Washington - The death toll in the fatal fires that have hit
northern California has risen to 23, the Butte County Fire Department
said late Saturday.
Fourteen more bodies were discovered Saturday, according to the
incident update on Twitter. The so-called Camp Fire in the northern
California town of Paradise had already claimed nine lives.
The 23 killed were said to be civilians, with three firefighters
injured. More than 6 450 homes have been destroyed since Thursday.
More than 4 000 firefighters are battling the blaze.
Earlier, Los Angeles County sheriff's chief John Benedict said two
people had died in flames in the south of the western state, where
hundreds of thousands of people including actors and celebrities have
been evacuated as blazes there doubled in size.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands evacuated in the state's south as
flames doubled in size.
Los Angeles County sheriff's chief John Benedict said two people had
died in the fire area but that the deaths were under investigation.
Officials also said Saturday that more than 250 000 people had been
evacuated from the area, including Malibu, known for its celebrities.
"Our firefighters have been facing some extreme, tough fire
conditions that they said that they've never seen in their lives,"
said LA county fire chief Daryl Osby. Firefighting helicopters worked
through the night in the county to try to keep damage to a minimum.
Accuweather meterologist Brett Rathbun said winds in southern
California are set to pick up again on Sunday, spreading flames.
Governor-elect Gavin Newson had issued a state of emergency in Butte
County, Los Angeles and Ventura counties that held on Saturday.
Over 3,000 emergency personnel are battling the blazes, using 23
helicopters as well as firefighting air tankers.
US President Donald Trump blamed poor forest management for the
"massive, deadly and costly forest fires" on Twitter and threatened
to withhold funding if the "gross mismanagement" was not remedied.