The number of people missing in a northern California wildfire has more than doubled, local authorities said. The "Camp Fire" blaze is the deadliest wildfire in the state's history.
Firefighters have been battling to contain the so-called "Camp Fire" in the north as well as the "Woolsey Fire" in southern California that has also claimed several lives.
Death toll and number of missing rise:
The number of missing doubled to 631, after authorities earlier put the number closer to 300.
The death toll also rose to 63 after the remains of seven more people were found.
Out of the victims, 53 of them have been identified.
Several people who were listed as missing have been located, bring the total of people found alive to 227.
The fire is currently 40 percent contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported.
California's deadly wildfires continue to burn
The "Camp Fire," one of several in the state, continues to devastate California. The fire has claimed 63 lives, making it the state's deadliest blaze on record, and has razed more than 9,700 buildings.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/N. Berger
The deadly California wildfires rage on
People continue to die in California's wildfires. As of Thursday, the number of victims of the Camp Fire in Northern California had risen to 63 — making it the deadliest single fire in the state's history. Three people have also died in the "Woolsey Fire" in Southern California.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/N. Berger
Hundreds of thousands of evacuees
Around a quarter of a million people had to leave their homes, with many documenting dangerous escapes from the flames on social media. On Thursday, local authorities said at least 631 people were still unaccounted for, as rescuers continued to search for bodies and survivors.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/N. Berger
Paradise wiped off the map
Ten search teams were working in and around Paradise — a town of 27,000 north of Sacramento. The town was almost completely burnt to ashes and more than 6,000 homes were completely destroyed. In this photo from Paradise, a staircase is the only thing left standing of what used to be a house.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/J. Locher
Buildings burnt to the ground
The fires have destroyed thousands of homes, including several exclusive residences in Malibu, where many celebrities live. Actor Gerard Butler said on Instagram that his house in Malibu was "half-gone." At the People's Choice Awards on Sunday, stars called for prayers and donations to help residents and rescuers.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu
Escape from the fires
Evacuation orders have been issued for the entire town of Malibu. These horses have unusual temporary stables at the lifeguard towers on a beach in Malibu as a result of the Woolsey Fire. It's also affected the nearby town of Thousand Oaks, which was still reeling after a gunman killed 12 people in a bar on November 7.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu
Rescuers continue to work
Out-of-state fire crews continue to arrive in California, as winds and dry conditions are expected to fan the flames through the rest of the week. According to fire officials, by late Sunday the Camp Fire was around 25 percent contained, while only 15 percent of the Woolsey Fire was under control. California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Phtot/R. Vogel
6 images1 | 6
Dealing with 'extraordinary' chaos
In explaining the massive jump in the number of missing, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told reporters that investigators raised the number after reviewing emergency calls made after the fire broke out last week.
"I want you to understand that the chaos we were dealing with was extraordinary," he said.
Deadliest blaze in state history: The "Camp Fire" blaze has so far destroyed 9,700 homes and displaced some 52,000 people. It devastated the town of Paradise, reducing many of the homes to ash and rubble. It is both the deadliest and most destructive fire in the western US state's history — more than doubling the death toll of a 1933 blaze in Los Angeles County that killed 29.
The Woolsey Fire, located north of Los Angeles, has killed at least three people and destroyed 500 structures. Scientists largely attribute the devastating blazes to climate change which has caused a prolonged drought in the state.
Trump to visit fire victims: US President Donald Trump will travel to California on Saturday to meet with people who have been impacted by the wildfires, the White House said in a statement. Trump sparked outrage over the weekend when he tweeted that the fires were to blame on state forest management and threatened to withhold federal funds.
