California burning

The Woolsey fire has now burned 93,662 acres and destroyed 435 homes and other structures. Containment has reached 30% and officials say the fire may be fully contained five days from now.

Only 15% of the homes burned by the Camp fire have been searched. Thirteen more bodies were found today and more than 200 people are still unaccounted for. The death toll will certainly rise. Anyone wishing to help the families who lost their homes can donate to the North Valley Community Foundation's Camp Fire Evacuation Relief Fund:

https://www.nvcf.org/fund/camp-fire-...n-relief-fund/

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

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...112-story.html

A flare-up of the Woolsey fire quickly burned more than 50 acres this morning in an inaccessible mountain area in eastern Ventura County. More than 80% of National Parks Service land in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area has burned. The Woolsey fire is now at 35% containment.

Firefighters struggle to corral Woolsey fire as winds fan flare-up near Lake Sherwood

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/cali...500356351.html

We hear so many stories about selfish Hollywood celebrities, these two reports are like a bit of fresh air -- and fresh air in Malibu and surrounding areas is non-existent this week.

After losing their home in the Woolsey fire, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth donate $500,000 to The Malibu Foundation

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainmen...n-woolsey-fire

Sandra Bullock donates $100,000 to Ventura County Humane Society to support animals rescued from fires

https://www.etonline.com/sandra-bull...-red-carpet-is

The Camp fire has now burned 125,000 acres and destroyed more than 7,600 homes and other buildings. It has killed 42 people and more than 200 are still missing. The fire is spreading westward toward Chico and is only 30% contained.

Seventy-mile-an-hour wind gusts are hampering firefighters' efforts to control the Woolsey fire. It has now burned 96,000 acres and is 35% contained.

Another day, another Southern California wildfire. At least this one is burning away from homes.......for now.

Wind-driven wildfire quickly burns 20 acres in Rialto

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...113-story.html

The fire in the Rialto-Fontana area, dubbed the Sierra fire, has now burned 147 acres and is 75% contained. A body was found in a burned-out home in Agoura Hills, bringing the Woolsey fire death toll to three. In what remains of the town of Paradise, the death toll from the Camp Fire is now 48 and more than 200 remain missing.

As days pass, home dims: Evacuees wait in anguish amid search for the missing

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/as...mage=BBPwLOZ|3

Gorman, named for the man who owned the small town in the 1860s-70s, is located along the Golden State Freeway in northwest Los Angeles County. Today's fire burned five acres.

Brush fire near Gorman sparks fast heavy response and evacuations

https://signalscv.com/2018/11/brush-...e-evacuations/

The Woolsey fire has now burned 98,362 acres and destroyed 504 homes and buildings. It is 52% contained and full containment is expected in four more days. Police are allowing a few evacuated residents of southern Malibu to return home -- assuming they still have a home to return to -- but if they do not have a driver's license or other photo ID to prove where they live, or if they say they just want to check on a friend's or family member's home, they will be turned away.

As of 9 AM today, the Camp Fire has burned 140,000 acres and is 40% contained. Fifty-six bodies have been found and 130 people remain unaccounted for. The Woolsey fire has burned 98,362 acres and is 57% contained.

Many other wildfires are raging today. The Briggs fire near Santa Paula has burned 75 acres. The Sierra fire near Fontana and Rialto has burned 147 acres. The Nurse fire in Solano County has burned 1,500 acres. The Horn fire in Lassen County has burned 88 acres. The Brushy fire in Mendocino County has burned 35 acres. The Miles fire in Alameda County has burned 20 acres. Whew!

Sixty-three fatalities have been confirmed in the Camp fire and the Butte County Sheriff's Office reports that 631 people are "unaccounted for." That is an increase of 501 since last night. The fire has destroyed 11,862 homes and other structures. The area burned remains at 140,000 acres and containment remains at 40%. So much smoke has reached Sacramento, Oakland and San Francisco that many schools will be closed tomorrow and San Francisco's open-air cable cars will not be running.

Containment of the Woolsey fire is now at 69%. The Camp fire in Butte County has burned 142,000 acres and is 45% contained. The official death toll remains at 63. More than 450 people are searching the rubble and ashes for additional victims. In some cases, all they are finding is bones and bone fragments. Rain is predicted for next Tuesday and will make the search even more difficult. Yesterday and today, nearly 700 flights out of San Francisco International Airport have been delayed because of "low visibility conditions" due to the smoke.

Ninety percent of the homes in Paradise have been destroyed but many evacuated residents are planning to rebuild and return. The Camp fire has burned 221 square miles so there will likely not be another fire in the area for many many years.

Camp fire: Number of missing soars to 1,011 as Paradise reels from unfathomable losses
Los Angeles Times, Nov 16 2018 6:40 PM

An army of searchers moved through the rubble of Paradise in a desperate search today to find more victims of California’s worst fire on record as the number of people missing skyrocketed. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said search crews have recovered eight more bodies in the burn area, bringing the death toll from the devastating Camp fire to 71. The number of people unaccounted for rose to 1,011, up from 631 on Thursday evening, after authorities combed through additional 911 calls, emails and other reports generated at the peak of the chaotic evacuation. Honea said that number may include some people who are counted twice or others who may not know they were reported missing.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...115-story.html

Several fires in the past decade were caused by arson, lightning or sparks from a vehicle but many have been linked to downed power lines. If these most recent fires are found to have been caused by Edison and PG&E equipment failure, power outages or downed power lines, both utility companies could face billions of dollars in fines and be forced into bankruptcy. They're cooperating with investigators -- but I don't recommend buying stock in Edison and PG&E for a while.

California fires bring upheaval to utilities as they face massive liabilities

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...117-story.html

The fires in the Malibu-Thousand Oaks area have burned 98,362 acres and destroyed 836 homes. Containment is now at 82%.

In Paradise, the Copsey family was forced to evacuate as flames approached. Ella, their border collie, was left behind. Only one house on the block survived -- and, miraculously, Ella survived. Here is the amazing story of that loyal faithful dog:

Dog found 'protecting the only house left on the block' after Camp fire in Paradise

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ck/2038349002/

Here are the latest numbers on the Camp fire that destroyed 90% of the town of Paradise: The blaze has burned more than 149,000 acres (233 square miles) and destroyed 12,794 homes and other structures. The official death toll is now 76 and the number of people unaccounted for has increased to 1,276. The fire is now 55% contained but wind gusts of up to 50 miles an hour are expected late tonight and early tomorrow.

In movies, Gerard Butler has portrayed Dracula, Attila the Hun and the Phantom of the Opera -- but look what a nice guy he is in real life:

Gerard Butler hosts star-studded fundraiser for California fire relief after losing his home

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainm...Og1k?ocid=AMZN

Because of this month's devastating wildfires, thousands of people will be having an unimaginably grim Thanksgiving and Christmas (or Hanukkah). They've lost almost everything but their lives.

The Camp fire has now burned 150,000 acres (234 square miles) and is 65% contained. There are 77 confirmed fatalities and 10,364 homes and buildings have been destroyed. The Woolsey fire has burned 96,949 acres and is 91% contained. There have been three fatalities and 1,130 homes and buildings have been destroyed.

Where is our rain?

There are additional details regarding the fires that don't get mentioned in the coverage.

https://www.truthdig.com/articles/th...ifornia-fires/

Thank you, Atypical, for sharing that commentary. The Union of Concerned Scientists blames "the effects of global warming on temperature, precipitation levels and soil moisture" for "turning many of our forests into kindling during wildfire season." Governor Jerry Brown agrees with their assessment but few other politicians are talking about it. Last Saturday when Trump visited what remains of the town of Paradise, a reporter asked if Trump thought climate change is contributing to the worsening fires. Trump gave the evasive answer that "a lot of factors" are involved. He did not, and will not, reverse his opinion that climate change is a hoax. He suggested we need better "forest management" and we need to start "raking and cleaning" our forests "like Finland does." Of course Finland does no such thing, nor does Finland have forests or weather conditions comparable to those in California. Meanwhile.......

Smoke from the California wildfires is visible across the country in New York City

https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/20/us/ca...rnd/index.html

The number of confirmed deaths in the Camp fire is now 81 and 870 people remain missing. Rain is expected tomorrow afternoon and could wash away a lot of the human remains. And we can put this story in the "Why didn't they listen?" file:

Paradise narrowed its main road by two lanes despite warnings of gridlock during a major wildfire

https://www.latimes.com/local/la-lb-...htmlstory.htmly