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Death Toll In California Wildfires Climbs To 44

Firefighters battle a fire along the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley, Calif.
Ringo H.W. Chiu
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AP
Firefighters battle a fire along the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley, Calif.

Updated at 10:48 p.m. ET

Wildfires continued to tear through Northern and Southern California on Monday, where firefighters were at the mercy of dry air and whipping winds fanning the deadly blazes. At least 44 people have died statewide; many people remain unaccounted for.

In a year of record-breaking fires, Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott told NPR's All Things Considered the Camp fire in the north and Woolsey fire in the south may be "the most destructive and the deadliest" on record for the state.

In Northern California, the Camp Fire, which ripped through the town of Paradise, 90 miles north of Sacramento, has killed 42 people, authorities said.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea indicated that more human remains from that fire could be found. He said that the county will receive two portable morgue units and cadaver dogs.

He said his department had received more than 1,500 calls from friends and relatives trying to locate people in the area. He said investigators had determined that 231 of those people were safe but since an unknown number of the calls were duplicates, he couldn't tell how many people remain unaccounted for.

President Trump tweetedMonday night that he had signed a major disaster declaration for California.

A property burned by the Camp Fire in Northern California. Authorities are releasing photos as they ask residents to be patient and understand why they can't enter the fire zone yet.
/ Cal Fire
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Cal Fire
A property burned by the Camp Fire in Northern California. Authorities are releasing photos as they ask residents to be patient and understand why they can't enter the fire zone yet.
A structure in the town of Paradise which has been devastated by the deadly wildfire.
/ Cal Fire
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Cal Fire
A structure in the town of Paradise which has been devastated by the deadly wildfire.

As of Monday evening ET, the Camp fire remained 30 percent contained with 117,000 acres burned (more than 182 square miles).

"We certainly hope that the fatality count doesn't increase but we know there is a strong potential for that" as authorities continue to sift through ash, rubble and debris in search of missing persons, Pimlott said.

Authorities have yet to account for 228 people reported missing.

Yuba County Sheriff's Office officials carry a body away from a burned residence in Paradise.
Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Yuba County Sheriff's Office officials carry a body away from a burned residence in Paradise.

Slowing winds in the northern part of the state have given exhausted firefighters a sliver of a reprieve, according to Pimlott, who said the flames are "moving up onto some more rural areas " and through "what used to be Paradise."

However, he cautioned, "We still have very, very dry weather and don't see that changing at all within the next week. "

Flames from the Camp Fire burn near a home atop a ridge near Big Bend.
Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Flames from the Camp Fire burn near a home atop a ridge near Big Bend.

The Camp fire has destroyed more than 7,100 buildings, the vast majority of them residences. About 52,000 people have evacuated the area and 1,385 people are in shelters.

Meanwhile, Southern California winds continue to drive the Woolsey Fire that is slashing a path from Thousand Oaks to the wealthy coastal enclave of Malibu.

"We've got 60 to 70 mph off shore Santa Ana winds blowing for the next several days and those are just deadly," Pimlott told NPR.

A structure and a motorcycle burn at an RV park during the Woolsey Fire in Malibu.
Kyle Grillot / The Washington Post/Getty Images
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The Washington Post/Getty Images
A structure and a motorcycle burn at an RV park during the Woolsey Fire in Malibu.
The remains of a beachside luxury home along the Pacific Coast Highway community of Point Dume in Malibu.
Frederic J. Brown / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
The remains of a beachside luxury home along the Pacific Coast Highway community of Point Dume in Malibu.

Two people have been reported dead in connection with the fire.

As of Monday evening, the Woolsey Firein Los Angeles and Ventura counties has burned more than 93,000 acres and is only 30 percent contained. The estimated number of structures destroyed rose up to 370.

About 170,000 people are under mandatory evacuation.

Strained resources were stretched even further Monday morning by another wildfire in the hills north of Los Angeles.

Horses are tied up at lifeguard stations on Zuma Beach, brought there by their owners to escape the Woolsey Fire, in Malibu.
Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Horses are tied up at lifeguard stations on Zuma Beach, brought there by their owners to escape the Woolsey Fire, in Malibu.

The Peak Fire burned off of the 118 Freeway and into the hills near Simi Valley. The flames temporarily forced the closure of the highway and residents in the Box Canyon and Lake Manor areas were ordered to evacuate.

The "fast moving brush fire" was stopped at 105 acreswithin a couple hours by Ventura and Los Angeles county firefighters.

The National Weather service has extended a "red flag warning" through 5 p.m. PT on Wednesday, meaning active critical weather conditions of strong gusty winds and dry conditions will present a challenge to firefighters and containment efforts.

A deer looks on from a burned residence after the Camp Fire tore through the area in Paradise.
Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
A deer looks on from a burned residence after the Camp Fire tore through the area in Paradise.

The last rainfall in the area that amounted to even a half-inch came 211 days ago.

The Camp Fire ramped up quickly from Saturday into Sunday, CalFire Battalion Chief Josh Bischof said. Some areas were calmer, including Paradise and Magalia, where responders entered and were able to "mop up patrol around structures," he said. Aircraft also were able to enter the "problem area" of Santos Ranch to contain the fire.

Officers react as they discover a body at a burned residence after the Camp Fire tore through the area in Paradise.
Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images
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AFP/Getty Images
Officers react as they discover a body at a burned residence after the Camp Fire tore through the area in Paradise.

"There is still very steep, very challenging area between Santos Ranch up into the bottom part of Magalia," Bischof said. "However, we are making progress."

Authorities are anticipating additional spot fires and are primed and ready to combat potential fires in the areas south of North Fork Feather River.

Evacuation orders are in effect for Berry Creek, Rush Creek, Mountain House and Bloomer Hill.

In Southern California, those who fled included the Fortier family.

"All three peaks were on fire, with the wind blowing the flame" says Johnny Fortier, describing the scene. "I said an 'Our Father,' tried to bless our homes, and realized it's time to go."

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"We basically left with the clothes on our bodies, some pictures from the wall, some religious items," said Fortier, who fled along with his wife, Shandra, and their three children.

The couple returned to their home on Sunday to find what Fortier called "a war zone." Of the home they had lived in for more than 12 years, he added, "its entire contents — it's all gone."

Some mandatory evacuation orders in the region have lifted, including areas in Thousand Oaks, where authorities anticipate sporadic utility outages.

Thousand Oaks Mayor Andrew Fox says it's likely that some of the town's residents who were affected by last week's shootings also were forced to evacuate — and that memorial services for the victims were delayed because of the fire.

Discussing the afternoon after the shooting, Fox told NPR's David Greene, "We very quickly pivoted into an evacuation center for fire."

Fox added, "The logistics to managing a fire of this magnitude, it's like moving an army, so you have to have places for firefighters to sleep, to eat."

Paramount Ranch — the backdrop for many films and television shows, including Westworld — has also been destroyed.

As NPR reported Saturday, investigators in Malibu are looking into the deaths of two people after their bodies were found "severely burned" inside a vehicle.

NPR's Laura Roman contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.
Vanessa Romo is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She covers breaking news on a wide range of topics, weighing in daily on everything from immigration and the treatment of migrant children, to a war-crimes trial where a witness claimed he was the actual killer, to an alleged sex cult. She has also covered the occasional cat-clinging-to-the-hood-of-a-car story.
Richard Gonzales is NPR's National Desk Correspondent based in San Francisco. Along with covering the daily news of region, Gonzales' reporting has included medical marijuana, gay marriage, drive-by shootings, Jerry Brown, Willie Brown, the U.S. Ninth Circuit, the California State Supreme Court and any other legal, political, or social development occurring in Northern California relevant to the rest of the country.