MALIBU, Calif. – At least 25 people died in forest fires in California, the Finnish authorities said Saturday.

In northern California, 23 people were reportedly killed in the camp's fire. in the history of California. Only the fire of Oakland Hills killed more people – 25 in 1991.

In Southern California, officials confirmed that two people had died in the Woolsey fire near Malibu.

Sheriff Kory Honea of ​​Butte County warned of the possibility of more deaths being discovered in the camp's fire. He added that family members of missing persons could submit DNA samples so that the authorities could check them again if they found more human remains.

Honea said Saturday night that 14 more bodies were found during the camp's fire. On Friday, the authorities announced that they had found nine bodies in Paradise, a town of 27,000 at the foot of Sierra Nevada. Some of the victims died in their cars while they were trying to escape with the sudden approach of the flames.

The fire, which burned at least 164 square miles and of which 65% is under control, destroyed 6,453 homes and a total of 6,713 buildings. . It is the most destructive fire in the history of the state.

Saturday's heavy smoke limited the use of planes to fight camp fires, officials said.

Honea warned citizens to remain vigilant.

"We still have one to two days of strong winds that could create explosive fire behavior similar to conditions that occurred on Thursday (the day the fire started)," Honea said.

Cal Fire officials said the Woolsey fire burned 130 square miles and destroyed 177 structures. The fire was controlled to 5% Saturday night

A brief respite from the strong winds Saturday allowed the firefighters to control the edges of the fires and exchange their teams, replacing the firefighters who had been working for two days without rest , said Los Angeles. Angel County Fire Chief Daryl Osby.

But as the winds are expected to reach gusts to 40 km / h on Sunday, it is likely that other houses would be lost, warned Osby. Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said the devastating winds of Santa Ana could last until Tuesday.

"Do not be fooled by a false sense of security," said Lorenzen at a press conference Saturday night. "Mother Nature has granted us a short respite at this time, the winds are not blowing, but we know that tomorrow Mother Nature will rekindle her fan."

Osby said Saturday that his firefighters were reporting "unseen conditions" seen in their lives. He added that the planes had dropped large quantities of fire-retardant products on the fires to prevent their spread.

"We lost a lot of houses," he said. "But we saved thousands of houses. "

The firefighter's goals for Saturday included controlling the perimeter along Highway 101, Bell Canyon and Malibu Canyon.He said the crew would dig in by hand the confinement lines at Malibu and Topanga Canyon during the night.

Benedict told the press that he had 200 officers on patrol for "suppression of looting." He warned that his department would have a "tolerance" zero "for theft

Two people suspected of looting have already been arrested, according to Sgt Eric Buschow of the Sheriff County Office of Ventura.

" If you come here with the intention of profiting of this situation, we will stop you and you will go to jail, "said Buschow.

At Pepperdine University in Malibu, clbades were canceled on Saturday after a tense Friday. evening. When the security order was given around 9am Saturday, many students left the scene, many of them wearing a mask.

Despite Malibu's evacuation order, Hbaden Masri, who lives in the Malibu Country Estates neighborhood adjoining the university, stays in his house Friday night and observes the raging hills around from him.

Around midnight, he saw about 20 trucks stop on the campus of Pepperdine University once officials learned that students would not be evacuated.

"It was a difficult experience, it was bad, it was really bad," said Masri. "When the fire fell on the ridge around midnight, I thought I should leave, but I did not do it. it was crazy that the university did not dismiss the students, but I am grateful for the extra resources brought in. protected by these extra trucks. "

Exotic animals from Ronnie Semler's Saddlerock Ranch , including zebras and water buffaloes, wandered in their paddocks on Saturday, although a structure that appeared to be a barn, several vehicles and burned fences. The biggest attraction of the Malibu ranch, Stanley the Giraffe, seemed happy and curious.

In Paris, President Donald Trump issued an emergency statement providing federal funding to Butte, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, but later threatened on Twitter to suspend federal payments California, claiming that the management of its forest is "so poor".

"Billions of dollars are paid every year, with so many lives lost, all because of poor forest management," he wrote. "Remedy now, or more payments from the Fed!"

Later Saturday, Trump tweeted again, urging locals to listen Evacuation orders from local authorities and the state.

"More than 4,000 people are fighting the camp and the Woolsey fires in California, which have burned more than 170,000 acres.Our hearts are with those fighting the fires, the 52,000 evacuees and the families of the 11 The destruction is catastrophic, God bless them all, "Trump said on Twitter.

Local politicians on Saturday night called Trump to designate forest fires as a "major disaster" that would increase the amount of money spent. federal badistance in the region.

"We need this major disaster declaration to have all the necessary tools to allow people to recover," said Linda Park, Ventura County. Supervisor

Paradise, a town of 27,000 at the foot of Sierra Nevada, was the hardest hit.

The city is a popular retreat that arouses the concern of the elderly or immobile who have gone missing.

On Friday, a dozen burned cars and SUVs lined the main street of Paradise, known simply as Skyway, wrecked by flames that melted aluminum engine blocks, sprayed door knobs plastic and exploded the windows.

An army of firefighters and rescuers made their way through the debris, small fires burning in the trees and in the ruins of houses. Power lines littered the streets and thick smoke blocked the sun.

More: California's wildfires are already the most destructive in the history of the state

. : Trump threatens to mobilize federal funds for wildfires in California following "mismanagement" of forests

More: Inside from the worst California wildfire

Barbara Ramsey, 75, saw her house catch fire. She escaped from paradise through flames.

"I shouted at my daughter, my grandson.I told him:" We have to go out now! " she says. "A lot of people did not come out – they were burned in their cars."

Authorities ordered the evacuation of the entire town of Malibu, which stretches 21 kilometers along the coast and houses celebrity homes such as Lady Gaga, Mel Gibson and Cher.

About 20 kilometers north, in the smoke-stricken community of Calabasas, residents and smoky firefighters gathered at the Starbucks inside the Albertsons supermarket in what appeared to be the only open trade inside the evacuation zone.

There was no outside electricity, only energy from a backup generator. Residents, many of whom wore masks to protect themselves from the smoke, shared videos taken on their smartphones showing flames engulfing their backyard.

Paul Bancroft stated that he was not about to lose his home, that it took him three years to build, in a neighboring neighborhood known as Old Agoura .

The fire burned until the fence (and) began to burn my shrubs, he says. He managed to extinguish it with a watering hose.

"I built my house and I did not want to leave," said Bancroft.

Woodyard reported to Malibu, Hughes of Paradise, Calif.

Contributing Editor: Nicole Hayden, of the Desert Sun; The Associated Press

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