Searchers looking for the remains of victims of the wildfire that destroyed the Northern California town of Paradise said some bodies may never be found because of the intensity of the blaze.
Published : 20 Nov 2018, 02:51 AM
Officials had recovered the remains of 77 people as of Sunday night following the state's deadliest and most destructive blaze in and around the mountain community 80 miles (130 km) north of the state capital, Sacramento.
Almost 1,000 people were missing after the fire, which destroyed 10,364 homes.
"We have been told we're to look as hard as we can, but it's still possible we may not be able to find something left of someone," said Trish Moutard, a volunteer with the California Rescue Dog Association, who may undertake a second deployment to Paradise on Tuesday with her dog IC.
The list nearly doubled in five days as emergency workers and police submitted the names of people reported missing to them, said Bowersox.
The lists shrank dramatically in the following weeks as people informed authorities they were safe, with the final death tolls for the hurricanes standing at 52 and 60, respectively.
"We do have hopes that as time goes by, the number (of missing) will go down," said Bowersox. "I can't say for sure that's going to happen."