California’s deadliest wildfire 95 percent contained
California’s deadly Camp fire reached 95 percent containment on Friday as firefighters continue to battle the massive blaze, The Los Angeles Times reported.
The Camp fire has killed at least 84 people in Butte County and 475 residents are still missing, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials said. The fire has been called the state’s deadliest fire on record.
{mosads}An estimated 153,000 acres and 14,000 homes have been scorched in the fire.
Roughly 1,600 firefighters have been working to contain the flames with dozers and helicopters. Brigitte Foster, fire prevention officer for Lassen National Forest, told the newspaper that crews are being allowed to go home.
“Our camp is definitely half the size that it’s been,” she said. “Yesterday we were sending a lot of resources home, so that makes it nice, to be home with their families.”
The firefighters were aided by heavy rainfall on Friday, but the rain triggered the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood watch, warning that ash and debris could begin to flow.
“The concerns have been the high winds and trees blowing and the possibility of some mudslides,” Foster said. “But there hasn’t been a constant downpour where it’s going to cause flooding or mudslides as of right now.”
Authorities are now beginning to remove the ash and toxic debris, which they can do at no cost to the owner.
Eric Lamoureux of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services told the newspaper that roughly 80 percent of homeowners give permission for the government to cleanup, while the rest choose to do it themselves.
The Camp fire was one of three major wildfires that devastate the state this month.
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