California authorities collect DNA to identify fire victims

The number of people listed as missing skyrockets past 600

PARADISE, UNITED STATES: California authorities collected DNA samples from relatives on Thursday to help identify victims of the western US state's deadliest-ever wildfire.

At least 59 deaths have been reported so far from the sprawling blazes in northern and southern California and the toll is expected to rise as body recovery teams with sniffer dogs conduct searches.

Fifty-six of the deaths and all of those unaccounted for are from the Butte County town of Paradise in northern California, which was decimated by the so-called "Camp Fire" that erupted a week ago.

A list of those missing in Butte County grew overnight, many of them elderly. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said some may have fled their homes and not been in touch with family and friends but others are believed to have died in the fast-moving "Camp Fire".

He said 461 search and rescue personnel and 22 "cadaver dogs" were involved in the effort to locate the missing and DNA testing was being expedited to identify victims.



He said 47 of the 56 fatalities have been tentatively identified so far using "rapid DNA" techniques.

"Beginning Thursday, anyone who believes a family member perished can provide a DNA sample," Honea said.

Paradise, a town of around 26,000 in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, was popular with retirees and many of those reported missing by the sheriff's office are in their 70s, 80s and 90s.

Virtually every home in Paradise, located 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of the state capital Sacramento, was destroyed by the fire, which was driven by high winds.

Body recovery teams are conducting a painstaking search of burned-out homes for human remains in the town and closely examining the many charred cars littering the roads.

The 56 deaths reported from the "Camp Fire" make it the deadliest wildfire in California's history and it is also the most destructive. Three people have died in the "Woolsey Fire" northwest of Los Angeles.

The California fire department (Cal Fire) said early on Thursday that the "Camp Fire" has destroyed 140,000 acres (56,655 hectares) and was 40 percent contained.

It said nearly 5,500 firefighters were battling the blaze and it did not expect it to be fully contained for another two weeks.

The "Camp Fire" has destroyed more than 8,650 single family homes and 260 commercial buildings, Cal Fire said.

The "Woolsey Fire" has razed 98,000 acres (39,660 hectares) and has been 57 percent contained. It is expected to be fully contained by Monday.

Authorities said cooler temperatures and calmer winds had brought welcome relief to fire crews.

A number of celebrities have lost their homes in Malibu as a result of the Woolsey inferno, including Pierce Brosnan, Miley Cyrus, Neil Young, Robin Thicke, Shannen Doherty and Gerard Butler.

California Governor Jerry Brown, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Brock Long, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), toured the damage in Paradise on Wednesday.

"This is so devastating that I don't really have the words to describe it," Brown told a press conference. "It looks like a war zone."

Long said Paradise was looking at a "total rebuild," with most homes, businesses and infrastructure destroyed.

"This is going to be a very long and frustrating event for the citizens of Paradise," Long said. "We're going to have to find a new normal."

"You're not going to be able to rebuild Paradise the way it was."

Authorities said it was unclear when residents would be allowed back into the town.

While the cause of the Camp Fire is still under investigation, a lawsuit has been filed against the local power company, PG&E, by fire victims claiming negligence by the utility.

The complaint alleged that the fire began on November 8 when a high voltage transmission line failed, igniting tinder-dry vegetation.

The utility was found to be responsible for several devastating fires in northern California last fall that killed at least 15 people, and it faces billions of dollars in liability for the latest wildfires.



Number of missing jumps past 600

The number of people listed as missing has skyrocketed past 600, authorities said on Thursday, as the remains of seven additional victims were found by rescuers.

Butte County Sheriff said the number of missing had more than doubled during the day to 631 as investigators went back and checked emergency calls made when the fire broke out a week ago.

"I want you to understand that the chaos we were dealing with was extraordinary" when the fire started, he told journalists, in explaining the staggering new number.

The seven additional victims brings to 63 the number of people who have died in the so-called "Camp Fire" in northern California.

At least three other people have died in southern California in another blaze dubbed the "Woolsey Fire".

The White House said President Donald Trump, who has blamed the fires on "gross mismanagement of the forest," would travel to California on Saturday to meet with victims and review the damage.