Three California wildfire victims are named as search goes on for missing

THREE victims of the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California’s history have been named.

Ernest Foss, a musician who once taught lessons, Carl Wiley, who refurbished tyres for Michelin, and Jesus Fernandez, known as Zeus, who was described as a loving father and loyal friend, were identified as being among 48 people who perished in the blaze.

The flames all but obliterated the Northern California town of Paradise, population 27,000, and ravaged surrounding areas on Thursday.

The exact number of missing was unclear, but many friends and relatives of those living in the fire zone said they had not heard from loved ones.

Efforts were under way to bring in mobile morgues, body-finding dogs and a rapid DNA analysis system for identifying victims.

There was also an additional 150 search-and-rescue personnel on top of 13 teams already looking for remains — a grim indication that the death toll is likely to rise.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea’s office has identified four of the victims and publicly named three.

James Wiley said sheriff ’s deputies informed him that his father, Carl, was among the dead, but he had not been able to leave his property in the fire area to see for himself.

Mr Wiley (77) was a tyre refurbisher, and the family lived in Alaska for many years before moving to Butte County decades ago.

James Wiley said that his father was a stoic veteran, and that the two had not spoken in six years.

Mr Foss (63) moved to Paradise eight years ago because the high cost of living pushed him out of the San Francisco Bay Area, according to his daughter, Angela Loo.

He had swollen limbs, could not walk and had also been on oxygen.

Ms Loo told KTVU-TV in Oakland that her father taught music out of their home in San Francisco and turned the living room into a studio.

“I love that he shared his gift of music with me and so many others during his lifetime,” she said.

Mr Fernandez, a 48-year-old Concow resident, also died.

Myrna Pascua, whose husband was best friends with the man known as “Zeus,” called him a “tireless provider, a dependable and loyal friend, a considerate neighbour, and also loving father”.

The search for the dead was drawing on portable devices that can identify someone’s genetic material in a couple of hours, rather than days or weeks.

“In many circumstances, without rapid DNA technology, it’s just such a lengthy process,” says Frank DePaolo, a deputy commissioner of the New York City medical examiners’ office.

It has been at the forefront of the science of identifying human remains since 9/11 and is exploring how it might use a rapid DNA device.