California wildfires: statewide death toll rises to 50 as search for remains continues

The statewide death toll in California’s wildfires reached 50 late Tuesday, as authorities reported six more fatalities in the Camp fire in the north of the state. The deaths from the Camp fire, the deadliest wildfire in the state’s history, have increased to 48, the Butte County sheriff, Kory Hone, said. Two people have also died in the Woolsey fire, a major blaze around Los Angeles. Authorities in northern California have ramped up the search for more victims buried in rubble left by the blaze that incinerated the town of Paradise. Authorities have brought in cadaver dogs, mobile morgue units, rapid DNA identification units and 100 national guard troops. More than 200 people remain missing, and local law enforcement plan to release a list of those individuals in the coming days. Firefighters report that the fire is 35% contained and NWS meteorologist Aviva Braun said early Tuesday that the high winds that helped spread the blaze have begun to diminish. Air quality in the area, which has been hazardous in recent days, is expected to worsen as light winds cause smoke to settle, Braun said. The fire is still actively burning, and more than 5,000 fire personnel are on the scene from across the country. They continue to battle flames including in the area north of Magalia near Stirling City. With increased visibility, planes were able to deliver retardant as crews on the ground worked in steep inaccessible terrain, Cal Fire authorities said. More than 7,600 structures have been destroyed, the vast majority of those are homes in Paradise, a Sierra foothill town of 27,000 about 180 miles north of San Francisco.