California Wildfire: Over 60 Dead And 600 Missing, Says Report

At least 63 people have died and more than 600 people are missing in the wake of the Northern California wildfire known as the Camp Fire, the deadliest so far to hit the state, National Public Radio has reported.

The fire has burned through more than 220 square miles of land and ravaged the town of Paradise. It also heavily damaged the outlying communities of Magalia and Concow, destroying 9,700 houses and 144 apartment buildings.

Officials decided to make the missing list public, since the tally potentially includes residents who fled and might not realise they’d been reported missing. “The chaos that we were dealing with was extraordinary,” said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea.
No official cause for the fire has been determined and the blaze is currently 45 per cent contained.

Smoke from California's wildfires caused northern parts of the state to record the worst levels of air quality in the world, according to Purple Air. The levels in California exceeded cities in India and China.