Death toll from California fire rises to 23

PARADISE: Rescue workers recovered the bodies of 14 people on Saturday who were killed by the most destructive fire in California history, bringing the total death toll to 23, the local sheriff said.

"Today 14 additional bodies were located, which brings our total number to 23," Sheriff Kory Honea told a news conference.


Firefighters are battling raging blazes at both ends of California, but there is little hope of containing the flames anytime soon.

More than 250,000 people have been ordered to evacuate a wide area near the state capital Sacramento and, in southern California, the Hollywood resort town of Malibu.

In the town of Paradise, in Butte County, rescuers removed remains over a period of several hours and placed them in a black hearse. Pieces of bodies were transported by bucket, while intact remains were carried in body bags.

From miles around, acrid smoke could be seen in the sky around Paradise, the sun barely visible. On the ground, cars were reduced to metal carcasses, while power lines were also gnawed by the flames.

Locals fled the danger, but police told AFP some farmers returned to check on their cattle.