Camp Fire in Butte County grows to 111,000 acres with 25 percent containment

ByCarlos Saucedo KGO logo
Monday, November 12, 2018
Fear Camp Fire death toll could rise even higher as more than 200 remain missing
Hot spots burning throughout Paradise illuminate what would otherwise be total darkness in a town that remains without power.

PARADISE, Calif. -- Hot spots burning throughout Paradise illuminate what would otherwise be total darkness in a town that remains without power.



RELATED: MAPS: A look at the Camp Fire in Butte County and other California fires



Six more bodies were recovered in the area on Sunday, bringing the Camp Fire's death toll to 29, according to Butte County Sheriff-Coroner Kory Honea.



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With 228 people still unaccounted for, there's fear more bodies could be found in the coming days as officials comb through the vast fields of dark debris.



"These are more challenging investigations and autopsies because you're often dealing with remains of humans who have been burned and in some cases, you might only have bones," said Honea.



Identifying the bodies could take some time cautioned Honea.



"There's nothing left. All my neighbors except one are gone," lamented Gary Green. He stayed behind to protect his home in the community of Concow when the Camp Fire broke out early Thursday morning.





RELATED: Camp Fire survivors still trying to connect with loved ones



Green is certain that one of those killed was his friend.



"She lived up the street from me and she went to church with us, she didn't get out."



Firefighters from around the state, including San Francisco, have spent the last few days working to contain the fire.





"Making sure things are completely extinguished, we don't' want any new flare-ups," said Capt. Pablo Siguenza with the San Francisco strike team.



Of the thousands of homes lost, dozens belonged to first responders-- including firefighters and officers.



"I was talking to one deputy today, he lost his house, he lost everything and he said 'I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I need to be out here helping,'" said Honea.



In a report from PG&E, the utility explained that roughly 15 minutes before the deadly fire began turning the town of Paradise into an apocalyptic scene, PG&E detected a transmission line outage across the Feather River from Poe Dam.



RELATED: Dispatch calls suggest downed PG&E power lines may have started deadly Camp Fire



"Engine 2 is responding. Copy, possible power lines down," can be heard over the radio. The incident resulted in a power outage at 6:15 a.m.



Cal Fire reported the Camp Fire started near that area at 6:33 a.m.



See more stories, photos and videos on the Camp Fire in Butte County.

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