California’s worst ever fires kill 42

PARADISE,USA: Firefighters struggled on Tuesday to contain the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history as a further 8,000 acres burned and search teams resumed sifting through charred wreckage in a hunt for human remains.

The “Camp Fire,” raging about 280 km north of San Francisco, has expanded to 125,000 acres, more than four times the area of the city, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said.

The death toll remained at 42 people, the most on record from a California wildfire, and 228 individuals were listed as missing. More than 7,600 homes and other structures were destroyed, also an all-time high.

Much of the damage was concentrated in Paradise, a Butte County town of 27,000 that was virtually destroyed overnight Thursday, just hours after the blaze erupted.

The fire was 30% contained, suggesting a “big chunk” was under control, but full containment was not expected until the end of November and the progress would depend largely on the wind and the weather, Cal Fire spokeswoman Erica Bain said.

Another Cal Fire spokesman said firefighters were more optimistic than in previous days, although he warned some populated areas were still at risk because of steep terrain and unpredictable gusts. “Things look much better than yesterday, due to weather conditions,” Scott Mclean told a briefing. Some 52,000 people remained under evacuation orders.