California fire: 29 dead\, 228 still missing

California fire: 29 dead, 228 still missing

ANI  |  Butte County (California) [USA] 

As many as 29 people have died in the fast-moving which began here on November 8.

The numbers are expected to rise.

Authorities confirmed that as many as 228 people are unaccounted for in Northern California, reported

"[There are] 228 individuals who have been determined to be unaccounted for. As of this briefing, my office has located 107 people after receiving [around] 550 calls from people looking for loved ones," said Butte at a press conference.

He further assured that the officials are in the "process of investigating those calls to determine if those individuals are in fact unaccounted for or perhaps haven't yet checked in with a family member."

The fire which is now dubbed as "Camp Fire" destroyed Northern and Southern and displaced as many as 300,000 people.

According to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, 109,000 acres of land has burned down, since the fire first began.

The White House, late on Friday, in a statement issued emergency in as the death toll in the fast-moving went up to nine.

on Sunday had called for proper forest management to combat California's wildfires, days after threatening to cut off federal payments due to mismanagement.

The blaze had started on Thursday night (local time), and moved towards and the Pacific Ocean, prompting evacuations in Malibu, Calabasas, Agoura Hills, and other neighbouring regions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Mon, November 12 2018. 14:34 IST