A fire north of Sacramento, California, this Thursday became the largest in the history of the state, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (
Cal Fire
, in English).
State authorities raised the death toll to 10 in the past two days
after emergency services found seven bodies in Butte County on Thursday, a day after three people were found dead in Butte County.
The death toll is feared to continue to rise as rescuers move into towns that were ravaged by flames.
At least 16 people have disappeared
during the fires in the north of the state.
Among those missing are Sandy Butler and her husband, who called their son to tell him they were going to try to escape the flames by seeking refuge in a pond.
"We still hope and pray for good news,"
Jessica Fallon, who has two children with Butler's grandson
, told
The Associated Press
news agency
and considers them her own grandparents.
“Everything is replaceable, but not the life of my grandparents.
I'd rather lose everything than the two of them.
They kept the family together. "
More bodies could be found as crews manage to make their way through the devastated areas
.
A team of anthropologists from Chico State University was assisting in the search, Sheriff Capt. Derek Bell said.
The fire that has lasted for several weeks was 50% contained when the winds whipped it up on Tuesday causing an explosive spread that has carried it from the rugged hills of the Sierra Nevada to the town of Berry Creek, which has been partially destroyed.
More than 2,000 houses and other buildings had burned in the set of fires that were started by thunderstorms in conditions of high heat and very low humidity.
He is now known as
North System
(
North Complex
) and burns about 125 miles (200 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco.
While the North System has so far been the deadliest fires set, the
system August
(
August Complex)
is the one
that has surpassed the mark of the most extensive and
has burned nearly half a
million acres
.
Smoke covers the skies over much of the northwestern United States, from the Oregon border with Canada to California's border with Mexico in the south.
Meanwhile, half a million people received evacuation orders in the neighboring state of Oregon, which is experiencing probably the worst fires in its history, according to the governor's statements.
With information from The Associated Press and NBC News.
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