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Death Toll in California Wildfires Rises to 25 as Blazes Are Still Not Contained

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The death toll in the ferocious wildfire in northern California rose to 25 on Sunday, according to The Associated Press.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said 14 additional bodies were found. The victims have not been identified. Two people were found dead in a wildfire in southern California, bringing the total number of fatalities for the state to 25.

The fire became California’s third deadliest since record-keeping began, with the death toll surpassing that from a blaze last year that ravaged the city of Santa Rosa.

An additional search and recovery team on top of the four already on the ground was being brought in to search for remains, Honea said. An anthropology team from California State University, Chico was helping with that effort, he added.

The sheriff’s office still has 110 outstanding reports of missing people, Honea said.

Honea added that he’s hopeful that more of those missing will be found. The department initially had more than 500 calls about citizens who were unable to reach loved ones.

But they have been able to help locate many, he said.

Huge wildfires also raged in California this past summer, forcing some 40,000 Californians to be evacuated from their homes.

A series of forest fires in northern California last year killed dozens, destroyed thousands of buildings and ravaged hundreds of thousands of acres.

According to a JTA report, Jewish institutions in the affected areas of California including several synagogues turned to their social media pages to distribute information, and to offer support. Many held Havdalah services on Saturday night at other nearby sites, most livestreamed on their social media pages, in order to provide support and healing for their members

At the Ilan Ramon Day School in Agoura, California, the school’s computer lab, administration building and a bathroom were destroyed by fire.

“Our school, at its core, has never been about the physical space or the buildings in which the children learn. Our school is a sacred and special community,” Head of School Yuri Hronsky wrote Friday in a Facebook post. “Our school is about heart and soul, not about brick and mortar. I wish I had better news to share as we enter Shabbat this evening.”

The school launched a GoFundMe page on Friday titled “Help Rebuild Ilan Ramon Day School,” with a goal of $750,000. (INN)

 

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