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Over 1,000 missing in California wildfire

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Update: 2018-11-17 10:37:25
Over 1,000 missing in California wildfire Hunt for the victims continues (Photo: collected)

More than 1,000 people are listed as missing in the wake of the Northern California wildfire known as the Camp Fire, authorities say. It's a number that has ballooned rapidly and is expected to continue to fluctuate. The Butte County Sheriff's Office had said on Thursday evening there were 631 people unaccounted for.

However, that number may include people who escaped to safety and do not realize they are being searched for.

The death toll also rose after eight sets of remains were discovered on Friday. At least 71 people have died in the fire, which has burned through more than 220 square miles of land and consumed the town of Paradise.

The fire is the deadliest, and the most destructive, in California history. Nearly 10,000 homes have been destroyed.

No official cause for the fire has been identified; the blaze is currently 50 percent contained.

Many of the missing are elderly, according to the list released by county officials. A number of them are in their late 80s and 90s.

NPR

BDST: 1037 HRS, NOV 17, 2018
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