First five victims of Paradise wildfire are identified: Portable morgues and DNA experts are brought in to identify the 42 dead as authorities warn death toll WILL rise in deadliest fire in state history
The town of Paradise has been almost completely destroyed by Camp Fire in California, which has killed 42
Butte County Sheriff Cory Honea said Monday night that the remains of 13 additional people were located
Honea said 10 of those were located in Paradise; seven were found in homes and three were found outside
The other three victims were found in the Concow area with two being found outside and one inside a home
Sheriff Honea identified three victims as Ernest Foss, 65, Jesus Fernandez, 48, and 77-year-old Carl Wiley
A fourth victim, Ellen Walker, who was in her 70s has been identified by her family on social media
Family members also identified Lolene Rios, 58, as a victim. Her husband Rick Rios, 69, survived the blaze
It is believed that the Camp fire may have been sparked by downed PG&E power lines, officials have revealed
The Camp fire blaze has since destroyed 125,000 acres and was 30 per cent contained as of Monday night
The Woolsey and Hill fires continue to burn in Southern California and are being fueled by Santa Ana winds
Celebrities that have lost their houses include Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke, Gerald Butler, and Camille Grammer
By VALERIE EDWARDS and ANNETA KONSTANTINIDES
DAILYMAIL.COM
13 November 2018
Five victims of what has now been confirmed as the deadliest wildfire in California history have been identified as three men and two women.
The official death toll in Northern California’s Camp Fire has climbed to 42 after local authorities revealed that the remains of another 13 people were found on Monday.
Ernest Foss, 65, of Paradise, and Jesus ‘Zeus’ Fernandez, 48, of Concow, were identified as friends and family paid tributes to them on social media.
Carl Wiley, 77, of Maglia, and Ellen Walker, in her 70s, of Concow, were also killed in the deadly blaze. Family members of Lolene Rios, 58, have also identified her as another victim in Paradise.
The Camp Fire now also ranks as the most destructive fire on record in California, having leveled more than 7,100 homes and other buildings since it erupted on Thursday and tore across 125,000 acres. It is currently 30 percent contained.
Butte County Sheriff Cory Honea said the remains of 10 people were located in Paradise. Seven of those were found in homes and three outside.
The other three remains were found in the Concow area, two were outside homes and one was inside a home.
Honea said his team is working to identify the remains and notify the next of kin as soon as possible.
Paradise is a popular retirement community with a quarter of the population there over the age of 65.
Rios and her husband Rick, 69, had both relocated in Paradise after losing their home to another fire in Concow in the 1990s.
The retired couple, like many in the town, only found out about the blaze when it was too late.
Rick went on the roof of the couple’s home when he saw their neighbor’s house on fire, hoping he could still save their house by taking out any spot fires.
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