Several California infernos bring more deaths | Daily News

Several California infernos bring more deaths

The Camp Fire burns along a ridge top near Big Bend, California.
The Camp Fire burns along a ridge top near Big Bend, California.

US: The number of dead in a wildfire raging in California has reached 29, matching the deadliest in the state’s history as recovery teams found six more bodies in the grim search through the wreckage.

The “Camp Fire” -- in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains north of Sacramento -- is the largest and most destructive of several infernos that have sent 250,000 people fleeing their homes across the tinder-dry state, razing 6,400 homes in the town of Paradise and effectively wiping it off the map.

At least 31 people have died in fire zones in north and south California, where acrid smoke blanketed the sky for miles, the sun barely visible.

On the ground, cars caught in the flames were reduced to scorched metal skeletons, while homes were left as smoldering piles of debris, with an occasional brick wall or chimney remaining.

Scores of people remain unaccounted for, and several fire-affected areas have been left without cell phone service.

The Camp Fire has the grisly distinction of matching the 1933 Griffith Park disaster in Los Angeles -- until now the single deadliest wildfire on record, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

Fanned by strong winds, the “Camp Fire” has scorched 111,000 acres (45000 hectares) and is 25 percent contained, Cal Fire said. So far, three of the more than 4,000 firefighters deployed have been injured. Almost 6,000 miles away, President Donald Trump, in France for World War I commemorations on Sunday, drew fierce criticism for an unsympathetic reaction to the devastation.

“There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor,” Trump tweeted, threatening to withdraw federal support.

Brian Rice, the head of the California Professional Firefighters, slammed the tweet as “ill-informed, ill-timed and demeaning to those who are suffering as well as the men and women on the front lines.”

Singer Miley Cyrus’s home was one of the destroyed southern California buildings.

“Completely devestated (sic) by the fires affecting my community. I am one of the lucky ones. My animals and LOVE OF MY LIFE made it out safely & that’s all that matters right now,” she tweeted.

“My house no longer stands but the memories shared with family & friends stand strong.” Many of the wealthy area’s residents own horses, and for the past days Twitter has been filled with messages of people seeking and offering help.

Actor James Wood, a rare political conservative in liberal Hollywood, has made new friends by using his Twitter account to help find missing people and getting help for pets, including horses.

“Please think about fostering #pets while evacuees are dealing with the crisis. Los Angeles #animal shelters are mostly filled, so follow my hashtags, and see if someone in need is someone you can help!” read one of his tweets.

The Ventura County Humane Society said it was “deeply humbled by a $100,000 donation from Sandra Bullock and family” to rescue and care for animals evacuated from the fires. - AFP


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