California wildfires: Death toll rises to 31 with 110 missing

TIL Desk/World/Kabul/ The death toll from the three raging wildfires in California has increased to 31, with more than 300,000 people forced to evacuate from their homes across the US state, according to authorities.

Of the 31 victims, 29 died in Northern California’s Camp Fire and two in Southern California’s Woolsey Fire. The Camp fire — the most destructive blaze in the state’s history and largest of the three — has burned 111,000 acres across Northern California and was 25 per cent contained as of Sunday morning.

It has virtually burned the town of Paradise to the ground and destroyed an estimated 6,700 buildings, most of which were homes. Cal Fire said that at least 110 people were still missing and the toll could go higher.

In Southern California, the Woolsey fire has spread to 83,275 acres and was 10 per cent contained, up from 5 per cent the night before. The smaller Hill Fire covered 4,531 acres and was 75 per cent contained. Together, responsible for the destruction of 179 structures, but another 57,000 were threatened, fire officials said.