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Death toll from the Paradise fire jumps to 42, making it the worst in California history

The death toll from the Campfire in Paradise jumped to 42 on Monday, making it the deadliest fire in California history, as President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for the state.

Officials said they recovered the remains of 13 additional victims Monday as teams continued to search the burned-out remains of thousands of lost homes. Ten of those remains were located in Paradise; three were found in the Concow area.

The Woolsey fire, which broke out Thursday in Ventura County and spread to Malibu, has obliterated roughly 435 homes and businesses. However, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials said about 15% of the burn area has been surveyed for damage, so the number of structures damaged in the inferno probably will increase. About 57,000 structures are still threatened, and the blaze has already killed at least two people, authorities said.

A couple whose charred bodies were found in a vehicle in Malibu on Friday probably died trying to escape the flames, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Guillermo Morales said.

Investigators are still trying to identify the car’s driver and passenger, both of whom were burned beyond recognition, Morales said. Investigators don’t think the two lived at a home on Mulholland Highway. The home’s residents “have been accounted for,” Morales said.

“This driveway looks like a small road. It’s not like a normal driveway, and the whole landscape around there is burned to a crisp. We think they were probably overcome by the flames,” Morales said.

“The Lord will give strength to his people, the Lord will bless his people with peace.”—Psalm 28

We offer our prayers and condolences to all compatriots after the tragic fires in California state and the mounting death toll they have exacted. We have been deeply shocked and moved by this event.

The California people have suffered so much in recent days with wildfire event, with its many victims, and their families and communities is especially distressing.

Our hearts go out to Californians in sympathy and solidarity, and we pray that the God of life will be with affected persons, to comfort and console, to heal and help the many victims’ families and all the people of California in the days ahead.