PARADISE, Calif. – Authorities have now determined a total of 56 people have died in the Camp Fire in northern California and another three are dead from the Woolsey Fire northwest of Los Angeles.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said authorities found eight additional bodies Wednesday. Six of those bodies were found inside burned structures in Paradise, while two others were found outside of buildings. Honea said 130 remain missing, down from an earlier estimate of more than 200.
The Camp Fire is already the deadliest wildfire in California history. It blew up in size last Thursday and quickly moved through Paradise, the town of 27,000. About 7,700 homes were destroyed.
It has burned an estimated 138,000 acres and is 35 percent contained. An official cause of that fire has not been determined.
In Southern California, authorities say they are investigating a third apparent fire-related death in the burn zone of the Woolsey Fire.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday that human remains were found in a burned home in the suburban Agoura Hills area of the county.
Two deaths were previously linked to the so-called Woolsey Fire. Two adults were found last week in a car overtaken by flames. They have not been identified.
An estimated 504 buildings have been counted destroyed so far and assessments are continuing.
The fire has scorched more than 98,000 acres 52 percent contained as of 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story)
