Campfire leaves at least 77 dead and nearly 1,300 people missing

CHICO, Calif. – Volunteers in white suits, helmets and masks penetrated Sunday into the ashes and debris, searching for the remains of victims of the devastating fires in northern California, before the rains fell. week does not complicate their efforts.

Although the expected showers can help control the flames that have already killed 77 people, they could also erase revealing bone fragments or turn loose ash into a thick paste that would hinder research.

A team of 10 volunteers went Sunday in the devastated city of Paradise, burned with houses burned, accompanied by a dead dog wearing a bell on the necklace that rang in a sinister landscape.

Team members scanned the debris with five-minute sweeps, using poles to move debris and focusing on vehicles, tubs and what was left of mattresses. When no remains were found, they sprayed a large orange "0" near the house.

Up to 400 people participated in global research and recovery efforts. Robert Panak, a volunteer from another team in Napa County, spent the morning looking for houses, but found no remains.

When asked if the work was hard, the 50-year-old volunteer replied, "I'm just thinking of positive things, bringing relief to families, closing down."

He explained that his approach was to imagine the house before it burns and to think of places where people could have been hiding.

Nearly 1,300 names appear on a missing list more than a week after the start of the fire in Butte County, authorities said Saturday. They pointed out that the long list does not mean that they believe that all members of the list are absent.

Sheriff Kory Honea urged the evacuees to review the list of people who are inaccessible to family and friends and to call the ministry if they are deemed safe.

MPs have located hundreds of people so far, but their overall numbers are growing as they add more and more names, including those of the first chaotic hours of the disaster, Honea said.

"Although I wish we could overcome all this before the rains, I do not know if it is possible," he said.

Honea said that it was in the "realm of possibility" that officials never know the exact number of victims of the fire.

Sunday afternoon, more than 50 people gathered in front of a memorial dedicated to the victims of the first Christian church in Chico, where a banner on the altar indicated: "We will be reborn from our ashes".

People got bogged down and shed tears as Pastor Jesse Kearns recited a prayer for first responders: "We are asking for continued strength as they get tired right now."

Hundreds of search and recovery personnel are participating in the effort and going home when they receive information indicating that someone may have died there.

But they are also conducting a more comprehensive search of the areas, "door to door" and "car to car," said Joe Moses, commander of the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, who helps oversee search and rescue efforts. .

According to Moses, the search area is huge and many structures need to be checked.

The fire has also burned many ground sites, creating a unique landscape for many search and rescue personnel, he said.

"We are looking for very small parts here, so we have to be very diligent and methodical in the way we do your research," he said on Friday.

The remains of five others were found Saturday, including four in Paradise and one in Concow, bringing the death toll to 77.

Among them was Lolene Rios, 56, whose son, Jed, told tears to KXTV in Sacramento that his mother had "an infinite amount of love" for him.

President Donald Trump visited the region on Saturday, accompanied by outgoing and incoming governors from California, two Democrats who traded beards with the Republican administration. Trump also visited southern California, where firefighters were progressing through a forest fire that ravaged communities west of Los Angeles from Thousand Oaks to Malibu, killing three people.

"We have never seen anything like it in California; we have never seen anything like it before. It's like total devastation, "Trump said as he stood amid the ruins of heaven and pledged all the support of the federal government.

Shortly after the start of the fire, Trump blamed state officials for their poor forest management and threatened to cut federal funds.

"It has our backs," outgoing governor Jerry Brown said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation" show.

"There have been exchanges between California leaders and the president," Brown said. "But in the face of tragedy, people tend to override some of their lesser propensities. So I think we are on the right track. "

He also suggested that California wildfires crack the skeptics, even the most ferocious of climate change, "in less than five years" and that those living near forests might need to build underground shelters to protect them from fires.

Midweek rain was forecast in the Paradise area. The National Meteorological Service said the area could receive sustained winds of 32 km / h and gusts of 40 km / h (40 km / h), which could make it difficult for crews to continue to make progress against the area. ;fire.

Campfires in northern California destroyed about 10,500 homes and burned 603 square kilometers. It was 65% content.

Honea expressed hope that Trump's visit would help recovery, saying the visit of the Republican President and the Democratic leaders of California "marks a spirit of cooperation here that will ultimately benefit this community and lead us on the road to recovery" .