly Northern California wildfire that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes slowed down Sunday after days of explosive growth, giving officials hope even as they announced the discovery of a sixth fatality.

Meanwhile, officials said a second firefighter died fighting a huge blaze to the south near Yosemite National Park. Brian Hughes, 33, was struck by a tree and killed while working as part of a crew removing brush and other fuel near the so-called Ferguson fires front lines, national parks officials said.

In Redding, officials struck a hopeful tone for the first time in days.

Were feeling a lot more optimistic today as were starting to gain some ground rather than being in a defensive mode on this fire all the time, said Bret Gouvea, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protections incident commander on the blaze around Redding, a city about 230 miles (370 kilometers) north of San Francisco.

Gouvea spoke at a news conference with fire and law enforcement officials. Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko said authorities found a sixth victim of the blaze at a home that was consumed by flames, though he declined to say where. The victims identity was not released.