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Woman Who Survived Camp Fire Drowns In Central Valley Reservoir

MODESTO (AP) -- Relatives of a woman who survived a deadly Northern California wildfire say she drowned while swimming in a reservoir.

The Modesto Bee reports Stephanie Modena, who escaped last fall's devastating Camp Fire in Butte County, died Wednesday in the Woodward Reservoir east of Stockton.

Her sister, Cortney Modena, tells the newspaper 34-year-old Stephanie Modena was swimming to an island with her 10-year-old daughter when she began having a panic attack. The daughter pulled her mother out of the water but she couldn't be resuscitated.

Cortney Modena says her sister suffered anxiety and panic attacks after last November's fire, where they both lost their homes and belongings.

Another Modena sister, Kristina, says Stephanie suffered other medical issues and that those combined factors were "too much for her heart."

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press.

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