California’s deadliest wildfire finally tamed

The deadliest and most destructive fire in California‘s history was finally brought totally under control by firefighters, more than two weeks after it erupted, authorities said on Sunday.

“#CampFire is now 100% contained,” Cal Fire, the state fire authority, said in its latest bulletin on Twitter.

The fire, which broke out on November 8, is so far known to have killed 87 people although another 249 people remain unaccounted for.

Only 54 of the fatalities have been identified, according to the local sheriff’s office in Butte County, around three hours’ drive north of San Francisco.

A total of 153,336 acres were affected by the fire, with nearly 14,000 homes and hundreds of other structures destroyed.

Heavy downfalls that have soaked the fire zone in the past days helped douse the remaining flames, but also made it more difficult for crews searching for bodies.

The Camp Fire was the second major blaze to hit California in recent weeks with a fire in the Malibu area near Los Angeles also killing three people.

The smoke from the Camp Fire was so intense that schools in San Franciso had to close at one point earlier this month as did the city’s famed cable car.

California’s governor, Jerry Brown, has warned that the state can expect a growing number of major fires as a result of global warming.

US President Donald Trump, who visited one of the worst-hit towns called Paradise last weekend, caused some consternation by saying that the fires were due in part to forestry mismanagement.