A fast-moving wildfire that has grown to 5,000 acres has prompted evacuations in California's Butte County. Dozen of resources have been called in from across the state, according to fire officials.

The Butte County Sheriff's office says an evacuation order was issued for areas of Paradise, a town of about 27,000 people 180 miles northeast of San Francisco. CBS Sacramento reports that thousands of PG&E customers in Butte County have lost power because of the blaze.

"This Fire is very dangerous, please evacuate if asked to do so!" the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) tweeted.

CAL FIRE said Wednesday that a Red Flag Warning was issued for most of Northern California's interior as well as parts of Southern California through Friday morning. Gusty winds and low humidity were among the factors that led to the warning.

Red Flag Warnings are issued for conditions that could lead to "extreme fire behavior" within 24 hours, according to CAL FIRE. </s> BUTTE COUNTY (CBS SF) – In just 24 hours, the disastrous Camp Fire in Northern California has burned at the rate of almost an acre per second and scorched an area more than twice the size of San Francisco.

As of Friday Morning, the wildfire in Butte County has scorched 70,000 acres (109.38 square miles) since it was first reported around 6:30 a.m. Thursday. The area burned is more than 2.3 times the size of San Francisco (47 square miles).

Over 24 hours, the fire has burned at the rate of about 0.8 acres per second or 48.6 acres per minute.

In the fire’s first three hours, the fire grew to 5,000 acres, burning an area the size of a football field every three seconds in that period.

The Camp Fire’s most significant growth happened Thursday afternoon, when it grew 10,000 acres in about 90 minutes, more than one football field per second, according to CNN.
• ‘This Fire Is Very Dangerous’ – Thousands Flee Paradise In Butte County
• Remember The Five “Ps” Of Wildfire Evacuations

The fire burning east of Chico has destroyed much of the community of Paradise, a city with a population of nearly 27,000 people. About 15,000 structures are threatened, but the number of structures destroyed is not known.

At a briefing Friday, the California Office of Emergency Services announced that 52,000 people have been evacuated. Dozens of people have been reported missing and remained unaccounted for Friday morning.

Cal OES director Mark Ghilarducci said the fire has claimed lives, but the exact number of deaths was not immediately known.

Cal Fire said the Camp Fire is only 5 percent contained. More than 2,200 firefighters have been dispatched to the scene, including several crews from the Bay Area.

© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten. CNN contributed to this report. </s> A state of emergency has been declared as a fast-moving fire burns through Butte County, California.Evacuation orders have been issued for the fire, which has burned 20,000 acres.One of the hardest hit areas was the town of Paradise, which is about 180 miles northeast of San Francisco."Pretty much the community of Paradise is destroyed, it's that kind of devastation," said Cal Fire Capt. Scott McLean late Thursday. </s> If you're viewing on the ABC10 App, tap here for multimedia.

A day after a Northern California wildfire forced tens of thousands to evacuate, dozens of people are unaccounted for and relatives are flooding social media with desperate pleas for help finding them.

Dozens of people, many of them elderly, remained unaccounted for.

Debbie McCrea has lived on a quarter-acre lot in Paradise for about 40 years and has had to evacuate from wildfires several times. Usually she calls her sister and other relatives to let them know she's getting out.

Her brother-in-law Steve Christensen said she has trouble walking, and he is concerned that she hasn't called.

Cherri Rolla lives in North Dakota and says a relative tried to get her 83-year-old aunt to leave her house in Paradise, but she refused. She is hoping her aunt made it to an evacuation center.

Both Butte County Air Quality Management District and the California Air Resources Board have deployed "Purple Air" sensors to help monitor the smoke impacts in Butte County.

Butte County AQMD notes that the data is experimental and unofficial but it will help provide additional information for official air quality data.

An air quality report from the National Weather Service is available below:

With the Butte County website down, the county is using a Google Doc to provide current Camp Fire Information to its residents.

The Camp Fire is currently burning on both sides of the Feather River, South of Jarbo Gap, according to Cal Fire's Butte Unit.

ABC10's Michael Anthony Adam's is at the Camp Fire. As firefighters attempt to combat flames while dealing with wind gusts and a lack of water, they captured a fire whirl on camera.

Blocks and blocks of homes and businesses in a Northern California town have been destroyed by a wildfire.

Parts of the town of Paradise were still on fire on Friday. At least five people in the town died.

Patrick Knuthson, a fourth-generation resident of Paradise, said only two of roughly 22 houses on his street survived. Knuthson stayed behind and was able to save his home.

He said he lost his previous home to a wildfire in 2008.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said about 20 deputies have also lost their homes.

Firefighters will save what they can in the Camp Fire, whether it's a building, a home, or on two legs or four.

Alameda County Firefighters saved a donkey running along Highway 70 at Big Bend Road. Their Strike Team Leader was able to contact animal control which responded with a trailer to transport the animal.

A day after a Northern California wildfire forced tens of thousands to evacuate, dozens of people are unaccounted for and relatives are flooding social media with desperate pleas for help finding them.

Many are searching for seniors who lived alone or at retirement homes.

Diane Forsman lives in New Hampshire and says she's been trying to get information about her 83-year-old mother, who lives in the community of Magalia near the devastated town of Paradise. She says her mother can't walk by herself and is on oxygen.

Dawn Johnson says she hasn't been able to reach her father or his wife who live in an RV park in Paradise that's believed to have burned in the fire.

Johnson says her father has late-stage cancer and his wife is mostly confined to her bed.

A surgical nurse who evacuated from a Northern California hospital with a wildfire roaring nearby says she had to return after her vehicle went up in flames and one of her pant legs caught fire.

Nichole Jolly said Friday that she helped evacuate patients Thursday from Adventist Health Feather River Hospital in the town of Paradise, where at least five people died.

When she tried to leave, she got stuck in the firestorm.

She said firefighters extinguished her smoldering pants, covered her in a fire blanket and brought her back to the hospital, where she waited out the fire.

She said doctors extinguished burning trees around the hospital to try to keep the flames at bay.

The Butte County Fairgrounds in Gridley is functioning as an evacuation shelter for the Camp Fire. It was one of the suggested shelters to go to after the Neighborhood Church in Chico was full.

They've notified supporters that they are "overwhelmed with food and waters," and are in need of new clothes for women and jeans, sweatshirts, and jackets for men and kids.

Schools in Butte County will be closed until November 23.

County Superintendent Tim Taylor announced the closure on Friday, which comes in response to the Camp Fire. According to the Butte County Office of Education, the county and its residents need time to understand the extent of loss and disruption caused by the Camp Fire in the area and find ways to provide services to schools and their students.

Modesto area resources responding to the Butte County for the Camp Fire. Thousands of firefighters are combating wildfires up and down the state. Modesto, West Stanislaus Fire, Burbank Paradise Fire, Stanislaus Consolidated Fire, and Hughson Fire join the thousands of firefighters providing mutual aid across the state.

At last count, there were 2,303 personnel combating the Camp Fire, 303 engines, 11 water tenders, 18 helicopters, and 24 dozers.

Nurses and patients have recounted their dramatic escapes from a hospital in a Northern California town that was devastated by a ferocious wildfire.

Nurse Darrel Wilken told the Chico Enterprise-Record newspaper on Friday that the fire in the town of Paradise came so quickly that he and other employees at the Feather River Hospital used their own cars to evacuate patients.

Wilken said he took three patients in his car and that two of them were in critical condition. He says he battled gridlocked traffic on a road surrounded on both sides by fire.

Paradise resident Cody Knowles said his wife, Francine, was having gallbladder surgery Thursday morning.

When the evacuation was announced, she was still asleep from anesthesia. He waited until she woke up and they escaped in a hospital employee's car.

The hospital says it evacuated 60 patients to other facilities.

Public safety attempts to save what they can and get people to safety, but even as they do so the Camp Fire rages.

Deputies have lost their homes and so have members of the Butte College family. California Highway Patrol - Oroville confirms that four of their officers have lost their homes while they saved others.

Road closures are a fluid situation due to the wildfires.

State Route 99 is open from Los Molinos to Chico, however, it closes again upon reaching Chico. The road closes due lack of visibility caused by the Camp Fire

The Camp Fire smoke has impacted air quality in other areas and has turned day to night in other areas.

ABC10's Brandon Rittiman sees the impact firsthand driving down Highway 99 where the Camp Fire burned just South of Chico.

ABC10's John Bartell is at the Lime Saddle Estates area about four miles from Paradise. He's found belongings and valuables brought to the outside and, in some areas, one home was spared while another was destroyed.

Bartell revisits a home on Pentz Road that was seen in flames just last night that firefighters were unable to save and sees how the neighborhood is doing.

"Last night we were here, this home was in flames when we left. We had to leave. There was nothing that the fire crews could do, and obviously, this is what's left."

When Paradise was evacuated, the order set off a desperate exodus in which many motorists got struck in gridlocked traffic and abandoned their vehicles to flee on foot. People reported seeing much of the community go up in flames, including homes, supermarkets, businesses, restaurants, schools and a retirement center.

Rural areas fared little better. Many homes have propane tanks that were exploding amid the flames. "They were going off like bombs," said Karen Auday, who escaped to a nearby town.

McLean estimated that the lost buildings numbered in the thousands in Paradise, about 180 miles (290 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco.

"Pretty much the community of Paradise is destroyed. It's that kind of devastation," he said.

The massive blaze that hit Paradise spread north Friday, prompting officials to order the evacuation of Stirling City and Inskip, two communities north of Paradise along the Sierra Nevada foothills.

The wind-driven flames also spread to the west and reached the edge of Chico, a city of 90,000 people. Firefighters were able to stop the fire at the edge of the city, where evacuation orders remained in place Friday, Cal Fire Cpt. Bill Murphy said.

Concerned friends and family posted frantic messages on Twitter and other sites saying they were looking for loved ones, particularly seniors who lived at retirement homes or alone.

About 20 of the same deputies who were helping to find and rescue people lost their own homes. The department was trying to find them temporary housing, Sheriff Kory Honea said.

"There are times when you have such rapid-moving fires ... no amount of planning is going to result in a perfect scenario, and that's what we had to deal with here," Honea told the Action News Network.

16 inmate fire crews are confirmed to be assisting with the Camp Fire.

The Camp Fire has pulled resources from up and down the state with mutual coming from local fire departments like Turlock, San Francisco, Sacramento, West Sacramento, Folsom, and many others along with help from police officers from Sacramento, Stockton, and the Placer County Sheriff's Department.

Among them are the inmate firefighters who have come from six different conservation camps from Alturas and down to Sonora to fight wildfires at only one dollar an hour.

A total of 200 inmate firefighters are part of the thousands of personnel combating the Camp Fire.

Due to the Camp Fire, a Friday morning in Chico looks more like a night sky.

Members of the Butte College family have lost their homes and have been displaced, according to a message from Butte College President Samia Yaqub.

Last night, fire surround the campus on three sides, according to Yaqub. Firefighters stationed crews around the campus and were able to keep the fire to the outer perimeter of Campus Drive.

The college's main campus has been serving as a staging area for emergency service personnel, and their football field has been used to medevac burn victims via helicopter.

The main campus, Chico Center, Skyway Center, Glenn County Center, and Cosmetology Center will all be closed today.

The Camp Fire has compromised air quality in Chico.

Air quality is currently at moderate, but it is expected to drop into the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" range. Chico State University will have a limited amount of masks available for students and employees who identify as a sensitive population.

ABC10's Brandon Rittman has reported from scene yesterday. Rittiman says the news of the five fatalities is heartbreaking.

A large number of people needed to evacuate the area after the fire broke out.

According to authorities with the Butte County Sheriff's Office, five fatalities have been located in the area of Edgewood Lane in Paradise on November 8.

Authorities says the victims were located in vehicles that were overcome by the Camp Fire; due to burn injuries, identifications were not immediately able to be made.

Autopsies will be conducted to determine the circumstances of the deaths and start the identification process.

The Butte County Coroner's Office is investigating and attempting to identify other fatalities. Investigators are challenge by fatalities reported in areas where fire is still active and locations where hazards are in the area.

The sheriff's office asks that you you are not able to find a loved one to contact the Butte County Sheriff's Office at 530-538-7322.

Due to the Camp Fire, Comcast has opened thousands of WiFi hotspots throughout the impacted areas in northern California to all residents so they can stay connected with friends, family, and emergency personnel.

A total of 3,200 XFINITY WiFi hotspots are open throughout Yuba and Butte Counties

Residents do not have to have Comcast as their provider in order to take advantage of the utility. They are free to use.

Simply select a hot spot with the "xfinitywifi" name and launch a broswer. XFINITY customers can sign in as normal and non-XFINITY customers should visit the "Not an XFINITY Internet Customer" section on the sign-in page.

For a map of XFINITY hotspots, click HERE.

Organizations are reaching to shelters and evacuation centers helping people impacted by the Camp Fire.

North Valley Community Foundation is deploying funds from their Camp Fire Evacuation Relief Fund to organizations and groups that are sheltering and aiding evacuees. Money is available to help evacuation centers and those sheltering evacuees.

Organizations with requests can contact NVCF@NVCF.org with requests.

Information on donations to organizations Camp Fire fund can be found here.

Due to firefighting and weather conditions, the Camp Fire has not entered the city limits of Chico and continues to move away from the city.

Sutter Dining and the residence halls remain open for on-campus students.

From San Joaquin County to Butte County, officers from the City of Stockton are joining hundreds of other officers to help with the Camp Fire. They'll be working with first responders and trying to assist the community.

125 personnel from the California Highway Patrol have been deployed to help with the three main fires in California. About 75 of them are located at the Camp Fire and helping with traffic control and evacuation, according to CHP Commissioner Warren Stanely.

All CHP offices in Sacramento County are on alert, working 12 hour shifts, so the CHP can move them to different fires to provide support.

“We are a long ways from being out of the firefight,” said Pimlott.

Right now the focus is on life safety. There are active rescues going on with all the fires in California-particularly the Camp Fire, according to Pimlott.

“That fire [the Camp Fire] from the second it started was off to the races- quickly grew 1,000 acres and was well off to burning at dangerous rates of spread,” said CAL FIRE Director Ken Pimlott. He added that the Camp Fire is currently one of California's three most critical fires, including the Hill Fire and Woolsey Fire.

Local firefighters, CAL FIRE, and inmate fire crews are among the 6,000 firefighters across the state.

Per Ghilarducci, due to wildfires around the state 105,000 people have been evacuated in Southern California. 52,000 have been evacuated in northern California, predominantly due to the Camp Fire.

The wildfires have brought in local firefighters, totaling 1,860, to provide mutual aid up and down California and hundreds of law enforcement officers helping with security, evacuations, and any other necessary operations.

Additional aid is being requested from other states to see what resources would be available:

“We’re not just responding to what’s in front of us but also contemplating what the next 24 and 48 hours are going to look like,” said Ghillarducci.

Mark Ghilarducci, Director of the California's Office of Emergency Services on the state-wide Red Flag Warning.

“We’re seeing it literally from border to border, which is making our job obviously much harder,” he said.

The fire that broke out in Butte County “has been an extremely challenging fire that resulted in significant and catastrophic for that community, the community of Paradise specifically just outside of Chico,” said Ghilarducci.

Per Major General Dave Baldwin of the California National Guard, there are 185 personnel on duty providing support to the Camp Fire, some flying manned and unmanned aircrafts.

According to the Major General, the rest of the National Guard is on alert and prepared to deploy if necessary.

CAL FIRE Director Ken Pimlott says are critical and hundreds of resources are in the area, and every available aircraft is signed and responding. However, high winds and visibility can hinder their ability to use those resources.

“Right now, it’s on all hands on deck…,” said Pimlot.

Mark Ghilarducci, Director of the California's Office of Emergency Services says there have been injuries and loss of life in the California wildfires. However, numbers are still being accounted for as officials work with local authorities.

Ghilarducci adds that the magnitude of this situation is heartbreaking and adds that there is a state wide Red Flag warning.

Evacuations have been ordered for the edges Chico, which is about 15 miles from a town where thousands of buildings were destroyed by the fast-moving Camp Fire, which grew to 70,000 acres overnight.

Capt. Scott McLean of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says flames from the blaze that devastated the town of Paradise had reached the eastern side of Chico, a city of about 90,000 people. The fire is only currently five percent contained.

Authorities have said that at least two firefighters and multiple residents were injured in Paradise. McLean said Friday morning that he had no immediate update on injuries.

He says strong winds made it difficult for aircraft to drop retardant effectively on the fire.

The Butte County Sheriff's Office says an evacuation ordered was issued Friday for the small communities of Stirling City and Inskip, north of Paradise, where thousands of homes were destroyed.

Cal Fire Capt. Bill Murphy says winds have calmed down in the valley but that there are "shifting, erratic winds" with speeds of up to 45 miles per hour (72 kph) along ridge tops.

The blaze that started Thursday morning east of Paradise and decimated the town also spread to the west.

All public schools are closed in Butte County today due to the fire, the Butte County Office Education announced. Chico State University via Twitter said its campus is safe and not under evacuation at this time. The campus is closed today and events scheduled for the weekend have been canceled.

Harrowing tales of escape and heroic rescues emerged from Paradise, where the entire community of 27,000 was ordered to evacuate. Witnesses reported seeing homes, supermarkets, businesses, restaurants, schools and a retirement home up in flames.

"Pretty much the community of Paradise is destroyed, it's that kind of devastation," said Cal Fire Capt. Scott McLean late Thursday. "The wind that was predicted came and just wiped it out."

RELATED STORY: Latest evacuations and where to find evacuation centers </s> CHICO — The Camp Fire became the deadliest wildfire in California state history Monday.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said Monday evening that an additional 13 deaths have been confirmed, bringing the total number of deaths to 42.

The Sheriff’s Office released the names of three people killed in the fire, saying their families had been notified.

The people identified Monday were Ernest Foss, 65, of Paradise; Jesus Fernandez, 48, of Concow; and Carl Wiley, 77, of Magalia.

Honea said he has requested about 150 additional search and rescue personnel to assist in the search for human remains. Additionally, he has asked for cadaver dogs, portable morgue units and additional radio equipment.

The sheriff would not say whether he expected the fire’s death toll to rise. But he did say he wanted to complete the search in a timely fashion for both the families of the deceased and the communities that have been affected.

With the number of fatalities at 29 on Sunday night, it was tied with Los Angeles County’s Griffith Park Fire of 1933, which burned 47 acres.

The Camp Fire consumed more acreage, reaching 117,000 acres as of Monday evening. The fire started Thursday morning near Camp Creek Road in the Feather River Canyon off Highway 70 near Pulga. It quickly moved west and engulfed the town of Paradise.

Cal Fire said 7,177 residential and commercial buildings have been destroyed and 92 have been damaged. The damage assessment team has created an interactive website that displays which buildings have been destroyed and those that are still standing.

Containment increased to 30 percent Monday, but Cal Fire said 15,500 structures remain threatened. A total of 5,139 people are working on the fire.

According to Cal Fire, winds from the northeast are fueling the fire. Firefighters worked Sunday night into Monday to hold lines and protect homes in areas in or near Magalia, Brush Creek and Cherokee.

Fire crews are fighting flames “aggressively,” according to Cal Fire. Officials are concerned about possibly shifting winds, putting other areas in danger.

Fifty-two thousand people from the areas of Paradise, Magalia, Concow, Butte Creek Canyon and Butte Valley remained under evacuation orders Monday, and Honea said no new evacuation warnings or orders had been issued. It was not yet clear, however, when residents could return home.

There are more than 200 people still missing, according to Honea. A hotline network has been set up to report people missing and people found. The numbers are (530) 538-6570, (530) 538-7544 and (530) 538-7671.

Many of the evacuation centers are full, so new ones are being evaluated. Those open with space available include: Bidwell Jr. High School, 2376 North Ave, Chico; Yuba-Sutter Fairground, 442 Franklin Ave, Yuba City; Plumas County Fairgrounds, 204 Fairground Rd, Quincy; and Butte County Fairgrounds, 199 E Hazel St., Gridley.

Small animals can be taken to the Chico Municipal Airport, 150 Airpark Blvd. Large animals can go to the Butte County Fairgrounds, 199 E. Hazel St. in Gridley.

The Gridley fairgrounds are no longer accepting donations, but Gridley High School is. Chico and Pleasant Valley high schools Monday collected clothing for students from Paradise High School, and they’ll be able to pick from what’s available Tuesday at the small gym at PV.

Air quality is forecast to be very unhealthy through Tuesday by the Butte County Air Quality Management District. Smoke levels are expected to be the highest near the active fire, immediately downwind of the fire area, and within and downwind of canyon drainages.

People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid all physical activity outdoors. Everyone else should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion.

The Butte County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday in their chambers in the County Administration Building to ratify a local disaster proclamation and a health emergency declaration concerning the Camp Fire.

Chief Administrative Officer Shari McCracken declared the local emergency Thursday, which is necessary to qualify the county for state and federal aid. The supervisors have to ratify it within seven days for it to remain in effect.

Butte County Health Officer Dr. Andrew Miller declared the health emergency Friday, because the debris from the fire likely contains hazardous material and probable radioactive material. Again it has to be ratified by the supervisors.

President Donald Trump on Monday approved a major disaster declaration for California, opening access to federal funding for people affected by wildfires in Butte, Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help residents and business owners recover from the disaster.

Residents and business owners can apply for assistance beginning Tuesday at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362. </s> PARADISE (CBS SF) — The Butte County Sheriff announced Monday night that the death toll from the Camp Fire has risen to 42 after crews confirmed an additional 13 lives lost during their search for the missing.

The announcement came during regional officials’ 6 p.m. update on the Camp Fire.

Officials also said that the fire had grown to 117,000 acres with containment at 30 percent. The total number of single-family residences that were destroyed in the fire rose to 6,453 structures with 36 homes damaged.

Additionally, fire officials determined that 74 multiple residence buildings were destroyed with 11 of those types of structures damaged.

The total number of structures destroyed by the Camp Fire rose to 7,177.

A total of 52,000 residents have been evacuated due to the fire. Currently there are over 13,000 people being housed in shelters.

Earlier Monday, search teams returned to the historic devastation left by the wildfire that ripped through the communities of Paradise, Concow, Magalia and other smaller clusters of homes, incinerating everything in its fiery path.

Among those hoping and praying for word that their loved ones had been found safe was Ted Woods.

“Two of my friends are missing,” Woods said with his voice choking with emotion. “One out of Magalia and one out of Paradise. And I’m hoping it ain’t one of the body counts.”

Pam Mosher is searching for her daughter and son-in-law.

“It gets worse every day,” Mosher said as she held of photos of his missing relatives. “You try to tell yourself it’s going to be okay, you really don’t feel that way.”

Jake Hancock, who is a District Attorney Investigator in Butte County, is a member of a search team shifting through the rubble of burned down homes in Paradise, looking for human remains.

“We’re just going door to door, house to house,” he told KPIX 5. “Looking for families loved ones that are missing.”

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea put the number of missing at 228. The remains of 29 victims have been recovered, 25 of those in the town of Paradise.

The human toll has equaled the highest number of deaths in a single wildfire in California history matching the grim toll of the 1933 Griffith Park fire in Los Angeles.
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Ten search teams were working in Paradise — a town of 27,000 — and in surrounding communities in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Authorities have called in a DNA lab and teams of anthropologists to help identify victims and asked families of those missing for DNA samples.

While President Donald Trump has blamed state forestry policies for the tragedy, outgoing California Gov. Jerry Brown told reporters Sunday that global climate change was the culprit.

“We don’t know the cause of this fire, and the town of Paradise certainly had a lot of preparation, but we’re dealing with existential conditions that, once they take off, certain amount of dryness in the vegetation, in the soil, in the air, and the winds get up 50-60 miles an hour — this is what happens,” Brown said.

“But, managing all the forest in every way we can does not stop climate change, and those who deny that are definitely contributing to the tragedies that we’re now witnessing, and will continue to witness in the coming years.”

Amid the ruins of Paradise on Sunday, there was a small bit of joy to celebrate. A member of Hancock’s search team found a scared and slightly singed family cat alive.

“I don’t usually get to recovery anything that’s alive,” said Vicky Vincent with the Shasta County Coroner’s Office. “It’s nice to be able to save something.”

And there were several joyful reunions on Sunday including John Warner, who had pleaded for any word of his grandparents during a TV interview.

“(I) Just hope that somebody is watching that’s seen them,” he asked. Moments later, his phone range, his grandfather had made it out of the deadly flames and was safe in a shelter.

A short time later he stood with his grandfather outside a Chico church that was serving as an evacuation center.

“We found you,” Warner said hugging his grandfather. “The lady that worked here (called) and said — ‘I know where they are art, they are over at the church.”

The shelters — like the one in Chico — have taken in thousands of evacuees who have lost their homes. The fire has destroyed more than 6,700 structures, most of them homes, becoming the most destruction in terms of loss of residences in state history.

Shelter volunteer Tim Wall said the system is being strained to its limits. He issued a plea for help Sunday.

“We’re so thankful for how the community has come together,” Wall said. “It’s been a major blessing. But this isn’t a one-day thing. This is long-term and we have to think that way. So food is going to continue to run out, so will supplies. We keep needing that. We definitely need medical supplies and medical professionals. A lot of our elderly are on oxygen and that’s running out quickly.”

In the Bay Area, the massive plume of smoke and ash driven western by the upper level winds continued to drape a layer of unhealthy air over the region early Monday.

The air quality indexes for several cities were among the worst in the world. San Francisco and Oakland had an AQI level of 166, Concord was at 161, San Pablo 168 and Livermore 174.

Local officials have issued an air quality advisory for the region, warning residents to limit their outdoor exposure.

Meanwhile, NFL officials were monitoring the pollution levels in Santa Cara. If the AQI reaches 200, Monday night’s San Francisco 49ers-New York Giants game could be cancelled. </s> A fast-moving wildfire in Northern California has grown rapidly, scorching some 18,000 acres and forced thousands of residents to evacuate, according to officials. Acting California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency in Butte County Thursday due to the "Camp Fire."

The Butte County Sheriff's office said an evacuation order was issued for areas of Paradise, a town of about 27,000 people 180 miles northeast of San Francisco.

"This fire is very dangerous, please evacuate if asked to do so!" the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) tweeted.

Officials said the blaze has consumed more than 26 square miles so far.

CBS Sacramento reported that thousands of PG&E customers in Butte County have lost power because of the blaze, which has destroyed homes and threatened critical infrastructure, according to the governor's office.

Five people were burned in Paradise, according to California Highway Patrol (CHP). Authorities were working Thursday afternoon to close traffic heading north on Highway 99 into Chico. The fire was heading toward the city, according to CBS Sacramento.

Cal Fire said Wednesday that a Red Flag Warning was issued for most of Northern California's interior as well as parts of Southern California through Friday morning. Gusty winds and low humidity were among the factors that led to the warning.

Red Flag Warnings are issued for conditions that could lead to "extreme fire behavior" within 24 hours, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire said several hundred structures have been been destroyed, but an official count won't be available until they can get into the area. Butt County CalFire Chief Darren Read told The Associated Press the destruction in Paradise could be near a thousand structures.

Read also said that at least two firefighters have been injured battling the flames Thursday.

Earlier, the campus at California State University, Channel Islands, had been evacuated because of poor air quality. The Associated Press said the Ventura County Fire Department had ordered evacuation of some communities in the path of the flames — not far from the site of a deadly mass shooting at a bar in the city of Thousand Oaks.

Separately, there is another fire located northwest of the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles. </s> Three massive fires are still raging in California, forcing thousands to evacuate their homes–and in some cases literally run for their lives, reports CNN . And things may only get worse as there are currently 20 million people under red flag warnings in the state. A red flag warning means that warm temperatures, low humidities, and stronger winds are scouring in an area, and thus provide an increased risk of fire danger.

Right now there are three main fires, including Camp Fire in Northern California, and Hill Fire and Woosley Fire northwest of Los Angeles. The Camp Fire has so far forced 40,000 residents to evacuate in Butte County, California. That follows evacuations in the town of Paradise, home to 26,000 people. After breaking out, Camp Fire spread at a rate of about 80 football fields per minute. There are fears that Camp Fire could reach the city of Chico, home of 90,000 people, many of whom have already evacuated to shelters.

The Woolsey Fire in Los Angeles and Ventura counties has led to the mandatory evacuation of residents with more than 30,000 homes under threat from the fire. The fire there reportedly grew from 2,000 acres to 7,500 acres in a matter of hours.

The Hill Fire is raging just miles away from the Woolsey Fire in Ventura County. Currently, it has spread to more than 10,000 acres. The fire spread across the 101 Freeway, leaving some drivers stranded. The highway is expected to be closed on Friday morning.

CBS Los Angeles says mandatory evacuations have been ordered for all areas of Camarillo Springs, Vallecito Trailer Park, California State University Channel Islands, Point Mugu Naval Base, as well as Dos Vientos and South Coast. </s> CHICO, Butte County — Search and recovery crews found the remains of eight more people, bringing the total number of victims killed in the Camp Fire to 56, fire officials said at a Wednesday night news conference.

All eight were found in Paradise — six inside structures and two outside.

Butte County Sheriff-Coroner Kory Honea said 130 people remain “unaccounted for.” He said a partial list of the missing was released earlier in the day.

Honea said 47 of the remains have been tentatively identified but not positively confirmed.

“We have been able to locate or determine that over 200 people we thought were missing or unaccounted for are not — as of tonight we have 130 people on our unaccounted for list,” Honea said.

He said he expects the list of 130 will get shorter as more people are found. Some 461 people are working to search for victims. Officials have added cadaver dogs.

Officials said the Camp Fire has destroyed a total of 10,321 buildings — 8,650 of which are single family homes. They also said they have towed 128 vehicles that were abandoned during the fire — and many were total losses as they were badly burned.

The fire grew by 3,000 acres since Wednesday morning to 138,000 acres and remained 35 percent contained.

The catastrophic Camp Fire’s growth had slowed overnight and cooler temperatures and less wind on Wednesday were helping firefighters.

The inferno is the deadliest and most destructive in state history.

More than 13,000 people evacuated from the fire are living in shelters. An outbreak of norovirus has sickened people at one shelter in Chico, according to Butte County public health officials. They could not say how many people were ill, but reported that they had been moved to an isolated area of the shelter to prevent spread of the virus.
Evacuations are prompted in Butte County, California, as the Camp Fire has grown to 8,000 acres.