Nine Dead, Dozens Missing as Raging Northern California Fire Spreads

At least nine people have been confirmed dead in a rapidly spreading wildfire that has now become the most destructive ever recorded in California’s history. Authorities say at least 35 people have been reported missing as the so-called Camp Fire spreads in Butte County, having completely ravaged the town of Paradise and swallowed up at least 6,453 homes as of Friday night. Tens of thousands of people were forced to flee, with some residents reportedly jumping into streams to escape the flames as burned out cars blocked the roads. The blaze has scorched 90,000 acres and was only 5 percent contained as of late Friday. Firefighters also struggled to contain two other wildfires spreading through Southern California, with at least 200,000 people forced to evacuate Ventura County as the Woolsey Fire destroyed lavish, celebrity homes in Malibu. Thousand Oaks, the small town still reeling from a deadly bar shooting earlier this week, was also under evacuation orders, with both the Woolsey Fire and Hill Fire licking the area with flames. Authorities said they have received two reports of fatalities in Malibu, but it was not immediately clear if they were related to the wildfire.