Death toll in California wildfires climbs to 25
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
LOS ANGELES — The remains of 14 more victims were found in the ashes of the massive Northern California wildfire, bringing the total number of deaths from blazes raging across the state to at least 25, officials said Saturday.
Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea said the 14 bodies were recovered in the Camp Fire, thought to be the most destructive wildfire in state history. Nine deaths had previously been reported in that fire.
Two bodies also were found in the burn zone of the Woolsey Fire in Southern California, officials said.
"I know that members of our community who are missing loved ones are anxious, and I know that the news of us recovering bodies has to be disconcerting," Honea said. "I will tell you that we are doing everything that we possibly can to identify those remains and make contact with the next of kin."
"My heart goes out to those people. I will tell you that this weighs heavy on all of us," he said.
More than 50,000 people were evacuated or staying in shelters because of the Camp Fire, which broke out Thursday around 6:33 a.m., and a preliminary estimate is that more than 6,400 homes have been destroyed, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire.
The Camp Fire has burned around 105,000 acres and was 20 percent contained Saturday, officials said. More Santa Ana winds fueling the fires are expected on Sunday.
Honea said that of the 14 new deaths, four were in the Concow area, east of Paradise, and 10 were in the Paradise area. He said 110 people remain unaccounted for but cautioned that some may be duplicative. On Friday, officials said five bodies were found in or near cars that were overcome by flames, and four others were found at residences in Paradise.
Some 250,000 people in California were under evacuation orders from three fires on Saturday, including the Camp Fire, officials said.
Two of those fires were burning in the Los Angeles area: The Woolsey Fire in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, which accounted for 200,000 of the evacuation orders, and the Hill Fire in Ventura County.
Fire crews took advantage Saturday of a break in fierce winds — with resources being sent from other states to help — but officials warned they are expected to return Sunday. The National Weather Service warned of "extremely critical fire weather conditions" Sunday through Tuesday.
"Don't be lulled by a false sense of security — right now Mother Nature has given us a short reprieve. The winds are not blowing,” Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said Saturday afternoon in a media briefing about the Woolsey Fire.
"But we know tomorrow, Mother Nature’s going to turn her fan back on, and the winds are going to start blowing," he said, urging the public to stay vigilant and to be prepared to evacuate if called to do so.
The two people found dead in the Malibu area amid the Woolsey Fire were discovered badly burned in a vehicle in a driveway, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. Sheriff’s Capt. Chief John Benedict said those deaths are being treated as fire-related but an investigation is ongoing.
At least 177 homes and other structures have been destroyed in the Woolsey Fire, which has burned 83,275 acres and was 5 percent contained Saturday night, Cal Fire said. The agency said some 57,000 structures were threatened by the blaze.
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I recently heard that California's fire season now spans the whole year, making this year the worst. How does CA mitigate the damage from these fires?
It is true, the fire season now can happen any time during the year, fires are bigger, more frequent and more deadly. They are moving deeper into neighborhoods. I live near the fires in so Cal, and my brother and sis in law just lost their house in the Camp fire in Paradise. They've lived there over 20 years, and many of the houses burned in so Cal have been there for decades as well. Brush clearance is imperative, but doesn't always matter. Personally I would never live in a canyon because of fires, but now the fires go way beyond. They are scaring all of us every time the wind picks up.
I'm sorry to hear that, lib. You stay safe.
I'm fine here (for now, who knows what will happen when the wind kicks up), but so many were in danger here and up north, all at the same time (very windy). We never know when one will spring up and become 'the one'.
Stay safe lib and I very sorry to hear that your brother and sis in law lost their home.
One of my best friends lost everything in the Santa Rosa fire a few months back.
I feel so bad for them, although they are lucky to be able to stay with their daughter in Chico, at least for now. I think they are still in shock, plus their vet clinic is so busy they don't have time to think about it all. Have your friends in Santa Rosa been able to make progress? Paradise is pretty much gone, including the infrastructure, it won't be easy to even live there if you were lucky, and I don't think many were from what I saw. I never used to feel vulnerable living on the outskirts of the city except a few times growing up, now you feel nervous year round and look at the mountains that aren't right next to you but close enough for sparks to hit. I imagine people in tornado alley (which seems to have multiplied in size recently) get nervous when storms start forming too. Climate change can't be ignored anymore and I hope we are lucky to have forward thinking minds working to mitigate damage.
A bit of progress, but it's a very slow slog for them. Being in their late 70's rebuilding their lives isn't in the books for them. They had a small vineyard and it was their pride and joy and it was completely destroyed.
I also live near the fires in So Cal. I went to Ventura last Friday for an appointment. The area lost internet, TMobile crashed, and Spectrum cable also went down. I wasn't sure I would even get home due to all of the closures.
E.A Multiply that a few times for what is ahead!
I have loved through a few wildfires and earthquakes since I moved to CA in 1961. The hardest part of trying to evacuate is dealing with the traffic, and the jerks that feel that their lives are so much more important than anyone else's and wind up causing traffic jams and undue delays trying to cut in and out of traffic. I have been lucky that my homes were safe from damage or destruction. I also managed to live through several tornadoes when I lived in Ft Worth TX, in the middle of 'Tornado Alley".
So my heart truly goes out to those who have lost their homes and businesses. And the families of those who have lost their lives.
The wind was in excess of 32 MPH here today, but, there were no fires nearby, thankfully. But, I never say never......as things can change in the next minutes.
Some of it has to burn. And sometimes development moves too far into what should be wilderness.
I don't mean to be cold about that. I moved to Cali back in 1991. Then there was the fire of 1993 in my town, it was scary but I was so fortunate. My home was spared. A lot of the homes on the hillside were not.
I've grown up here and have been watching the fires for years, but its much worse now, its different and more deadly and the fires aren't only in wilderness. I hate fires, they have always scared me and I hate seeing all the destruction and pain of the victims. I don't think they should allow homes built in hazardous areas any more, and the cost of fire insurance in those places is getting sky high
Evening....Yes every year we to, dance with the devil. We hold our breath and wait....some years are worse than others and that is down to Mother Nature. You prepare the best you can and make sure all is in order. But when you have hot 40oC winds racing through at 100kph nothing on this earth will stop it...Some area's are more fire prone than others and that is down to topography and climate...California and my State Victoria are two of the most bushfire prone areas on this earth. We know exactly what you are going through..We have been down this road many a time and unfortunately we will again..Normally we would be sending our Firies over to you to help do battle, but I doubt this will happen at the moment as our fire time is here now...Deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the lost souls.....
Hope that your out of the way of the fires Shona. I was in WA some years back when a big fire raged through the area. Damn scary.
I always feel sympathy and kinship with you guys go through your fires and have noticed yours are worse with climate change as well. Good luck to all of us as mother nature takes charge.
Stay safe all. If you are told to leave...LEAVE. Property and material objects can be replaced, your life cannot.
This is the most awful thing. They're now reporting 228 missing up north in addition to 29 known dead. These people were burning to death before they knew what had hit them. Incredible.
E.A Yes and Internet CHAT sites that could Volunteer their resources to help the CITIZENS keep in touch LIMIT or BLOCK those that were willing to do so!
Evening Tacos..Yes unfortunately people do not realise how fast a bushfire can travel. Here people were driving out of danger zones sitting on a 100kph and the fire went straight past them..Others watched the fires and they were kilometres away from their houses and then suddenly it was at their back door. Fires spot kilometres ahead of the fire front and get a 100kph wind behind it and yes, it is hell on earth. Sorry to say it will be going for days or weeks and it truly is Mother Nature at her worst...All you can do is get out of her way, if you can...Wish we could help but our season has already started here but you are all in our thoughts....
California wildfires: Death toll rises to 31 with 200 missing
Unfortunately the dead toll is now 31 (2 in SoCal) with 200 plus still missing.
Downed power lines are a possible cause of two fires
It’s still not certain what caused the most destructive wildfire in California history, but eyes are turning toward an all too familiar suspect — one of the state’s investor-owned utilities.
Many fires in recent years have been caused by downed power lines. Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which has been blamed for billions of dollars in past fire damage, experienced an outage in Butte County about 15 minutes before the Camp Fire started on Thursday and also reported a damaged transmission tower in the area, according to report filed to state regulators. Officials said they were still investigating the causes of the current fires.
Southern California Edison also submitted a preliminary report to state regulators regarding the Woolsey Fire in Ventura County, citing an incident near its Chatsworth Substation minutes before the blaze was reported.
Earlier this year, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, determined that power lines and poles and other equipment owned by Pacific Gas and Electric was responsible for a dozen fires in Northern California in October 2017 that devastated wine country.
Paul Doherty, a spokesman for PG&E, said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The Image on 11 Eagle Averro Is in effect a VIDEO click on it to start the Video Play
California wildfires: Death toll reaches grim milestone
So, here in SoCal, we just got word that the entire school district will be shut down until after Thanksgiving because all the schools need to cleansed of whatever ash and toxins descended on and fused into the school structures and air systems. Naturally, the kids - being kids - could not be happier. It's the greatest day in the history of childhood.
And parents being parents are rolling their eyes trying to figure out what to do with those kids.
Sadly, that isn't the worst problem in California tonight.
E.A You might be right.
There is a different " Fire " building steam getting ready to erupt!
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A friend of mine is an UBER/Lyft driver. Yesterday she got a fare in Calabasas to pick up someone who was evacuating. She also scooped up ten people trying to outrun the fire. Now, eleven people plus a driver are a tight fit in a normal sized auto. The solution was that she put two children and a teen in the trunk to get everyone away from the danger.
Awesome!
To all of us on this seed who live in So Cal, please may you and yours remain safe. I don't care how much some of us may have disagreed, I will worry about all of you during these times.
Thirteen more bodies have been recovered in California, bringing the death toll in the US state's deadliest wildfires to 42, officials say.
The remains were found in and around the largely incinerated town of Paradise, in the north of the state.
Police investigators sifting through the ruins of the 97-unit Ridgewood Mobile Home Park in Paradise, Calif., on Monday.
Credit
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
13 More Bodies: California’s Largest Wildfire Is Now Its Deadliest, Too
The Camp Fire in Northern California has killed at least 42 people. Two more have died in another wildfire outside Los Angeles.
Countless others narrowly escaped harm as they scrambled to safety.