President Donald Trump has spent his Saturday in California, where he surveyed the destruction from the wildfires that have been raging across the state.

Northern California's Camp Fire and the Woolsey Fire in the south have collectively burned more than 240,000 acres, killed at least 74 people, and more than 1,000 people are still missing.

“Nobody thought this could happen,” Trump told reporters during one of his stops.

He also said, after viewing the destruction, that his views on climate change had remained unchanged.

Read more of CNN's coverage on California's fires here. </s> Click here if you are unable to view this gallery on a mobile device.

President Donald Trump got a mostly warm welcome Saturday as he toured the ashes of Paradise, at the center of California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire on record, a calamity he again blamed on poor forest management.

“One thing that really touched me is that he said, ‘We have to help these people because they’re my people’,” said Paradise Mayor Jody Jones, who toured what was left of a 55-unit mobile-home park with Trump and other local and state officials. Jones, whose own house burned to the ground, said the President meant it “the way I mean it — that we’re all Americans.”

Hours after Trump left to fly to Southern California, where he toured Malibu, hard hit by the Woolsey Fire, authorities announced that the Camp Fire has killed at least 76 people — more than double the toll from a 1933 fire that had been the state’s deadliest — since it erupted Nov. 8. They said 1,276 people are still unaccounted for, though they noted that the list may include people who haven’t notified officials that they are safe.

The blaze destroyed 9,700 homes, 144 apartments and 336 commercial properties, leaving little left of Paradise. By Saturday it had spread to 149,000 acres and was 55 percent contained.

PG&E also reported late Friday that it detected a malfunction in a distribution line in the town of Concow at 6:45 a.m. the morning of the fire. That malfunction could be linked to the mysterious “second start” of the Camp Fire that Cal Fire is investigating in that area east of Concow reservoir.

Saturday’s trip was only Trump’s second visit to California since his election two years ago after a trip in March to see border wall prototypes outside San Diego and to attend a fundraiser in Beverly Park.

But while California overall has been hostile territory, with state leaders battling the President over immigration and climate policy, Butte County is Trump country, choosing him over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

Hundreds of his backers, many wearing face masks to filter the smoky air and holding U.S. flags, lined the streets of Chico, a college town 12 miles west of Paradise, to catch a glimpse of his motorcade.

“I can’t believe he’s in Chico — it’s just wild,” said Chico State University business student Brittany Dekreek, who was among a crowd of Trump supporters along the main route from Chico to Paradise waiting to see the President pass by. “With all the people who are suffering right now, it’s really great that he’s coming.”

One opponent of the President, in apparent response to Trump’s repeated suggestion that bad forest management contributed to the Camp Fire, held a sign saying, “Moron, we’re in a drought.”

Gov. Jerry Brown and Lt. Governor and Governor-elect Gavin Newsom met Trump when he arrived mid-morning at Beale Air Force base near Marysville. The president arrived in Paradise, wearing a camouflage “USA” cap, after flying in a helicopter over the fire area. He stopped in front of an American flag hanging from what was left of a burned structure, walked between strewn, blackened ovens, a metal shelf with charred plant pots on top, burned-out cars.

“This is very sad to see,” Trump said afterward. “It’s total devastation. The federal government is behind you.”

The President’s tour brought him close to the home of Brad Weldon, one of the few in Paradise who fought the blaze instead of evacuating.

“It’s good he showed up,” said Weldon, who voted for Trump. “Not too many people have seen this much devastation in one place. He’s seen hurricanes and tornadoes, but fires are different. There’s nothing left.”

Trump described as “incredible” the men and women battling the Camp Fire. “They’re out there fighting and they’re fighting like hell,” he said.

“Just having that support from higher up helps keep us happy,” Breese said.

Trump also had praise for police officers and other first-responders who helped evacuate residents and kept people safe as flames tore through communities.

Two days after the fire started, Trump blamed “poor” forest management and suggested federal funding for it would be cut off if it wasn’t fixed, drawing a sharp rebuke from the head of a state firefighters union who called the remark ill-informed.

The Camp Fire is believed to have started in or near Plumas National Forest, spreading initially on federal property.

Saturday, Trump again said forest management “seems to be a very big problem.” He mentioned that Finland, “a forest nation,” spends “a lot of time raking and cleaning and doing things, and they don’t have any problem.”

Trump said he spoke with Brown and Newsom about forest management during his trip and believes there will be cooperation with the state on reducing fire danger.

“We’re all going to work together and we’ll do a real job,” Trump said. “I know Gavin’s committed, we’re all committed, I’m committed to make sure that we get all of this cleaned out and protected.”

Brown offered simply that “what needs to be done is what’s being done” but thanked Trump “for putting his focus and spotlight on probably the worst tragedy that California has ever seen.”

Asked whether climate change played a role in the fire, Trump said “a lot of factors” contributed but that they didn’t change his thinking on the matter.

“I want a great climate,” Trump said. “We’re going to have that and I think we’re going to have forests that are really safe.”

Outside the firefighting command center in Chico where officials briefed Trump, a handful of protesters and dozens of the President’s supporters watched his motorcade come and go. The president didn’t stop to talk with residents, nor did he tour the evacuation centers.

Protester Carlos Lopez of Chico argued with Trump fans, and said he thought Trump’s comments about forest management were divisive and offensive.

“What we need now is federal money and help,” Lopez said. “It sickens me that he’s here, and I don’t want him here.”

But just down the road, Terri Cooper, 57, was overjoyed at having seen Trump pass by in his motorcade.

“He gets us and he cares about us,” she said. “This isn’t a political situation — it’s about people and community.”

Chico Enterprise-Record reporter Bianca Quilantan and Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> The task is painstaking and painful. A searcher is given the name of someone who is unaccounted for and an address.

A team heads over to the property, more than likely one where every evidence of life has been wiped out by flames. Many of the searchers are local and have lost their own homes. Now they look to see whether they can find the remains of their neighbors.

Five more sets of remains were found Saturday, Butte County Sheriff and Coroner Kory Honea said.

There are now at least 76 dead from the Camp Fire, which has obliterated more structures and lives than any previous fire in California.

Almost all of the town of Paradise is gone. President Donald Trump witnessed the devastation for himself Saturday, accompanied by Gov. Jerry Brown and Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom.

“We’re all going to work together and we’ll do a real job, but this is very sad to see,” Trump said.

A list of people unaccounted for has almost 1,300 names on it. Officials hope they find those people at shelters, or that missing people were simply without phone service and will eventually call in, or that they will figure out duplicate names when reconciling the list.

They are also trying to help thousands of people who did make it out alive but have nowhere to go, except for the parking lot of a Walmart and other places that are hosting thousands in their vehicles and tents.

“It is overwhelming, I don’t have any word to describe it,” Honea told CNN on Saturday. “This is unprecedented. No one has had to deal with this magnitude that caused so much destruction and regrettably so much death.”

The deadliest and most destructive wildfire in state history, the Camp Fire has destroyed more than 9,800 homes and scorched 149,000 acres since starting November 8. It was 55% contained as of Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, three deaths have been reported in the Woolsey Fire in Southern California, bringing the statewide death toll from the wildfires to 79.

‘A lot of people don’t know … we’re looking for them’

Even as the list of those missing in the Camp Fire has ballooned, it’s hard to tell exactly how many people truly are lost, officials have said.

“That is raw data we’re collecting from phone calls, emails and the 911 system,” Honea said Saturday. “It’s not perfect data, but our thought process is that it’s better to get that information out to help start getting people accounted for. So rather than wait for perfection, we’re trying to get some progress going.”

Hundreds of deputies, National Guard troops, coroners and anthropologists are sifting through leveled homes and mangled cars for remains. While the focus is on the homes of people reported missing, some teams are going down streets from one property to the next.

“I want you to understand that there are a lot of people displaced, and we’re finding that a lot of people don’t know that we’re looking for them,” the sheriff said.

If people find their own or loved ones’ names on the list at the Butte County Sheriff’s Office’s website, they should call the sheriff’s office, Honea said.

In the midst of despair, hope remains. The mayor of Paradise told CNN Saturday that she is committed to rebuilding her town, as is the town council.

“Paradise is not gone,” Jody Jones said, citing a friend’s Facebook post. “It’s just closed for remodeling.”

Margaret Newsum gathered her medicine and other vital supplies and went outside her home in Magalia as the Camp Fire roared toward her home.

She had no phone service and no electricity, and she was just hoping someone would see her and come help.

Her rescue came in the form of a big green garbage truck and driver Dane Ray Cummings.

“He said, you’re going with me,” Newsum, 93, recalled.

Newsum recently broke her back and uses a walker to get around, which made it tricky to get up into the cab of his garbage truck. Cummings and some neighbors lifted her up and buckled her in, and they strapped her walker to the side of the truck.

Harrison, a single father, decided Newsum shouldn’t go to an evacuation center so instead he took her home with him.

And she’ll be there a while. Newsum’s home wasn’t destroyed, but it might be months before she can live there again.

Escape took them through ditches, front yards

With each day another story comes that makes it clearer how chaotic it was on the flame-filled and smoky day that the fire erupted.

Dan Newman, a team captain with the Butte County Sheriff’s search and rescue team, said he originally was tasked with going door to door to alert people in the community of Concow to the fire.

The mission quickly changed to go to Paradise, about a 20-mile drive away, where a hospital was in danger.

“When we arrived at the hospital there were already flames, and all of a sudden the urgency just skyrocketed,” he said.

His team went around to the ER entrance and threw four patients in its truck.

The road that went by the hospital was swamped with cars and accidents. Drivers used every bit of open space they could, including ditches and racing through front yards, to get by.

The fire was faster than any vehicle was moving.

“We had homes on fire on each side,” he said, adding that there were times when he feared for their lives.

They got out, but another team couldn’t and ended up back at the hospital.

The Woolsey Fire burning in Southern California has destroyed 836 structures in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, Cal Fire said.

More than 98,000 acres have been burned since the blaze began November 8, while evacuees remain in shelters, and portions of Malibu and nearby areas must be rebuilt, officials said. It was 82% contained on Saturday morning, Cal Fire reported.

Impact Your World: How you can help the fire victims

“Resources will continue to mop up and patrol. Fire suppression repair teams are actively engaged working around the fire perimeter and affected areas,” the agency said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Cal Fire reported some improvement in smoke levels regionally Saturday, but the air was still in the very unhealthy range. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption President Trump praised the efforts of police, politicians and recovery teams

US President Donald Trump has visited California to survey the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in the state's history.

The Camp Fire, in northern California, has killed at least 76 people.

More than 1,200 people have been reported missing, although officials say that figure could fluctuate.

In the destroyed town of Paradise, Mr Trump described the scene as "sad" and reiterated his disputed claim that poor forest management was to blame.

"We do have to do management maintenance and we'll be working also with environmental groups. I think everyone's seen the light," he said.

"I don't think we'll have this again to this extent," he added.

Experts have pointed to the weather, climate change and population shifts as bigger causes of the wildfires.

Besides the Camp Fire, firefighters are also tackling several other blazes, including the Woolsey Fire near Los Angeles which has claimed at least three lives.

Adding to the misery, scores of people have become sick after outbreaks of the norovirus at shelters, and the air quality in northern California has been rated the world's worst.

Heavy rain is forecast next week that could douse the flames but also bring mudslides and floods on hillsides stripped of vegetation.

What kind of welcome did President Trump get?

The US president was greeted by Governor Jerry Brown and his successor Gavin Newsom, both of whom are Democrats and have sparred with Mr Trump over the wildfires.

"Now is a time to pull together for the people of California," Governor Brown tweeted.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Trump viewed the damage to homes in the town of Paradise, which was ravaged by fire

In Paradise, Mr Trump praised the efforts of local law enforcement, politicians and the teams searching for survivors on the ground.

"This is very sad to see. As far as the lives are concerned, nobody knows quite yet," he said. "Right now we want to take care of the people who have been so badly hurt."

Some locals held up pro-Trump signs, although one called him a "moron".

Later in the day, Mr Trump, Governor Brown and Governor-elect Newsom visited an area in southern California affected by the Woolsey fire.

Speaking to journalists, Mr Trump - who repeatedly referred to the devastated town of Paradise as "Pleasure" - and Mr Newsom pledged to work together to prevent future wildfire tragedies.

However, the president said it had not changed his point of view on climate change. Authorities have suggested the scale of the fire was in part fuelled by a severe lack of rain in the state.

"I have a strong opinion," Mr Trump told reporters. "I want great climate and we're going to have that and we're going to have forests that are very safe."

What's the latest on the Camp Fire?

The death toll rose to 76 on Saturday after more bodies were found, most of them in Paradise.

So far, officials have tentatively identified 63 of the dead, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told reporters.

Troops are assisting forensics teams and cadaver dogs as they continue to search for human remains, eight days after the Camp Fire first broke out.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Dogs are being used to search for human remains among the devastation

Sheriff Honea put the number of people unaccounted for at 1,276. However, he also said 714 people have been found alive and removed from the list.

On Friday, the sheriff described the list as "dynamic".

"The information I am providing you is raw data and we find there is the likely possibility that the list contains duplicate names," he said.

Some of those on the list may be fine but unaware they have been reported missing, or unable to call, authorities say.

The Camp Fire is now about 55% contained but fire officials say they may not have it fully under control until the end of the month.

Historically, California's "wildfire season" started in summer and ran into early autumn - but experts have warned that the risk is now year-round.

Low humidity, warm winds, and dry ground after a rain-free month have produced a prime fire-spreading environment.

Have you been affected by the wildfires? If it is safe to do so please get in touch. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: </s> The death toll in Northern California’s Camp fire rose once again on Thursday to 63 as rescue workers continue to search through the devastation left by the state’s deadliest blaze in history, authorities said.

A further 631 people remained unaccounted for, a vast increase from just a day prior when officials said 130 people were missing. The fire has scorched some 141,000 acres and is 40 percent contained.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told those gathered at a news briefing that the number of missing persons reflected ongoing work by emergency response personnel sifting through reports, but said many of the unaccounted for may simply be displaced in shelters throughout the region. He urged people to look at the list of those unaccounted for and to let authorities know if they are safe.

“The reason that that number went up is because after they went up, [emergency officials] didn’t stop working, they continued to work into the night,” Honea said. “I’m fine with that update, because I would rather get that information out than wait too much longer to do that.”

He continued: “I want you to understand that there are a lot of people displaced and there are a lot of people who don’t know we’re looking for them.”

Honea said that while recovery efforts remain difficult, increased resources have helped “bring more order to the chaos that we’re dealing with.”

Brent Newman, chief of the California Highway Patrol’s Valley Division, said officials were “more committed than we’ve ever been,” adding that it had been a tough week, but authorities were set on providing the community “outstanding support” throughout the recovery efforts.

More than 11,800 structures have been destroyed by the fire, including 9,700 homes, and officials cautioned that winds and dry conditions were expected to continue. Aviva Braun, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said Wednesday that the agency expected some rain to arrive by the end of next week.

President Donald Trump is expected to visit the areas affected by the fire, although it’s unclear where exactly he’s heading. The president has been criticized for initially responding to the fire by blaming the conflagrations on “poor” forest management and threatening to cut off federal payments.

In Southern California, which has also been ablaze this month, Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said Thursday night that the Woolsey fire had grown to more than 98,000 acres, but was 62 percent contained. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Fleeing through flames: 'I'm so scared right now... so terrified'

At least 11 people have died in the most destructive wildfires ripping through north and south California.

More than 250,000 people have been forced to flee their homes to avoid three major blazes in the state.

Firefighters were powerless in stopping a wildfire destroying the northern town of Paradise, where nine people died and 35 are missing.

Another fire swept into the affluent southern beach resort of Malibu on Friday and has now doubled in size.

Two more people were reported to have died in that fire, known as the Woolsey, which now covers an area of 70,000 acres (28,000 hectares).

Among the towns under evacuation orders is Thousand Oaks, where a gunman killed 12 people in a rampage on Wednesday.

"The magnitude of the destruction of the fire is unbelievable and heartbreaking," said Mark Ghilarducci, of the California governor's office.

President Trump has responded by blaming what he called gross mismanagement of the forests and warned of funding cuts.

Meteorologists have warned that dangerous conditions may continue well into next week, but firefighters are hoping to take advantage of a temporary lull in the wind fanning the flames.

Where is the Woolsey Fire?

The blaze started on Thursday near Thousand Oaks, about 40 miles (64km) north-west of central Los Angeles. Another blaze, the Hill Fire, started at about the same time, also near Thousand Oaks.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption 'How much more can this town endure?' - deadly wildfire hits Thousand Oaks, where 12 people were killed in a mass shooting

On Friday, the flames jumped Highway 101 and headed into coastal areas.

All residents have been ordered to evacuate.

Los Angeles County sheriff's Chief John Benedict said on Saturday that two people had been found dead but provided no details on the deaths.

Malibu and nearby Calabasas are home to many celebrities.

The actor Martin Sheen was briefly reported missing but later found on the beach.

On Twitter, reality TV star Kim Kardashian said the home she shared with rapper Kanye West had been hit by the flames.

"Trying to get my mind off this fire... We are all safe and that's all that matters."

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Aerial footage shows fires racing up hillsides in Malibu towards abandoned homes

The singer Cher, who is performing in Las Vegas, tweeted that she was worried about her Malibu home.

Skip Twitter post by @cher I’m worried about my house🔥, but there is nothing I can do.

Friends houses have burned🙏🏻

I can’t bear the thought of there being no Malibu I’ve had a house in Malibu since 1972😭 — Cher (@cher) November 9, 2018 Report

The singer Lady Gaga said she had evacuated her home in Malibu, posting a video on Instagram that showed dark smoke billowing overhead.

Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro tweeted that he had evacuated, leaving behind his "Bleak House" museum collection of fantasy and horror memorabilia.

Skip Twitter post by @RealGDT Evacuated last night. Bleak House and the collection may be endangered but the gift of life remains. Thousand Oaks and Agoura are still in danger. Malibu is being evacuated. — Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) November 9, 2018 Report

The fire has also reportedly destroyed one of the sets for the TV series Westworld and is threatening Malibu's Pepperdine University, a private residential college with more than 7,000 students.

Firefighters have not managed to build containment barriers around the fire but hope to make some progress throughout Saturday.

Where is the Camp Fire?

The 20,000-acre (8,100-hectare) fire north of Sacramento started in the Plumas National Forest on Thursday and quickly engulfed the town of Paradise.

Residents fled for their lives as more than 6,700 homes and businesses were destroyed, making the fire the most destructive in the state's history. The flames moved so fast that some had to abandon their cars and escape the town on foot.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told a news conference on Friday that the remains of five victims were found in or near burnt-out cars. Three others were found outside homes and one inside a home.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The Camp Fire has been fuelled by strong winds and dry forest

He said another 35 people were missing and three firefighters had been injured.

"This event was the worst-case scenario," he said. "It was the event we have feared for a long time."

Rescuers used a bulldozer to push abandoned cars out of the way in order to reach a hospital and evacuate patients as the fire engulfed the building, Butte County Supervisor Doug Teeter said.

"There's nothing left standing," said Scott Maclean, the state's forestry and fire protection spokesman.

The fire has now been partially contained.

Driving through walls of flame

By the BBC's James Cook, Paradise in California

Paradise is hell. A smouldering, sepia world in ruins. The air is acrid. Burning chemicals leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

Walking among the ashes of people's lives is eerie and awful. There is a profound sadness here. We pass a child's charred swing, a swimming pool filled with filth, and worst of all, a pet dog which did not survive.

Such was the intensity of the blaze that much of the debris is hard to recognise. Wafers of ash are drifting down like enormous snowflakes, smothering sound.

But it is not quite silent here. A sooty squirrel scrambles up a blackened tree in a panic. There are booms and creaks from burning trees and telegraph poles.

And soon, going from ruin to ruin, there will be the sound of those with the hardest job of all, checking to see if anyone was left behind.

Fire officials have also issued evacuation notices for parts of Chico, a town of 93,000 people north of Sacramento.

The three blazes are among 16 currently active fires in California. Officials have put most of Northern California under a Red Flag Warning, which means "extreme fire behaviour" can occur within 24 hours.

The region has grappled with serious wildfires in recent years, including the worst in the state's history - the Mendocino fire in 2018. </s> Death toll rises to 31 with 200 missing in California wildfires

(BBC) — The death toll in wildfires sweeping California has risen to 31, with more than 200 people still unaccounted for, officials have said.

Six more people were confirmed killed in the Camp Fire in the north of the state, taking the toll there to 29.

It now equals the deadliest wildfire on record in California – the 1933 Griffith Park disaster in Los Angeles.

In the south, the Woolsey Fire has claimed two lives as it damaged beach resorts including Malibu.

An estimated 250,000 people have been forced to flee their homes to avoid three major blazes in the state.

With strengthening winds threatening to spread the flames, state Governor Jerry Brown has urged President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster, a move that would harness more federal emergency funds.

The appeal came a day after Mr Trump threatened to cut funding for California, blaming the fires on poor forest management.

What is the latest on the Camp Fire?

Emergency teams have been sifting through the remains of more than 6,700 homes and businesses burned down in the town of Paradise.

The town and surrounding area bore the brunt of the inferno, which started in nearby forest on Thursday.

At a news conference late on Sunday, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said the bodies of five people had been found in their burned-out homes and a sixth was found inside a vehicle. He said that more than 200 people were still unaccounted for.

The mayor of Paradise, Jody Jones, gave the BBC an update on the situation in the town.

“Most of the residential [area] is gone. I would say 90%,” she said. “I had an opportunity to go up there and take a look for myself. Just about everyone I know lost their home.”

The fire is the most destructive in the state’s history and the joint deadliest.

It has burned more than 109,000 acres (44,000 hectares) and is nearly 25% contained, fire officials said.

What about the Woolsey Fire?

The blaze started on Thursday near Thousand Oaks, about 40 miles (64km) north-west of central Los Angeles.

By Sunday it had consumed 83,000 acres and destroyed at least 177 buildings, officials said. It is only 10% contained. The smaller Hill Fire, nearby, has scorched 4,530 acres and is 75% contained.

Some looting was reported in the southern fire area over the weekend and police said arrests had been made.

Luxury homes in Malibu and other beach communities are among properties that have fallen victim to the flames.

Firefighters used a respite from strong winds on Saturday to drop fire retardants to strengthen firebreaks.

But officials warned against complacency, with winds of up to 70mph (112km/h) expected over the coming days. They said fires could spread quickly and unexpectedly.

“Winds are already blowing. They are going to blow for the next three days. Your house can be rebuilt but you can’t bring your life back,” said Los Angeles County fire chief Daryl Osby.

Meteorologist David Gomberg told the Los Angeles Times newspaper that fire tornadoes were possible.

What do the politicians say?

Governor Brown’s request to President Trump was aimed at bolstering the emergency response to what he called the “catastrophic” nature of the wildfires.

“We’re putting everything we’ve got into the fight against these fires and this request ensures communities on the front lines get additional federal aid,” Mr Brown’s letter said.

Mr Trump’s response to the fires has been criticised as unsympathetic and ill-informed.

On Sunday, during a trip to France, he tweeted: “With proper Forest Management, we can stop the devastation constantly going on in California. Get Smart!”

He has previously blamed Californian officials for wildfires and threatened to withhold federal funding.

In a tweet on Saturday, he accused state authorities of “gross mismanagement” of forests. </s> (Reuters) - More than 200 people were missing early on Monday in California’s deadliest and most destructive blaze on record, one of two fires raging in the state which have killed at least 31 people and forced more than a quarter of a million evacuations.

The so-called Camp Fire 40 miles northwest of Sacramento burned down more than 6,700 homes and businesses in the town of Paradise, more structures than any other wildfire recorded in California.

The fire had burned more than 111,000 acres and was 25 percent contained by late Sunday, officials said. Its death toll of 29 now equals that of the Griffith Park Fire in 1933, the deadliest wildfire on record in California.

At least 228 people were still missing, according to Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea.

In southern California, the Woolsey Fire has scorched at least 85,500 acres and destroyed 177 structures. The blaze was only 15 percent contained. At least two people have died in that fire, according to officials from the statewide agency Cal Fire.

The blaze has forced the authorities to issue evacuation orders for a quarter million people in Ventura and Los Angeles counties and beachside communities including the Malibu beach colony.

Celebrities at the People’s Choice Awards Sunday night in Santa Monica, Ca., asked for prayers and donations for residents and first responders.

Reality television star Kim Kardashian said, ‘It’s been a really rough week in our home in Calabasas, Hidden Hills and our neighbors in Thousand Oaks and Malibu.”

Actor Melissa McCarthy said, “Please keep the victims, volunteers and firefighters in your thoughts.” She also asked people to donate to the Los Angeles fire Department Foundation.

Hot, dry winds were expected to whip up the fires burning in both tinder-dry southern and northern California until Tuesday, officials said.

“Winds are already blowing,” Chief Daryl Osby of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said Sunday. “They are going to blow for the next three days. Your house can be rebuilt but you can’t bring your life back.”

Governor Jerry Brown asked U.S. President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster to bolster the emergency response and help residents recover.

Trump has criticized the California government in Tweets this weekend, blaming poor forest management for the infernos. </s> CHICO, Calif. (AP) — Several people who fled the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century clustered around a television set at an evacuation center Saturday and watch President Donald Trump survey what remained of their Northern California community.

But for the most part, survivors, some who had barely escaped and no longer had homes, were too busy packing up what little they had left or seeking help to pay much attention to the president’s visit.

Michelle Mack Couch, 49, waited in line to get into a Federal Emergency Management Agency center in the city of Chico. She needed a walker for her elderly mother and tags for her car.

“Let’s hope he gets us some help,” said Couch, who voted for Trump and whose house was among more than 9,800 that burned down last week.

But as far as taking time out to watch the president, she said wryly, “We don’t have a TV anymore.”

Hours after California’s outgoing and incoming governors joined Trump as he surveyed the devastation in the town of Paradise, authorities raised the death toll to 76 and warned people being let back into previously evacuated areas to watch out for any remains.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea also reiterated his plea for people to check the list his office puts out of those reported as unaccounted for so that they can mark themselves as safe.

He said deputies have located hundreds but the roster has nearly 1,300 names, including duplicates and people who are likely OK, but haven’t checked in.

“It’s really very important for you to take a look at the list and call us if you’re on the list,” Honea said.

Gov. Jerry Brown and Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom welcomed Trump’s visit and joined him in a tour of Paradise, population 27,000.

The tour came as firefighters raced to get ahead of strong winds expected overnight and authorities struggled to locate 1,011 people who were unaccounted for. Authorities stressed that not all on the list are believed missing, but the death toll from the Camp Fire has risen daily, standing at 71.

The fire zone in Northern California is to some extent Trump country. He beat Hillary Clinton by 4 percentage points in Butte County in 2016. That enthusiasm was on display as dozens of people cheered and waved flags as his motorcade went by.

But elsewhere, others were searching for friends. At an unofficial encampment next to a Walmart in Chico, many were packing up to find another temporary place to sleep after being told to leave by Sunday.

That included Maggie Missere-Crowder, who said she was focused on getting her tent and boxes of food into her pickup truck.

Missere-Crowder, 61, and her husband had fled their home in Magalia, a community near Paradise that also was devastated, and now planned to go to a shelter in Yuba City, about an hour’s drive from the Walmart.

She said she was angry about Trump’s tweet last week blaming forest mismanagement for the Nov. 8 fire, a sentiment he evoked in his visit and has stirred resentment among survivors.

“Like we’ve done it on purpose. It’s like a slap in the face,” Missere-Crowder said.

Still, she said that if she met him, she would say, “Think about what you’re saying, because it takes away from all the good stuff you’re doing.”

Al Coppa, who lost two homes and doesn’t know the fate of a third in Magalia, was among a handful of people watching news about Trump’s visit on a TV outside a Red Cross shelter in Chico.

He said he hopes the attention will speed up recovery for wildfire victims.

“I hope that only good comes out of it. Good for the people that have been devastated by this. It’s just such a horrible thing. I couldn’t believe how bad it was,” said Coppa, who has been living in hotels.

Trump also was visiting Southern California, where firefighters were making progress on a wildfire that tore through communities west of Los Angeles from Thousand Oaks to Malibu, killing three people.

In Northern California, thousands of personnel battled the flames spanning about 230 square miles (600 square kilometers), officials said. It was halfway contained.

Firefighters were racing against time with winds up to 40 mph and low humidity expected Saturday night into Sunday. Rain was forecast for midweek, which could help firefighters but also complicate the search for remains.

The number of people unaccounted for has grown to more than 1,000. But Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said the list was “dynamic” and could easily contain duplicate names and the names of people who are safe.

Brown, Newsom and Trump pledged to work together and showed a united front at several media stops Saturday.

Kevin Cory, a wildfire evacuee who lost his home in Paradise, praised Trump for coming to a state that is often at odds with the White House.

“I think that California’s been really horrible to him and the fights. I mean they’re suing him,” he said. “It’s back and forth between the state and the feds. It’s not right.”
U.S. President Donald Trump visits victims of the Camp Fire and Woolsey Fire as the death toll rises to 79: 76 in the Camp Fire and three in the Woolsey Fire.