Death toll jumps in historic California wildfires as governor requests aid

The death toll from wildfires ravaging both ends of California has risen to at least 31 after the remains of several more people were found Sunday. Gov. Jerry Brown is requesting a "major disaster declaration" from President Trump. The so-called "Camp Fire" leveled nearly the entire city of Paradise, scorching thousands of homes and leaving its business district in ruins. More than 200 people were unaccounted for after the wildfire decimated the town of about 27,000. The "Camp Fire," which began Thursday, has taken at least 29 lives and destroyed more than 6,700 structures, almost all of them homes. It's considered the most destructive fire in state history. "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. In Southern California, the "Woolsey Fire" tore through Malibu mansions and working-class suburban homes. At least two people have perished in that blaze. Along with the "Hill Fire," it prompted evacuation orders for more than 250,000 people. Strong Santa Ana winds returned Sunday just as firefighters in Southern California were able to increase a containment line around the massive "Woolsey Fire," which has scorched more than 130 square miles, CBS Los Angeles reports. The "Woolsey Fire" has been 25 percent contained, according to CalFire.