CHICO: Hundreds of volunteers will spend Thanksgiving combing through ruins in heavy rain for the remains of victims killed in the deadliest wildfire in California history, with strong winds and the risk of mudslides an additional complication.
The blaze killed 83 people and 563 people remain unaccounted for in and around Paradise, a community of nearly 27,000 people that was largely incinerated by the so-called Camp Fire two weeks ago, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said.
Searchers moving through affected areas around Paradise, 175 miles (280 km) northeast of San Francisco, are expected to face heavy rains that may hinder their efforts. Between 4-6 inches (102-152 mm) of rain was due to fall at the weekend, forecasters said.
The weather will not deter some 830 people who have signed up to spend Thanksgiving combing through ash and rubble for human remains, Honea told a news briefing on Wednesday.
Warehouses were opened in Chico to provide evacuees protection from the cold and rain as celebrity chef Jose Andres prepared to cook hundreds of Thanksgiving meals for evacuees.
The rains, which in some areas were likely to be accompanied by winds of up to 45 miles per hour (72 kmph), raised risks of ravines turning into rivers of mud. The fire has burned across 153,336 acres (62,000 hectares) of the Sierra foothills and is 85 per cent contained. — Reuters
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