Hundreds Of Californians Still Missing As Death Toll Rises To 48 In State’s Most Destructive Fire
“It’s just earthshaking for all of us, you know?” said Chico resident Tammy Mezera. Other news on the fires report on the searches for victims, the technology being used to identify the dead, closures caused by poor air quality and the expected impact on everyone's pocketbooks.
Sacramento Bee:
Camp Fire Death Toll Now At 48, With Authorities Searching For Additional Victims
The toll from California’s deadliest wildfire continued to grow Tuesday, as authorities said six more victims of the Camp Fire had been recovered inside homes in the Butte County town of Paradise, bringing the total to 48 so far. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea did not release additional identities of the dead or update the number of people believed to be missing. To date, the sheriff has released the names of only three victims as officials continue the laborious task of collecting remains and preparing for DNA testing to discover the identities of some victims. (Stanton, 11/13)
San Jose Mercury News:
Camp Fire: 48 Funerals And Counting ... 'It’s Beyond Words, Really'
At every community meeting since the start of California’s deadliest wildfire, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea is the last one to speak. The worst news is always saved for the end. “I’m the sheriff and I’m also your coroner,” he will say to the fire refugees filling the auditorium. “Unfortunately the news I have for you is not good.” (Sulek, 11/13)
The New York Times:
A Search In Fire-Ravaged California For What No One Wants To Find
It is a measure of how frequent and deadly wildfires have become in California that identifying badly burned remains has become an area of expertise. Once again cadaver dogs have been summoned, forensic dental experts will follow and coroners and anthropologists are using their experience from previous wildfires to locate the victims. One search team on Tuesday toured the foundation of a flattened home in this singed stretch of Paradise, Calif. Carefully they circled the charred bathtub, the melted kitchen floor, the skeletal playground — poking everywhere with long metal poles. (Turkewitz and Fuller, 11/13)
The Associated Press:
Identifying Wildfire Dead: DNA, And Likely Older Methods Too
Authorities doing the somber work of identifying the victims of California’s deadliest wildfire are drawing on leading-edge DNA technology, but older scientific techniques and deduction could also come into play, experts say. With the death toll from the Northern California blaze topping 40 and expected to rise, officials said they were setting up a rapid DNA-analysis system, among other steps. (Peltz, 11/13)
Los Angeles Times:
Death Toll Jumps To 48 In Paradise Fire As Frantic Search For Missing Continues
The confusing search for hundreds of missing people has been complicated by many factors: bad cellphone service. A lack of access to burned-out areas. A sheer scattering of people across the region who are staying in shelters, hotels, friends’ houses and their vehicles and may have not gotten in touch with loved ones. (Serna, Smith, Branson-Potts and Santa Cruz, 11/13)
San Jose Mercury News:
Schools Limit Outdoor Time, Adopt Other Changes Amid Poor Air Quality
Unhealthy conditions caused by the Camp Fire in Paradise have forced a number of local schools around the Bay Area to move students indoors or cancel outdoor activities this week. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has extended an air quality alert for the Bay Area through Friday, advising the public to avoid outdoor activity as much as possible and to keep windows and doors closed indoors. While most schools remain open, many have made changes under the circumstances. (Sarwari, 11/13)
Capital Public Radio:
For Unsheltered In Sacramento, Poor Air Quality Difficult To Escape
Donald Frueh and his dog, Nemesis — who live without shelter in Sacramento — spend nearly all day outside. Frueh said the smoke filling the air has made it harder to sleep and walk to get food. “The closest cheap place to here is the Dollar Store and it’s 13 blocks [away],” Frueh said. “It’s not good having dogs outside in [the smoke]. He’s not one to drink or to move around too much. It’s basically just making both of us a little lethargic.” (Beale, 11/12)
Arizona Republic:
California Wildfires Could Cost Customers Of PG&E And Other Utilities
The costs of the damages from wildfires that ravaged parts of California last year could show up in utility bills of people throughout the state. And the burden for paying for damages caused by the current catastrophic fires could also hit millions of Californians' pocketbooks. (Randazzo, 11/13)
Sacramento Bee:
PG&E To Pay Calaveras County $25.4 Million For 2015 Butte Fire
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has agreed to pay Calaveras County $25.4 million for economic damages stemming from the 2015 Butte Fire. A Cal Fire investigation concluded the fire began in September 2015 after a PG&E power line touched brush and sparked flames that killed two people, destroyed 1,000 structures and burned 71,000 acres, mostly in Calaveras County. The county sued the utility earlier this year after months of unsuccessful negotiations, according to county spokesman Timothy Lutz. (Yoon-Hendricks, 11/13)
