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U.S. NEWS Monday 12 noveMber 2018

Death toll rises in California wildfire, matching deadliest

Continued from Front iff Honea said Butte County fying the dead after the
consulted anthropologists blaze destroyed more than
He added: “I’ve got to stay from California State Uni- 6,700 buildings, nearly all of
positive. She’s a strong, versity at Chico because, them homes.
smart woman.” in some cases, investigators Firefighters gained modest
Officials and relatives held have been able to recover ground overnight against
out hope that many of only bones and bone frag- the blaze, which grew
those unaccounted for ments. slightly to 170 square miles
were safe and simply had The devastation was so (440 square kilometers)
no cellphones or other complete in some neigh- from the day before but
ways to contact loved borhoods that “it’s very dif- was 25 percent contained,
ones. The sheriff’s office in ficult to determine whether up from 20 percent, ac-
the stricken northern coun- or not there may be human cording to the state fire
ty set up a missing-persons remains there,” Honea said. agency, Cal Fire.
call center to help connect Deputy Coroner Justin Sponhaltz, right, of the Mariposa County Authorities were also bring- But Cal Fire spokesman Bill
people. Sheriff’s Office, carries a bag with human remains found at a ing in a DNA lab and en- Murphy warned that gusty
Gov. Jerry Brown said Cali- burned out home at the Camp Fire, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in couraged people with winds predicted into Mon-
fornia is requesting aid from Paradise, Calif. missing relatives to submit day morning could spark
the Trump administration. Associated Press samples to aid in identi- “explosive fire behavior.”q
President Donald Trump (1,040 square kilometers)
has blamed “poor” forest in Northern and Southern
management for the fires. California, with out-of-state
Brown told a press briefing crews arriving.
that federal and state gov- Two people were found
ernments must do more for- dead in a wildfire in South-
est management but said ern California, where
that’s not the source of the flames tore through Malibu
problem. mansions and working-
“Managing all the forests in class Los Angeles suburbs
everywhere we can does alike.
not stop climate change,” The two severely burned
Brown said. “And those bodies were discovered
who deny that are defi- in a driveway in Malibu,
nitely contributing to the where residents forced
tragedies that we’re now from their homes included
witnessing, and will contin- Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashi-
ue to witness in the coming an West and Martin Sheen.
years.” Actor Gerard Butler said on
Firefighters battling the so- Instagram that his Malibu
called Camp fire with shov- home was “half-gone,”
els and bulldozers, flame and a publicist for Camille
retardants and hoses ex- Grammer Meyer said the
pected wind gusts up to “Real Housewives of Bev-
40 mph (64 kph) overnight erly Hills” star lost her home
Sunday. Officials said they in the seaside enclave.
expect the wind to die Flames also besieged Thou-
down by midday Monday, sand Oaks, the Southern
but there was still no rain in California city in mourning
sight. over the massacre of 12
More than 8,000 firefight- people in a shooting ram-
ers in all battled three large page at a country music
wildfires burning across bar Wednesday night.
nearly 400 square miles In Northern California, Sher-