California wildfire death toll rises to 31 with 200 people still missing

The death toll in wildfires sweeping California has risen to 31, with more than 200 people still missing.

Officials have said six more people were confirmed killed in the Camp Fire in the north of the state.

That fire now equals the deadliest on record in California ‑ the 1933 Griffith Park disaster in Los Angeles.

In the south, the Woolsey Fire has claimed two lives as it damaged beach resorts including Malibu.

An estimated 250,000 people have been forced to flee their homes to avoid three major blazes in the state.

With strengthening winds threatening to spread the flames, California Governor Jerry Brown has urged President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster, a move that would harness more federal emergency funds.

The appeal came a day after Trump threatened to cut funding for California, blaming the fires on poor forest management.

President of the International Association of Fire Fighters Harold Schaitberger has called the U.S President's comments "reckless and insulting".

[Source: BBC]