Camp Fire Update: Fatalities Rise, Over 200 Still Missing As Flames Spread

The death toll in the Camp Fire rose to 29 Sunday, making it the most destructive blaze in California in 85 years. The fire that started Thursday morning in Butte County destroyed more than 6,700 homes and businesses over the weekend.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea warned the death toll could increase with 228 people still missing. The wildfire has already burned some 111,000 acres with 25 percent contained as of Sunday and is still threatening 15,000 structures, The Mercury News reported.

Officials estimated around 52,000 people were evacuated. Around 4,000 firefighters fought the fire with the help of more than 500 engines, 79 bulldozers and 23 helicopters over the weekend.

Honea said the Sheriff’s Department received more than 500 calls about missing persons and the search crews were now concentrating on areas from extensive damage and areas from where they received missing reports.

He also added the fire burned so hot that there could be no human remains and the investigators were bringing in DNA testing equipment to help with the task.

Though no victim identifications were formally released, among the dead is Ellen Walker, whose body was found in bed in a burned house in a remote area east of Paradise on Sunday. A family friend said Walker, in her 70s, was all alone at home when the fire began. Her husband was not at home and informed their neighbors to help her evacuate. Assuming she was evacuated, he searched at rescue centers, but could not find her. The fire reduced the city of Paradise to ashes with landmarks, schools and businesses completely destroyed.

“Paradise has always been a close-knit, strong community. We need to depend on that strength more than ever now. We have a long and arduous process in front of us, but we are committed to rebuilding and making our town Paradise again,” Paradise Mayor Jody Jones said, San Francisco Gate reported.

Ryan Walbrun, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the high winds and low humidity proved to be harmful Sunday.

“In terms of the overall long range (forecast), there is no significant precipitation or cool-down. The forecast remains dry and unseasonably warm through the rest of the week and through the weekend at this time,” he said Sunday.

The Woolsey and Hill fires that are also spreading rapidly in California burned more than 87,000 acres and killed two people as of Sunday.

California Governor Jerry Brown on Sunday requested a major disaster declaration from the president to help provide local assistance to the roughly 149,000 residents affected by the wildfires that hit the state this November.

“We have the best firefighters and first responders in the country working in some of the most difficult conditions imaginable. We’re putting everything we’ve got into the fight against these fires and this request ensures communities on the front lines get additional federal aid. To those who have lost friends and family members, homes and businesses, know that the entire state is with you. As Californians, we are strong and resilient, and together we will recover,” Brown said Sunday, The Sacramento Bee reported.