It was considered the deadliest single wildland blaze in state history, authorities said on Monday. The latest death toll, up from 29 tallied over the weekend, was announced by Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea at an evening news conference in the nearby city of Chico after authorities located the remains of 13 additional victims from a blaze dubbed the Camp Fire. That fire already ranked as the most destructive on record in California, having leveled more than 7,100 homes and other buildings since it erupted on Thursday in the Sierra foothills of Butte County, about 175 miles (280 km) north of San Francisco. Honea said the number of people listed as missing in the disaster remained officially at 228, but added that his office had received more than 1,500 requests for "welfare checks" from people concerned about the fate of their loved ones. He said his office had managed to confirm the safety of the individuals in question in 231 of those cases so far. More than 15,000 … [Read more...] about Northern California wildfire kills 42 to rank as deadliest in state history
California
No Vietnamese victims reported in wildfires in California
Wildfires are raging through California, the US, killing at least 25 people as of November 11. (Source: Xinhua/VNA) Washington D.C (VNA) – There has been no report on any Vietnamese national among the deaths caused by the wildfires that are raging through California, the US, killing at least 25 people as of November 11, according to the Vietnamese Embassy in the country. The embassy and the Vietnamese Consulate General in San Francisco are keeping a close watch on the situation, and coordinating with competent local agencies and Vietnamese communities to get updates on the incident and support Vietnamese citizens in California when necessary. In case of emergency, it is recommended to contact the embassy via the hotline ( 1) 202 716 8666. The embassy has also issued a notice expressing its sympathy over the great human and property losses to hundreds of thousands of residents living in areas affected by the flames. The embassy expressed its belief that California’s … [Read more...] about No Vietnamese victims reported in wildfires in California
Hell in Paradise: fire crews in grim search for California’s dead
Firefighters took advantage of a brief calm overnight to make headway against the multiple blazes, but conditions were expected to be hellish on Sunday with winds reaching as high as 70 miles (110 kilometers) an hour. In fire zones north and south, acrid smoke blanketed the sky for miles, the sun barely visible. On the ground, cars caught in the blaze were reduced to mangled metal carcasses, while power lines were gnawed by the flames. The largest inferno, the so-called "Camp Fire" in the northern foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, has destroyed 6,700 homes, business and other buildings in the town of Paradise, effectively wiping it off the map. At least 23 people have lost their lives in and around the community of 27,000, according to an official count by authorities. An AFP journalist in Magalia, a 10-mile drive north of Paradise, saw workers from a local mortuary team recover another body which was put into a blue bag and loaded onto a hearse. Only two Californian wildfires … [Read more...] about Hell in Paradise: fire crews in grim search for California’s dead
Nine die in California wildfires, tens of thousands forced to flee
Nine people were declared dead and tens of thousands evacuated Friday as fierce wildfires raged across the western US state of California, with one rapidly spreading blaze threatening the famed resort of Malibu. All of the fatalities were reported in a massive late-season inferno in the town of Paradise, in Butte County north of the state capital Sacramento, where the entire population of 26,000 was ordered to leave, officials said. The fast moving blaze, known as the "Camp Fire," began Thursday morning. Fanned by strong winds, it has scorched 70,000 acres (28,300 hectares) and has not been contained, the California Fire Department (Cal Fire) said. Two other fires broke out in southern California, one in Ventura County near Thousand Oaks, where a Marine Corps veteran shot dead 12 people in a country music bar on Wednesday night. "The magnitude of destruction we have seen is really unbelievable and heartbreaking and our hearts go to everybody who has been affected by this," said … [Read more...] about Nine die in California wildfires, tens of thousands forced to flee
Five die in California wildfires, 150,000 forced to flee
The blaze also threatened the famed resort of Malibu. The victims died in their vehicles trying to escape a massive late-season inferno in the northern California town of Paradise, where the entire population of 26,000 was ordered to leave, officials said. "The preliminary investigation revealed that the victims were located in vehicles that were overcome by the Camp Fire," said a statement by the Butte County Sheriff's Department, adding that they had yet to be identified. Dozens of other people were reported missing. Residents who managed to escape Paradise posted harrowing videos to social media as they drove through tunnels of swirling smoke and orange flames to outrun the wildfire in the Butte County town, north of Sacramento. The fast-moving Camp Fire has been fanned by strong winds to scorch 20,000 acres (8,093 hectares) and has not been contained, the California Fire Department (Cal Fire) said. The flames destroyed hundreds of homes, a hospital, a gas station, several … [Read more...] about Five die in California wildfires, 150,000 forced to flee