California fire toll rises,1276 missing

The number of people missing after California's deadliest and most destructive wildfire has jumped to 1276, despite authorities locating hundreds of people who scattered when the Camp Fire tore through the mountain town of Paradise.

Forensic recovery teams sifting through the charred wreckage recovered the remains of five more victims, bringing the death toll to at least 76, authorities said. Sixty‑three of them have been tentatively identified, pending DNA confirmation.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said much of the increase in the number of missing was due to his office's efforts to comb through a backlog of emergency calls that came in during the first hours of the fire on 8 November.

With more than 12,700 homes and other structures up in smoke, many refugees have taken up temporary residence with friends and family, while others have pitched tents or were living out of their vehicles.

Authorities said hundreds of evacuees were being housed in 14 emergency shelters set up in churches, schools and community centres around the region, with more than 46,000 people remaining under evacuation orders.

[Source: RNZ]