PARADISE, Calif. — The search intensified Wednesday for those missing after the Camp Fire, which virtually wiped out the town of Paradise. New drone footage of the devastation shows how quickly the fire consumed the town of Paradise. Home after home was leveled. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it could take five to six years until Paradise starts to look like a city again.
Many of the deceased died in Paradise in their homes or as they attempted to escape the fast-moving blaze.
“It was outrunning us before we knew we were in the race, and that made it more difficult,” said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea.
More than 220 people are unaccounted for. Some of their names have been posted on an official list created by the county.
“We want to conduct as thorough a search and we want to do it in an expeditious manner,” Honea said.
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The crisis has been playing out on Twitter and Facebook.
One of those desperate messages was from the Carmack family, who were missing four elderly members of their family.
They were on the list, and found alive Wednesday.
Nearly two dozen victims have filed a lawsuit blaming the local electric company, Pacific Gas & Energy (PG&E), for failing to maintain its power lines.
“The evidence is quite clear the fire is started from a PG&E transmission line and PG&E needs to be held accountable,” attorney Amanda Riddle said.
The company said the safety of its customers remains its priority and is investigating.
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