Forest fires in California: the death toll has been raised to 31

Los Angeles, San Francisco – According to the authorities, the record of forest fires in California is 31. In the city of Paradise, in northern California, six other bodies were found, police said Sunday evening (local time). ). Thus, the number of victims has increased to 29 people. In addition, 228 people still missing have been reported, he added.

Two burnt bodies had been discovered on Friday in a car in Malibu, southern California. Police said Sunday that no other casualties had been found in southern California's fire zones.

Gottschalk "shocked"

The mansion of the artist Thomas Gottschalk was also set on fire in the celebrity hall. In total, thousands of homes in California have been destroyed by fires. Gottschalk (68) was electrocuted after the destruction of his villa in Malibu by a steamroller. "I can not say anything because I miss the words," said Gottschalk Bild-Zeitung from Monday. "I had the poem" The Panther "in Rainer Maria Rilke's writing hanging on the wall .It caught fire, like the staircase through which my children have always worked. "

The 68-year-old took Sunday German press agency confirms that his property is in flames. He had just learned that he was organizing a charity gala for children in Germany, said Gottschalk.

On the 42nd wedding anniversary, the Gottschalk couple was presented differently. The artist takes this with gallows humor. the Bild-Zeitung He said: "Everyone knows that my heart is burning for Thea, but it is not necessary that our house be on fire for the anniversary of our marriage." Gottschalk is based in the state of California since 1990 .

Tens of thousands on the run

The fires broke out several days ago. Tens of thousands of people are fleeing the flames. The small town of Paradise in Northern California has been largely destroyed by fires. The flames have affected more than 6450 residential buildings and about 15 000 buildings are still threatened by fire. So, the fire in paradise is one of the worst fires in the history of the west coast state.

More than 4,000 firefighters were on duty alone in the space around paradise. The fire has spread over more than 44,000 hectares. Until Sunday noon (local time), the fire department managed to contain the fire at around 25%. But the danger is far from over.

No relaxation in sight

The extent of the destruction is hard to describe, said the mayor of the small community, the US broadcaster CNN"His house was burned down, just as all the city council members lost their homes," said Jody Jones.

Brad Weldon narrowly escaped the fire of hell. Aged 63, he fought the flames for hours with a hose and buckets of water. San Francisco ChronicleAll the neighbors had fled, but her 90-year-old mother, who was bedridden, did not want to leave the house. Everything burned around her. "I had the impression of fighting a spaghetti with an elephant."

Hundreds of kilometers further south, near Los Angeles, two fires are raging and cover some 35,000 hectares. Affected is also the celebrity Malibu. While the fire said "hill" was limited to 70% Sunday, it was the same for the fire of "Woolsey" only 10%. Also in these fires, several thousand firefighters were in action. Firefighters warned Sunday, a relaxation is not in sight – on the contrary. The winds in the area have intensified, increasing the danger.

Kim Kardashian called for donations

Southern California authorities have once again urged residents of dangerous areas to comply with eviction orders. Malibu and neighboring cities north of Los Angeles have been completely evacuated. Many celebrities have also had to leave their homes or lose them because of the flames.

The artist Thomas Gottschalk has been living in California for a long time and his home has been repeatedly threatened by fires in recent years. This time, the fire hit his house with force. His villa in Malibu burned, said the 68-year-old German press agency Sunday had before Bild.de reported on this topic. He had just learned that he was organizing a charity gala for children in Germany, said Gottschalk. His wife is now sitting in a hotel room "and told me to take care of my job now".

Many celebrities have expensive villas in the coastal village and the adjacent mountainous area. Stars such as singer and actress Lady Gaga, director and Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro, as well as television stars Caitlyn Jenner and Kim Kardashian have been affected by the eviction. Lady Gaga sent a big thank you to the fire brigade, the police and the helpers. "You are real heroes," the star wrote on Twitter. Kim Kardashian called via the short message service to donate to firefighter organizations.

Heated exchange between Trump and the Democrats

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, on the other hand accused the California authorities of mismanagement and threatened the State controlled by the Democrats to withdraw federal funds. "There is no reason for these mbadive, deadly and expensive fires in California, if it's not bad forest management," Trump wrote on Twitter. Billions of dollars are spent each year and many people are still dying.

The California Firefighters Association was scandalized. Trump said "an uninformed political threat to the innocent victims of these devastating fires," said the badociation's chief, Brian Rice. It was also a "shameful" attack against firefighters who risked their lives.

Many social media have also complained about Trump's reaction. "It's an absolutely heartless answer," wrote singer Katy Perry on Twitter.

A few hours later, the president changed his tone and expressed his sympathy for the firefighters and the people concerned. "The destruction is catastrophic, God bless everyone," Trump wrote, calling people to follow the evacuation calls. Shortly after, he recalled again, with sound forest management to stop destructive fires like those in California. (AP)