California wildfires - live: Firefighters tackle new Woolsey blaze as deadly Camp Fire spreads

Around 230 still missing in Camp Fire in what was already most destructive on state's record in terms of property damage

California wildfires: Paradise resident films escape from blaze

At least 42 people have died in a fierce wildfire which largely incinerated the town of Paradise in northern California, the largest loss of life from such a blaze in state history.

The latest death toll, was announced by Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea at an evening news conference in the city of Chico after authorities found the bodies of 13 more victims of the devastating blaze dubbed the Camp Fire.

The fire already ranked as the most destructive on record in California in terms of property loss, having consumed more than 7,100 homes and other structures since it ignited on Thursday.

Southern California's huge Woolsey wildfire - which has killed at least two people - roared to life again Tuesday in a mountain wilderness area even as many neighbourhoods were reopened to thousands of residents who fled its advance last week.

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Key Points

• Search teams recover remains of 42 people
• Hundreds still missing as conditions could get worse
• Satellite images reveal devastating scale of California wildfires
• Donald Trump criticised for response to blaze
• Celebrities lose homes to fires
• Four ways you can help the victims

[13 November 2018 16:49 · Chris Stevenson]

Here is a list of the deadliest fires ever to hit California, with the Camp Fire now at the top.

 

[13 November 2018 17:03 · Chris Stevenson]

In regards to the Woolsey Fire in southern California. A number of areas are being re-opened, including the City of Hidden Hills an as well as parts of the City of Calabasnas.

 

[13 November 2018 17:14 · Chris Stevenson]

Fires are still appearing in various places thanks to the wind and dry conditions, here is some footage of the fire service battling a brush fire in the Simi Valley yesterday.

 

[13 November 2018 17:26 · Chris Stevenson]

Fire crews battling the Camp Fire have made gains overnight and prevented the blaze from advancing towards a town of 19,000 people.  

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Tuesday that firefighters held containment lines to slow the wildfire's advance toward Oroville.

Officials say more than 5,000 firefighters are battling the blaze that destroyed the town of Paradise and has charred 195 square miles since it started Thursday.

[13 November 2018 17:37 · Chris Stevenson]

Further south, firefighters are working to extend containment lines around the vast area burned by the Woolsey Fire.

The work to eliminate the threat from a blaze which has killed at least two pwoplw was happening as winds continue to cause high fire threats from metropolitan Los Angeles to San Diego County. 

[13 November 2018 17:48 · Chris Stevenson]

Many relatives are travelling vast distances to look for missing family members.

Lisa Jordan drove 600 miles from Yakima, Washington state, to search for her uncle, Nick Clark, and his wife, Anne Clark, of Paradise, California. Anne Clark suffers from multiple sclerosis and is unable to walk. No one knows if they were able to evacuate, or even if their house still exists, she told the Associated Press.  

Ms Jordan said she was staying hopeful. "Until the final word comes, you keep fighting against it," she added. 

[13 November 2018 18:03 · Chris Stevenson]

California regulators say initial testing has found no elevated levels of radiation or hazardous compounds after Southern California's huge wildfire burned near a former nuclear test site in hills to the northwest of Los Angeles.  

The state Department of Toxic Substance Control says its staff went to the site known as the Santa Susana Field Laboratory on Saturday and found that facilities that previously handled radioactive and hazardous materials were not affected by the fire.  

[13 November 2018 18:23 · Chris Stevenson]

Southern California's huge Woolsey wildfire roared to life again Tuesday in a mountain wilderness area even as many neighborhoods were reopened to thousands of residents who fled its advance last week.  

A massive plume rose suddenly at midmorning in the Santa Monica Mountains near the community of Lake Sherwood, prompting authorities to send aircraft to drop retardant and water on the blaze. 

[13 November 2018 18:31 · Chris Stevenson]

Officials said their most recent assessments indicated that the Woolsey Fire has burned 435 buildings as it spread over about 146 square miles and was 35 per cent contained, with full containment expected on Thursday.

[13 November 2018 18:42 · Chris Stevenson]

The National Weather Service has tweeted advice about the type of masks residents affected by smoke from the wildfires should wear.

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