Number of missing doubles to 631 in California wildfires
THE number of people missing in the deadly wildfires t h a t h ave s we p t through northern California has doubled to more than 600, authorities revealed today.
S eve n mo re b o d i e s we re found yesterday inside burned-out homes swept by the Camp Fire blaze, bringing the death toll in the devastated town of Paradise to at least 63. Only three of the dead have been officially named, but officials say they had tentatively identified 53 of the others.
Another three people died in the Woolsey Fire in southern California, which has destroyed hundreds of homes in the Malibu area, west of Los Angeles.
The list of missing people, ranging in age from 20 to 101, has leaped to 631, double the number police originally thought. “The chaos we were dealing with was extraordinary,” Butte County sheriff Kory Honea told reporters, but he said he hoped many of those listed missing would be found alive. President Trump will be flying to the scene tomorrow to see the devastation for himself, as cooler temperatures helped fire crews partially contain the blazes.
Residents were starting to return to homes in Malibu, where mansions belonging to Miley Cyrus, Kim Basinger, Gerard Butler and Neil Young have been destroyed. But aerial images showed how the flames just missed the beachfront home of Sir Anthony Hopkins, which was left untouched while a neighbour’s house burned down.
Former Bond star Pierce Brosnan’s home also escaped unscathed.