At least 31 people have been killed as massive wildfires raging in Northern and Southern California have engulfed thousands of homes and were threatening to destroy more as blustery winds were dealing firefighters a menacing challenge throughout the state over the weekend and into today.
"This week, California has experienced the most destructive fires we have seen in its history. There are 196,000 acres burned, thousands of homes and dozens of lives lost," Chief Scott Jalbert of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Sunday morning.
The largest and deadliest of the infernos is the Camp Fire, which as of Sunday had burned 109,000 acres, leveled 6,435 homes and another 260 commercial structures in Northern California's Butte County, according to officials. There were at least 228 people unaccounted for as of early Monday.
At least 29 civilians have been killed in the Camp Fire, which ignited on Thursday and quickly swept through communities in the Sierra foothills, nearly wiping out the bucolic town of Paradise. At least five firefighters have been injured battling the blaze.
On Sunday, the monstrous fire was 25 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.
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05.19.2025