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Number of Missing in California Wildfire Drops to 25

by VOA News

   Authorities have once again lowered the number of people thought to be
   missing in California's deadliest wildfire to 25.

   Butte County Sheriff's office said the death toll in the Camp Fire
   remains at 88. The fire completely obliterated the town of Paradise,
   home to almost 27,000 people about 280 kilometers north of San
   Francisco.

   On Friday, authorities had said the number of missing stood at 49, down
   from a high of 1,200 two weeks ago.

   Authorities lifted evacuation orders for residents of some communities
   in the Magalia area, north of Paradise. But people are still barred
   from entering Paradise itself, the sheriff's department said.

   The cause of the fire is still being investigated but suspicion has
   fallen on the utility company PG&E, which has admitted having equipment
   problems near the origin of the fire around the time it started.