Schulz home lost in fire

CALIFORNIA’S deadly wildfires have now claimed 31 lives with hundreds still missing and also destroyed the home of ‘Peanuts’ creator Charles Schulz, pictured, taking all the famous cartoonist’s memorabilia with it.

Mr Schulz’s son, Monte Schulz, said the Santa Rosa homes of 78-year-old Jean Schultz, and his brother Craig Schulz were destroyed on Monday but no one was injured.

The latest casualty figures mark the greatest loss life from a single California wildfire event in 84 years with 3500 homes and businesses incinerated and 77,000ha scorched.

The official cause of the disaster is under investigation, but officials say power lines toppled by gale-force winds on Sunday night may have sparked the conflagration.

A resurgence of extreme wind conditions that was forecast for Wednesday night and early Thursday failed to materialise, giving fire crews a chance to start carving containment lines around the perimeter of some of the blazes. But fierce winds are expected to return across much of the state.

Mark Ghilarducci, state director of emergency services, said: “We are not even close to being out of this emergency.”