The death toll from the Camp Fire in northern California increased to 71 people while 1,011 people are unaccounted for, the Butte County Sheriff said Friday. Sheriff Kory Honea cautioned the list is “dynamic” and will fluctuate.
Firefighters gained ground against the two deadly California wildfires on Friday but residents in northern parts of the state faced a new threat: the dirtiest air quality levels in the world.
Rain could help knock down the flames Tuesday evening but officials said it could also complicate efforts to find human remains. In some cases, search crews were finding little more than bones and bone fragments.
The “Camp Fire” all but leveled the town of Paradise and heavily damaged the outlying communities of Magalia and Concow on November 8, destroying 9,700 houses and 144 apartment buildings. It was 45 percent contained as of Friday evening and posed no immediate threat to populated areas.
In Southern California, more residents were being allowed back in their homes after the Woolsey Fire torched an area the size of Denver and destroyed more than 600 homes and other structures. The blaze was 69 percent contained by Friday night.
“I lost everything that I received from my mom, from my grandparents from the baby grand piano to china,” Ilene Mickens told CBS Los Angeles. “I lost my wedding album. I lost my children’s baby albums.”
California wildfire map
This map shows where two major fires are burning in California.
CBS News
