California fires: 23 dead as firefighters continue to tackle Paradise and Malibu wildfires | London Evening Standard

California fires: 23 dead as firefighters continue to tackle Paradise and Malibu wildfires

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The death toll from powerful wildfires in California has risen to 23.

The charred remains of 14 more people were found in and around Paradise, a mountain community that has been left devastated by the fire.

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More than 6,700 homes and businesses have been destroyed, the highest number of structures than any other California wildfire on record.

The flames descended on Paradise so fast that many people were forced to abandon their vehicles and run for their lives down the only road through the mountain town.

A burned vehicle is seen at the remains of a residence in ParadiseAFP/Getty Images

By Saturday afternoon, the Camp Fire had blackened more than 100,000 acres at the edge of the Plumas National Forest.

Firefighters have rescued people from homes and those trapped on the road. Those rescued included people who were bed-ridden, three nurses, a Sherriff’s deputy and a California Highway Patrol Officer.

NASA image shows the Camp Fire burning in Paradise, CaliforniaAFP/Getty Images

California Fire safety officer Jack Piccinini warned firefighters to watch out for “emotional fatigue” and said many who lose homes themselves in the wildfires “were just kind of stunned.”

A separate fire burning in the foothills above Malibu, some 500 miles away from Paradise, doubled in size over the weekend threatening thousands of homes and triggering mandatory evacuation orders for a quarter of a million people in the upscale beach city.

All 13,000 residents of Malibu were told to evacuate on Friday.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said: “Our firefighters have been facing some extreme, tough fire conditions that they said they’ve never seen in their lives.”

A view of Paradise Estate destroyed by the Camp FireREUTERS

Among those forced to flee the Malibu area were celebrities including Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian, who said on Titter that flames had damaged the home she shares in nearby Calabasas with Kanye West.

Most of the town of Thousand Oaks, where a gunman killed 12 people last week, has been evacuated.

President Trump hit out at officials for the fires and threatened to withhold funding.

Flames from the Camp fire burn near a home atop a ridge near Big Bend, CaliforniaAFP/Getty Images

State officials have blamed climate change and say many of the burn areas have been in federally managed lands.

A firefighter with the Albany Fire Department from Oregon puts on his personal protective equipment during the Camp Fire in ParadiseREUTERS

Evan Westrub, a spokesman for California Governor Jerry Brown said: “Our focus is on the Californians impacted by these fires and the first responders and firefighters working around the clock to save lives and property – not on the President’s inane and uninformed tweets.”

Additional reporting by AP.