The most destructive wildfire in California history leveled nearly the entire city of Paradise as firefighters battled massive fires on both sides of the state. At least 23 people were killed by the so-called Camp Fire in Butte County, authorities said. Most of the buildings in Paradise are in ruin and its business district is destroyed.
The Camp Fire, which began Thursday, has destroyed more than 6,700 structures, almost all of them homes. Authorities said they are searching for more than 100 people who are still missing.
“We are doing everything we possibly can to identify those remains and make contact with the next of kin so we can return the remains to the family,” Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said Saturday evening.
The Camp Fire is just one of three major wildfires that firefighters are battling across the state. The 70,000-acre Woolsey Fire tore through Malibu mansions and working-class suburban homes in Southern California’s hills and canyons. In less than two days, the Woolsey Fire and the Hill Fire, which is also burning in Southern California, prompted evacuation orders for more than 250,000 people.
CBS News
