(UPDATE: Nov. 11, 2018 @ 8 a.m.) - The Butte County Sherriff's Office have confirmed several more fatalities as they continue their response to the deadly Camp Fire currently raging in Northern California.
Yesterday morning, officials confirmed five fatalities. Those people were found in vehicles that were overcome by the fire.
Now, an additional four fatalities have been confirmed, bringing the total number of deaths to nine. The Butte County Sherriff's Office says that of the four fatalities, one person was found in a home, and the three others were found outside.
An update from fire officials puts the blaze at 100,000 acres (or about 40,468 hectares) this morning. They have recorded 6,453 residences destroyed so far, with 15,000 structures still threatened. The containment on the fire is listed as 20%.
“Extreme fire behaviour with dangerous rates of spread are expected,” says an incident update, adding that the fire will continue to burn in the south west direction, threatening the City of Orville.
They have a total of 3,223 personnel fighting the blaze with 23 helicopters, 440 engines, 67 dozers, 18 water tenders, and airtankers.
BCSO reports an additional four fatalities have been confirmed due to the Camp Fire. The victims were located in the Paradise area. One person was found inside a residence and three were found outside of residences. This brings the total number of fatalities to date to nine. pic.twitter.com/LaGZPL97xy
— Butte County Sheriff (@ButteSheriff) November 10, 2018
Camp Fire Incident Update 11.10.18 AM #campfire @ButteSheriff @paradise_ca @CHP_Valley @CountyofButte pic.twitter.com/zJmJ4JPQkq
— CAL FIRE Butte Unit/Butte County Fire Department (@CALFIRE_ButteCo) November 10, 2018
(UPDATE: Nov. 10, 2018 @ 11:55 a.m.) - While much of the information reported this morning on the Camp Fire remains the same, there are now confirmed fatalities from the blaze.
The Butte County Sheriff's Office confirmed the reports of fatalities this morning, but didn't give any idea of numbers.
Press Release pic.twitter.com/fxyPYIjSEh
— Butte County Sheriff (@ButteSheriff) November 9, 2018
"BSCO investigators are still working to confirm the reports," said a release from the sheriff's office. "The task is difficult due to the fact that the fire is still active and there are many hazards in areas where fatalities have been reported."
Among the deaths are five people discovered in the area of Edgewood Lane in Paradise on Thursday.
According to the BSCO, they were found in vehicles that were overcome by the fire, but they couldn't be identified right away due to the extent of their burns.
NowMedia will update this story as more information is made available.
(Original story: 9 a.m.) - For British Columbians, wildfires are associated with the summer, but it’s a year long threat in California.
Currently, a fast moving fire that sparked around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday has already grown to 70,000 acres in just over 24 hours.
Paradise, a town of around 27,000, has been evacuated entirely but the town has been “devastated” by the fire, with at least 1,000 structures reportedly destroyed on day one.
CAL Fire says 15,000 structures are threatened by the fire and evacuation orders have also been issued for the 11,000 person town of Magalia and other communities in Butte County.
Nearly 2,300 fire personnel are battling the blaze with over 300 engines, 11 helicopters, 24 bulldozers and 11 water tenders.
So far, the fire is only listed at 5% contained and its rapid growth shows no signs of slowing down.
“Firefighters continue to be challenged with extreme fire and weather conditions including strong winds and long range spotting,” says the latest update from CAL Fire.
So far there's been no reports of any deaths from the fire, but local reports say that two firefighters and multiple Paradise residents have been injured.
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NowMedia will update this story as more information becomes available.
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