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By Associated press
LOS ANGELES – A major fire that killed dozens of people and destroyed thousands of homes in northern California was totally controlled after burning for more than two weeks, authorities said Sunday.
The California Department of Forests and Fire Protection said the camp's fire had been surrounded by firefighters after several days of rain in the Paradise area.
The country's deadliest fire in a century has left at least 85 people dead and 249 people missing. The number of people reported missing has declined in recent days, with officials confirming that more people are alive.
Teams continued to filter debris and ashes to find human remains.
The fire began on November 8 in the arid foothills of the Sierra Nevada and quickly spread over an area of 240 km 2, destroying most of the paradise in one day.
Nearly 19,000 buildings, most of them houses, have disappeared.
The fighting gained momentum last week following the first major snowstorm in California. According to Hannah Chandler-Cooley of the National Weather Service, he dropped about 7 inches of rain over the burning area in three days without causing significant landslides.
In southern California, more and more residents have returned to areas evacuated by the destructive fire while crews repaired the utilities of electricity, telephone and gas.
Officials of the Los Angeles County Sheriff said they were in the final phase of restocking Malibu and unincorporated areas of the county. At the height of the fire, 250,000 fled their homes.
Three people died and 1,643 buildings, most of them houses, were destroyed, officials said.
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