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PARADISE, Calif. – The rain helps extinguish a deadly forest fire in the country's rush of gold in Northern California, but the moisture also turns the ash into a thick paste and prevents the hunting of shards. revealing bones that could indicate a body. The California Department of Forests and Fire Protection announced Friday that the 95,000 fires destroyed in the City of Paradise had been 95% controlled, CBS Sacramento reported.
The researchers resumed work Friday afternoon after the rain hit Paradise in California. They scattered through the ruins of a mobile home park, some painting debris with rakes, others lifting twisted metal to look underneath.
Craig Covey, who heads a research team from Orange County, Southern California, said that they were looking for a second time mobile home park for seniors because it still lacks people whose last known address was in this neighborhood.
Investigators, many of whom wore yellow rain gear and helmets to protect themselves from falling branches, looked for clues that could indicate that a person could not get out, such as a car in the driveway or a wheelchair ramp . They are not just looking for bones, but anything that could be a pile of ashes cremated.
The most deadly forest fires of the last century have killed at least 84 people and more than 560 people are still missing. Despite the mild weather, more than 800 volunteers searched for Thanksgiving remains and again Friday, two weeks after the flames swept the Sierra Nevada hills, authorities said.
The team of about 30 people from Covey had been working for several hours on Friday morning before stopping and returning to a gathering area with hot coffee and food under two blue tents. An electric radiator provided heat.
While the rain makes everyone colder and wetter, they keep their mission in mind, said research volunteer Chris Stevens, standing under a canopy, while the team was waiting for some of heavy rain.
"Everyone here is very committed to helping people here," he said.
Two days of rain showers complicated the search, but also helped to almost completely extinguish the fire, said Josh Bischof, chief operating officer of the California Department of Forests and Fire Protection.
Once the rain has fallen, officials will be able to determine if the fire is completely extinguished, he said.
The camp fire caught fire on November 8 and destroyed nearly 19,000 buildings, most of which were houses. That's more than the eight worst fires in California history combined, the agency said, with thousands of displaced people.
On Friday, volunteers interrupted by the rain found other ways to help.
Covey and several members of the team took two big brown bags full of lunch to Stewart Nugent, 64, who stayed at home and fought the flames with a gazebo, sprinkler and shovel. He has been here for two weeks with his cat, Larry.
The first winter storm that hit California has dropped 2 to 4 inches of rain on the burned area since its start Wednesday, said Craig Shoemaker of the National Weather Service in Sacramento.
The weather service issued a warning about potential flash floods and debris flows from areas affected by major fires in northern California, including burned areas in Paradise.
Shoemaker said the rain was stable and forecasters expect the most heavy showers in the afternoon.
"Until now, we have seen about a quarter of an inch of rain falling per hour," he said. "We have to see an inch of rain an hour before we get into trouble."
He added that the rain should abate at midnight, followed by light showers on Saturday.
Recovery Teams worked on Thanksgiving on ThursdayCarter Evans of CBS News brought back. Volunteers, including famous chefs like Guy Fieri, have gathered around this community to prepare Thanksgiving meals.
Firefighters like Jim Irving are part of the volunteer servers. He has already spent weeks on fire and will now miss dinner with his own family.
"For me, it's almost like … I'd rather be here, you know it helps others and that's part of what Thanksgiving has about," he said.
Ron White lost his house and his father's in the fire. He was impressed to see the firefighters serving the meal.
"I thank them all as soon as I met them," said White. "I think they are absolutely wonderful people, they deserve all the attention they can get."
In southern California, more residents were allowed to return to evacuated areas due to the Woolsey fire, covering an area of 151 square kilometers, while teams were working to repair public utilities. 39, electricity, telephone and gas.
Nearly 1,100 residents were still under evacuation in Malibu and the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, compared with 250,000 at the height of the fire.
On November 8th, the fire was declared just west of Los Angeles under the strong winds. Suburban communities and natural parks have been burned to the ocean, leaving vast expanses of blackened earth and numerous homes. According to officials, three people were found dead and 1,643 structures, most of them houses, were destroyed.
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