The death toll in California has risen to 59 and the authorities have released a list of 130 people still missing in the worst forest fires of its kind in the nation's history.
Most of the missing are from the town of Paradise in northern California, which was actually wiped off the map by the fire called Campfire and broke out last week.
Provincial police chief Currie Honia said Wednesday that 461 people and 22 trained dogs were involved in the search for missing persons and that DNA tests had been accelerated to identify the victims.
The town of Paradise, with a population of about 26,000, lies at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Many retirees live there.
Most of the missing persons announced by the office of the local police chief were elderly persons in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
The fire destroyed every house in Paradise, 130 km north of the state capital Sacramento.
At least 59 people have been killed so far by the devastating fires, while relief teams are searching for bodies in the rubble of houses in Paradise, using trained dogs.
"We are in the middle of a disaster," state governor Jerry Brown said. "The fire is unprecedented and unremarkable, so many people have been trapped."
For his part, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brook Long, said that Paradis is facing a "total reconstruction", after the destruction of many houses, shops and infrastructure.
The authorities allowed cattle owners to enter restricted areas for short periods to feed the animals, but it was unclear when citizens would be allowed to return.
Source : https://www.todaynewstoday.us/2018/11/california-fire-victims-rise-and-town.html