Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption California wildfires continue to rage

The death toll in wildfires sweeping California has risen to 31, with more than 200 people still missing, officials have said.

Six more people were confirmed killed in the Camp Fire in the north of the state, taking the toll there to 29.

That fire now equals the deadliest on record in California - the 1933 Griffith Park disaster in Los Angeles.

In the south, the Woolsey Fire has claimed two lives as it damaged beach resorts including Malibu.

An estimated 250,000 people have been forced to flee their homes to avoid three major blazes in the state.

With strengthening winds threatening to spread the flames, California Governor Jerry Brown has urged President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster, a move that would harness more federal emergency funds.

The appeal came a day after Mr Trump threatened to cut funding for California, blaming the fires on poor forest management.

Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, called the president's comments "reckless and insulting".

What is the latest on the Camp Fire?

Emergency teams have been sifting through the remains of more than 6,700 homes and businesses burned down in the town of Paradise.

The town and surrounding area bore the brunt of the inferno, which started in nearby forest on Thursday.

At a news conference late on Sunday, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said the bodies of five people had been found in their burned-out homes and a sixth was found inside a vehicle.

He said that at least 228 people were still unaccounted for, adding that DNA testing equipment was being sent should it be required to help identify victims.

The mayor of Paradise, Jody Jones, gave the BBC an update on the situation in the town.

"Most of the residential [area] is gone. I would say 90%," she said. "I had an opportunity to go up there and take a look for myself. Just about everyone I know lost their home."

The fire is the most destructive in the state's history and the joint deadliest.

It has burned more than 111,000 acres (45,000 hectares) and is nearly 25% contained, fire officials said.

"Containment" refers to a physical barrier around a fire that stops it spreading - such as a river, or a shallow, 10ft(3m)-wide trench dug by fire crews. If a fire is 100% contained, this means it has containment lines around its whole perimeter. However - the fire may still burn for days or weeks to follow.

Police said suspected looters were arrested in Paradise on Saturday, and may have been trying to impersonate Forest Service workers.

What about the Woolsey Fire?

The blaze started on Thursday near Thousand Oaks, about 40 miles (64km) north-west of central Los Angeles.

It has consumed at least 85,500 acres and destroyed at least 177 buildings, officials said. It is only 10% contained. The smaller Hill Fire, nearby, has scorched 4,530 acres and is 75% contained.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Fleeing through flames: "I'm so scared right now... so terrified"

Looting was also reported in the southern fire area over the weekend.

Luxury homes in Malibu and other beach communities are among the properties razed by the flames.

Hollywood actor Gerard Butler shared a picture of a charred house on Twitter, writing: "Returned to my house in Malibu after evacuating. Heartbreaking time across California." He thanked firefighters for their "courage, spirit and sacrifice".

Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, where the HBO series Westworld is filmed, was also destroyed.

On Saturday, firefighters used a respite from strong winds to drop fire retardant in a bid to strengthen firebreaks.

But officials warned that winds of up to 70mph (112km/h) are expected over the coming days, meaning fires could spread quickly and unexpectedly.

"Winds are already blowing. They are going to blow for the next three days. Your house can be rebuilt but you can't bring your life back," said Los Angeles County fire chief Daryl Osby.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Homes and vehicles left in Paradise, Butte County, were all but destroyed by the wildfires

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Fire retardant is dropped on to the Woolsey Fire near Malibu

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Woolsey Fire is only 10% contained

Image copyright AFP Image caption Luxury beachfront homes in Malibu have been claimed by the fire

Why are the fires so bad?

Historically, California's "wildfire season" started in summer and ran into early autumn. But experts have warned that the risk is now year-round.

The current fires are being blamed on a combination of climate change and weather conditions.

Low humidity, warm Santa Ana winds, and dry ground after a rain-free month have produced a prime fire-spreading environment.

The state's 40-million-strong population also helps explain the fires' deadliness. That number is almost double what it was in the 1970s, and people are living closer to at-risk forest areas.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Population density has been growing in areas that used to be sparsely inhabited

And then there's climate change. Recent years have produced record-breaking temperatures, earlier springs, and less reliable rainfall.

Citing the role of a warming climate, Governor Brown declared: "This is not the new normal, this is the new abnormal."

Musician Neil Young made the same link, writing on his website: "I have lost my home before to a California wildfire, now another."

"We are vulnerable because of climate change; the extreme weather events and our extended drought is part of it."</s>BUTTE COUNTY (KRON) - Authorities announced Saturday, that 14 additional bodies were recovered in the Camp Fire bringing the death toll to 23.

The Butte County Sheriff's Office says investigators discovered 14 more sets of remains, three days after the fire broke out. Some of the victims were found in cars and in houses.

The identities of the deceased won't be released until DNA testing is complete.

The sheriff's office initially received more than 500 calls from citizens who were unable to reach their loved ones.

Authorities confirmed that 70 people who were previously reported missing had been located. Ten of those people were staying in evacuation shelters.

The department has reports of 110 people still missing, but the agency is hopeful that more of those missing people will be located and reconnected with loved ones.

So far, the wildfire has burned more than 105,000 acres across Butte County with containment still at 20-percent.

There are 4,050 fighters on the ground working diligently to save lives and put out the wildfire.

The Camp Fire has become the third-deadliest in the state history.

WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:
• INTERACTIVE MAP: WHERE IS THE CAMP FIRE BURNING
• WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE GUNMAN IN THOUSAND OAKS MASSACRE</s>Death toll rises to 31 with 200 missing in California wildfires

(BBC) — The death toll in wildfires sweeping California has risen to 31, with more than 200 people still unaccounted for, officials have said.

Six more people were confirmed killed in the Camp Fire in the north of the state, taking the toll there to 29.

It now equals the deadliest wildfire on record in California – the 1933 Griffith Park disaster in Los Angeles.

In the south, the Woolsey Fire has claimed two lives as it damaged beach resorts including Malibu.

An estimated 250,000 people have been forced to flee their homes to avoid three major blazes in the state.

With strengthening winds threatening to spread the flames, state Governor Jerry Brown has urged President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster, a move that would harness more federal emergency funds.

The appeal came a day after Mr Trump threatened to cut funding for California, blaming the fires on poor forest management.

What is the latest on the Camp Fire?

Emergency teams have been sifting through the remains of more than 6,700 homes and businesses burned down in the town of Paradise.

The town and surrounding area bore the brunt of the inferno, which started in nearby forest on Thursday.

At a news conference late on Sunday, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said the bodies of five people had been found in their burned-out homes and a sixth was found inside a vehicle. He said that more than 200 people were still unaccounted for.

The mayor of Paradise, Jody Jones, gave the BBC an update on the situation in the town.

“Most of the residential [area] is gone. I would say 90%,” she said. “I had an opportunity to go up there and take a look for myself. Just about everyone I know lost their home.”

The fire is the most destructive in the state’s history and the joint deadliest.

It has burned more than 109,000 acres (44,000 hectares) and is nearly 25% contained, fire officials said.

What about the Woolsey Fire?

The blaze started on Thursday near Thousand Oaks, about 40 miles (64km) north-west of central Los Angeles.

By Sunday it had consumed 83,000 acres and destroyed at least 177 buildings, officials said. It is only 10% contained. The smaller Hill Fire, nearby, has scorched 4,530 acres and is 75% contained.

Some looting was reported in the southern fire area over the weekend and police said arrests had been made.

Luxury homes in Malibu and other beach communities are among properties that have fallen victim to the flames.

Firefighters used a respite from strong winds on Saturday to drop fire retardants to strengthen firebreaks.

But officials warned against complacency, with winds of up to 70mph (112km/h) expected over the coming days. They said fires could spread quickly and unexpectedly.

“Winds are already blowing. They are going to blow for the next three days. Your house can be rebuilt but you can’t bring your life back,” said Los Angeles County fire chief Daryl Osby.

Meteorologist David Gomberg told the Los Angeles Times newspaper that fire tornadoes were possible.

What do the politicians say?

Governor Brown’s request to President Trump was aimed at bolstering the emergency response to what he called the “catastrophic” nature of the wildfires.

“We’re putting everything we’ve got into the fight against these fires and this request ensures communities on the front lines get additional federal aid,” Mr Brown’s letter said.

Mr Trump’s response to the fires has been criticised as unsympathetic and ill-informed.

On Sunday, during a trip to France, he tweeted: “With proper Forest Management, we can stop the devastation constantly going on in California. Get Smart!”

He has previously blamed Californian officials for wildfires and threatened to withhold federal funding.

In a tweet on Saturday, he accused state authorities of “gross mismanagement” of forests.</s>At least 31 people have been killed in California's deadliest ever wildfires.

Most of them were killed in the town of Paradise.

More than 200 others are still missing - and thousands of homes have been destroyed.</s>LOS ANGELES - The death toll from wildfires ravaging on both ends of California has risen to at least 29, after remains of several more people have been found Sunday. The so-called "Camp Fire" leveled nearly the entire city of Paradise, scorching thousands of homes and leaving its business district in ruins. More than 200 people are still missing after the wildfire decimated the town of about 27,000.</s>Death Toll In California Wildfires Climbs To At Least 31

Wildfires continued to tear through Northern and Southern California on Sunday, where firefighters were at the mercy of parched air and increased winds fanning the deadly blazes. At least 31 people have died statewide.

Authorities in Northern California said six more bodies were found in the scorched path of the so-called Camp Fire, which earlier was blamed for 23 deaths. Two people have been reported dead in a fire zone of Southern California.

As of Sunday night, the Camp Fire was only 25 percent contained at 111,000 acres, the Butte County Fire Department and Cal Fire said in a joint press conference.

About 500 miles south of the Camp Fire, the Woolsey fire that's driven at least is now 15 percent contained, according to Cal Fire data. The fire, fueled by whipping Santa Ana winds, has grown marginally to 85,000 acres.

As NPR reported on Saturday, investigators in Malibu are looking into the deaths of two people after their bodies were found in"severely burned" inside a vehicle.</s>The number of victims due to wildfires sweeping California has risen to 31, while more than 200 people are still missing, according to state officials.

Six more people were confirmed killed in the Camp Fire in the north of the state, reaching a death toll there of 29.

The fire is now the deadliest in California history, reaching a grim record previously established by the 1933 Griffith Park disaster in Los Angeles.

In the south, the Woolsey Fire has claimed two lives as it damaged beach resorts including Malibu.

The BBC reports that an estimated 250,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.

Meanwhile, California Governor Jerry Brown has urged President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster, a move that would harness more federal emergency funds. The appeal came a day after Trump argued that the fires were to blame on poor forest management and threatened to cut funding for California.

Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Firghters, called the president’s comments “reckless and insulting”.

Paradise, California has been the hardest-hit by Camp Fire, the most destructive in the state’s history. It has burned more than 111,000 acres and is nearly 25% contained, according to fire officials.

At a news conference on Sunday, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said the bodies of five people had been found in their burned-out homes and a sixth was found inside a vehicle.

He added that at least 228 people were still unaccounted for. The mayor of Paradise, Jody Jones, told the BBC that nearly 90% of the residential area is gone. “I had an opportunity to go up there and take a look for myself. Just about everyone I know lost their home,” Jones said.

According to experts, the current fires are due to a combination of climate change and weather conditions.</s>The death toll from the three raging wildfires in California has increased to 31, with more than 300,000 people forced to evacuate from their homes across the US state, according to authorities.

Of the 31 victims, 29 died in Northern California’s Camp Fire and two in Southern California’s Woolsey Fire, reports CNN.

The Camp fire — the most destructive blaze in the state’s history and largest of the three — has burned 111,000 acres across Northern California and was 25 per cent contained as of Sunday morning, according to Cal Fire.

It has virtually burned the town of Paradise to the ground and destroyed an estimated 6,700 buildings, most of which were homes.

Cal Fire said that at least 110 people were still missing and the toll could go higher.

In Southern California, the Woolsey fire has spread to 83,275 acres and was 10 per cent contained, up from 5 per cent the night before.

The smaller Hill Fire covered 4,531 acres and was 75 per cent contained. Together, responsible for the destruction of 179 structures, but another 57,000 were threatened, fire officials said.

Firefighters on Sunday managed to contain flareups generated by high winds in Los Angeles County.

But officials warned that the dry conditions feeding the fire are expected to continue into the week and gusts would peak at around 40 mph.

“Sadly, with these winds, it’s not over yet,” Scott Jalbert, chief of Cal Fire’s San Luis Obispo Unit, said on Sunday.

More than 300,000 people have been forced from their homes statewide.

The majority of those residents were in Los Angeles County, where 170,000 were evacuated.</s>Authorities searched on Monday for more than 200 people unaccounted for in one of the wildfires rampaging through parts of California, voicing concern about a possible rising death toll, with gusty, dry winds expected to fan the flames.

The so-called Camp Fire, California’s most destructive on record, had left at least 228 people missing as of early Monday, according to Kory Honea, sheriff of northern California’s Butte County, site of the fire. That fire and one in southern California have killed at least 31 people.

Both fires have been whipped up by hot dry winds expected to continue through Tuesday evening, according to officials. The winds were expected to heighten the risk of fresh blazes ignited by scattered embers. More than 224,000 people have been displaced by the fires, officials said.

The Camp Fire, 60km north of Sacramento, burned down more than 6,700 homes and businesses in the town of Paradise, more structures than any other wildfire recorded in California. The blaze has probably caused between $2 billion (€1.8 billion) and $4 billion in insured property damage, Morgan Stanley estimated in a report on Monday.

The fire had scorched more than 113,000 acres and was 25 per cent contained, officials said on Monday. Its death toll of 29 equals that of the Griffith Park Fire in 1933, the deadliest wildfire on record in California.

Speaking on CNN, Mr Honea said that while he held out hope that many people listed as missing would turn up safe, “given what we’ve dealt with so far with casualties as a result of this fire, I have concerns that it [the death toll] will rise”.

In southern California, the Woolsey Fire had burned more than 91,000 acres and was 20 per cent contained, officials said. The fire had forced authorities to issue evacuation orders for a quarter of a million people in Ventura and Los Angeles counties and beachside communities including the Malibu beach colony. By Sunday night parts of the two counties were reopened.

At least two people have died in the Woolsey Fire, according to officials from the statewide agency Cal Fire, which has more than 3,200 personnel fighting the blaze. The number of people missing in the Woolsey Fire was not immediately available.

Many of those allowed to return were left without power or a mobile phone service, even if their homes were spared by the flames.

A smaller blaze in southern California, the Hill Fire, was 75 per cent contained and had burned 4,531 acres, officials said.

Wind gusts of up to 100km/h were expected in the mountains, valleys and canyons of southern California, raising the possibility of downed power lines and trees. This, in combination with low humidity, was expected to create the perfect conditions for fires to spread.

Local residents were despondent over the fire damage.

“It’s not the house, because you can rebuild. But it’s what is inside the house. It’s all gone,” Malibu resident Marcella Shirk (82) told KABC-TV. “And that’s what hurts, those kinds of things hurt, because you can’t replace that.” She and her husband lost their house of 41 years and its possessions. The house burned on his 92nd birthday.

Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, has asked US president Donald Trump to declare a major disaster to bolster the emergency response and help residents recover. Mr Trump, a Republican who has often criticised Democrat-led California on a variety of issues including immigration enforcement, blamed the state government in Twitter comments during the weekend, criticising poor forest management by the state for the infernos.

Brian Rice, president of the California Professional Firefighters, called Mr Trump’s statement “ill-timed” given the loss of life and ongoing search for missing people. “You can’t just make a blanket statement,” Mr Rice told MSNBC on Monday, adding that fires and forest management were complicated and that weather also was a major factor.

“Right now, what is needed is, really, support,” Mr Rice said.– Reuters</s>CALIFORNIA — As deadly wildfires that have claimed at least 31 lives continue to scorch California, officials are trying to help people find hundreds of missing loved ones.

Many of the missing are from Butte County, where the most destructive fire in state history is burning.

Some 228 people remain unaccounted for in the Camp fire, county Sheriff and Coroner Kory Honea told reporters Sunday evening. Meanwhile, 107 people previously deemed missing have been found, some in shelters, he said.

Honea said his office had received more than 550 calls from people looking for missing friends and relatives.

The Camp fire—one of the state's deadliest—virtually obliterated the town of Paradise, home to more than 26,000 people.

Twenty-nine people have died in the Northern California blaze. Further south, near Los Angeles, the Woolsey fire has claimed two lives.

The National Weather Service warned early Monday that "dangerous fire weather" was expected to continue in California.

"A tight pressure gradient will keep producing high winds, and very dry air is in place with low relative humidities. This plus the ongoing drought conditions will all create conditions favorable for fire weather," it said.

Honea said 10 coroner search and recovery teams were helping with the search for Camp fire victims' remains.

Near an evacuation center at the Butte County Fairgrounds in Gridley, Sol Bechtold told CNN affiliate KRON that he was looking for his mother, Joanne Caddy, who had been missing since Thursday.

Holding a poster of his mother in front of him, Bechtold said it had been a rough few days.

"We learned her house was destroyed the other day so don't know what's happened to her -- she's kind of homebound, she doesn't have a car. I need to find my mom -- I'm not giving up hope she's out there," he said.

CNN affiliate KTXL reported that many fire victims were still helping others. More than 30 Butte County Sheriff's deputies reported for duty despite losing their homes, the news station reported.

Colusa Police Sgt. Jarrod Hughes told KTXL that his Paradise home had been destroyed in the blaze, but that he had donned his uniform and returned to work once he got his son to safety.

Hughes has been looking for the missing and dead.

"It's my community, it's where I grew up. It's something I absolutely had to do," Hughes said. "There was no question about it. It was get my family to safety so I can get in and get back up there and help everybody else."
• Camp Fire: The largest of the trio, the Camp Fire has burned 111,000 acres across Northern California and is 25% contained as of Sunday night, according to Cal Fire. It has destroyed an estimated 6,700 buildings, most of which were homes.
• Woolsey and Hill fires: In Southern California, the Woolsey fire had spread to 85,500 acres and was 15% contained Sunday night, up from 5% the night before. The smaller Hill Fire covered 4,531 acres and was 75% contained. Together, the fires are responsible for the destruction of 179 structures, but another 57,000 are threatened, according to fire officials.
• Massive evacuations: More than 300,000 people have been forced from their homes statewide. The majority of those residents are in Los Angeles County, where 170,000 were evacuated.

Among those to evacuate were some celebrities whose homes have been lost to the fires.

The homes of Miley Cyrus, Neil Young, Robin Thicke and Gerard Butler are among those scorched in the Woolsey blaze. Butler posted a photo on Twitter of the charred remains of a Malibu home and thanked firefighters for their courage. Thicke posted a statement on Instagram thanking firefighters and volunteers who "risked their lives trying to save our home."

In a post on his official website decrying the impact of climate change, Young said "I have lost my home before to a California wildfire, now another."

California Gov. Jerry Brown also lamented the role of climate change in driving the fires.

"This is not the new normal, this is the new abnormal," Brown said. "The chickens are coming home to roost, this is real here."

Resources, including dozens of fire trucks and thousands of firefighters, are pouring in from out of state.

Firefighters on Sunday managed to contain flare-ups generated by high winds in canyons along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and Bell Canyon in Ventura County, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said. But officials warned that the dry conditions feeding the fire are expected to continue into the week and new flare-ups are possible. Though the state's drought has eased slightly, it's still abnormally dry, according to CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward. That leaves a lot of dry vegetation to feed fires.

Osby urged those in mandatory evacuation zones to leave, warning that they can get in the way of firefighting efforts.

"We must remain vigilant and not let our guard down," Osby said.

Crews on the scenes of the fires are combing through blackened ruins of homes. The number of dead more than doubled late Saturday, and continued to rise on Sunday.

So far, 29 bodies have been recovered in or near Paradise, a town of about 26,000 that's been all but leveled by the Camp fire. Of the six discovered Sunday, five were in homes and one was in a vehicle.

On Sunday, officials confirmed that two deaths in Malibu were related to the Woolsey Fire, bringing the statewide death toll to 31.

The painstaking process of finding the missing and identifying the dead is challenging, with some of the bodies recovered burned beyond recognition.

"In some cases, the only remains we are able to recover are bones or bone fragments," Honea, the Butte County sheriff and coroner, told reporters. "I know that members of the community who are missing loved ones are anxious, and I know that the news of us recovering bodies has to be disconcerting."

Many bodies recovered from the Camp Fire were found inside or near homes or in vehicles, officials said.

Hours after the fire broke out, residents fleeing Paradise became trapped in gridlock traffic as the fire closed in. Some drivers abandoned their vehicles in the chaos and attempted to escape on foot.
The death toll in the Camp and Woolsey wildfires has risen to 31 with more than 200 people still missing.