Families mourn as first victims named
PA R ADI S E , CALIF. » Ernest Foss was a musician who gave lessons out of his home when he lived in San Francisco, where an amplifier that ran the length of a wall served as the family’s living room couch. Carl Wiley refurbished tires for Michelin. Jesus Fernandez, known as “Zeus,” was described as a loving father and loyal friend.
They were among the first victims identified in the aftermath of the deadliest, most destructive wildfire in California history, an inferno blamed for at least 48 deaths, with authorities ramping up the search Tuesday for still more souls.
The flames all but obliterated the northern California town of Paradise, population 27,000, and ravaged surrounding areas last Thursday. About 7,700 homes were destroyed. The exact number of missing was unclear, but many friends and relatives of those living in the fire zone said they hadn’t heard from loved ones.
Efforts were underway to bring in mobile morgues, cadaver dogs, a rapid DNA analysis system for identifying victims, and an additional 150 search-and-rescue personnel on top of 13 teams already looking for remains — a grim indication that the death toll would almost surely rise.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea’s office has identified four of the victims, publicly naming three.
James Wiley said sheriff’s deputies informed him that his father, Carl, was among the dead, but the younger Wiley hadn’t been able to leave his property in the fire area to see for himself. The elder Wiley, 77, was a tire recapper, and the family lived in Alaska for many years before moving to Butte County decades ago.
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 and couldn’t walk. He had also been on oxygen.
“I love that he shared his gift of music with me and so many others during his lifetime,” Loo told KTVU-TV in Oakland. “He would want to be remembered for being a San Franciscan through and through.”
Fernandez, a 48-year-old Concow resident, also died.
Firefighters made progress against a massive blaze that has killed two people in star-studded Malibu and destroyed more than 400 structures in Southern California.
The flames roared to life again in a mountainous wilderness area Tuesday, sending up a huge plume of smoke near the community of Lake Sherwood. Still, firefighters made gains. The number of people evacuated was down by about half from the day before, to around 100,000, authorities said, and the fire was partially contained.
“We’re getting the upper hand here. We’re feeling better,” said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby.