California fires: Anguished relatives await fate of loved ones

From left, California Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, California Gov. Jerry Brown, President Donald Trump, Paradise Mayor Jody Jones and FEMA Administrator Brock Long survey damage left by the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, on Saturday, November 17. The death toll from the Camp Fire has risen to 76 and more than 1,200 people remain unaccounted for.

A child wears a smoke mask while watching President Trump”s motorcade in Chico on November 17.

Fire evacuees sift through donated items in a Chico parking lot November 17.

A group of children hold an American flag as the motorcade of President Donald Trump drives through Chico, California, on November 17.

A firefighter searches for human remains on Friday, November 16, in a Paradise trailer park destroyed in the Camp Fire.

President Donald Trump visits a neighborhood impacted by the Woolsey Fire in Malibu, California, on November 17.

Dakota Keltner, right, rests on Havyn Cargill-Morris on November 16 in a truck at a makeshift encampment outside a Walmart store in Chico, California. The camp became a temporary respite for people displaced by the Camp Fire.

A burned neighborhood is seen on Thursday, November 15, in Paradise, California.

Rescue workers sift through rubble in search of human remains on Wednesday, November 14, at a burned property in Paradise.

Firefighters work to control the Camp Fire on November 14 north of Oroville, California.

Evacuee Denise Chester hugs her son, Antonio Batres, as she volunteers her time sorting clothes on November 14 at a makeshift shelter in Chico. Chester, who didn’t want to know yet whether her home survived, said: “I want to help. I don’t want to shut down.”

Tape outlines the location where sheriff’s deputies on November 14 recovered the body of a Camp Fire victim.

Magalia resident Luis Badres and his family left his home because of the Camp Fire. They were living in a tent on Tuesday, November 13, in the parking lot of a Chico Walmart.

A long line of residents seeking to return to Malibu wait at a checkpoint on November 13 on Pacific Coast Highway after Woolsey Fire evacuation orders were lifted for the eastern portion of the city.

A helicopter flies near the Woolsey Fire burning in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Roger Kelton wipes away tears on November 13 while searching through the remains of his mother-in-law’s home in Agoura Hills. It was destroyed by the Woolsey Fire.

A melted fence runs along a hillside as firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire in Agoura Hills on November 13.

Firefighters search through the remains of a Paradise house on November 13.

Smoke fills the horizon on November 13 as an airplane flies near a flare-up of the Woolsey Fire near Lake Sherwood.

A fire truck drives through part of Paradise on November 13.

An air tanker drops water on a fire along the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley on Monday, November 12.

Samantha Esau and Emily Garcia take in stray cats from an evacuated Paradise home on November 12.

Firefighters put out hot spots in Paradise on November 12.

Joseph Grado and his wife, Susan, embrace at a shelter in Chico on November 12. The Camp Fire destroyed their home.

A firefighter battles a fire in Simi Valley on November 12.

A plane drops fire retardant on the Woolsey Fire near Malibu on November 12.

Betsy Ann Cowley walks through Pulga, near where investigators were trying to determine the cause of the Camp Fire.

A resident sprays down a roof as firefighters battle the Peak Fire in Simi Valley.

Shawn Slack carries a chainsaw on November 12 after trees burned in Paradise.

Chris and Nancy Brown embrace while looking over the remains of their home on November 12.

Firefighters put out hot spots in Thousand Oaks on November 12.

Firefighters battle a fire in Simi Valley on November 12.

A ferry makes its way toward Alcatraz Island on November 12 as the San Francisco skyline is obscured by smoke that drifted over from the Camp Fire.

A vehicle drives through smoke near Pulga on Sunday, November 11.

Firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire in Malibu on November 11.

A helicopter drops water while battling the Camp Fire near Pulga on November 11.

Firefighters work at the Salvation Army Camp in Malibu on Saturday, November 10.

A bag containing human remains lies on the ground on November 11 as officials continue to search for victims at a burned-out home in Paradise.

Cathy Fallon, who stayed behind in Paradise to tend to her horses during the Camp Fire, embraces Shawna De Long, left, and April Smith, right, who brought supplies for the horses.

Firefighters douse embers off a canyon road that cuts across the mountains to Malibu.

A plane drops fire retardant on a burning hillside in Malibu on November 11.

Evacuee Brian Etter and his dog Tone, who escaped the Camp Fire on foot, rest in the parking lot of a Chico church on November 11.

Culver City firefighters watch the Woolsey Fire from a burned home in Los Angeles.

The remains of a Los Angeles home destroyed by the Woolsey Fire are seen on November 11.

The sun rises over the Pacific Ocean on November 11 as the Woolsey Fire burns in Malibu.

Firefighters battle a blaze in Malibu on Saturday, November 10.

A woman runs in Calabasas as firefighters work to control a flare-up from the Woolsey Fire on November 10.

The Camp Fire burns November 10 in the hills near Big Bend.

Sheriff’s deputies carry a body bag with a Camp Fire victim on November 10.

Scorched hillsides and damaged power lines are seen on November 10 along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

Araya Cipollini cries November 10 near the remains of her family’s home in Paradise.

Los Angeles County firefighters work in Malibu Creek State Park on November 10.

A deer looks on from a burned residence in Paradise on November 10.

A fire truck is seen on the Pacific Coast Highway as the Woolsey Fire burns in Malibu on November 10.

Eric England searches through a friend’s vehicle in Paradise on November 10.

Sheriff’s deputies walk November 10 through a neighborhood destroyed by the Camp Fire.

A satellite image from November 10 shows vegetation that was burned as a result of the Woolsey Fire.

Firefighters meet in Paradise on November 10.

Roger Bloxberg and his wife, Anne, hug on Friday, November 9, as they watch a wildfire on a Los Angeles hilltop.

Malibu Mayor Rick Mullen, who is also a firefighter, surveys a house engulfed in flames on Friday, November 9.

A massive smoke plume, powered by strong winds, rises above the Woolsey Fire in Malibu on November 9.

Cathy Fallon stands near the charred remains of her Paradise home on November 9. The Camp Fire has wiped out much of the town north of Sacramento.

A firefighter sprays down palm trees as the Woolsey Fire burns in Malibu on November 9.

Llamas are tied to a lifeguard stand on a Malibu beach on November 9.

Smoke is seen over the Pacific in this photo taken from a helicopter over Malibu on November 9.

A woman in Malibu reacts to devastation on November 9.

A row of palm trees stands as the Woolsey Fire continues to burn in Malibu on November 9.

From left, firefighters Cory Darrigo, Omar Velasquez and Sam Quan rest in a Westlake Village backyard after battling the Woolsey Fire all night.

Gabi and Jonah Frank walk on the Pacific Coast Highway as the Woolsey Fire threatens their Malibu home on November 9.

A satellite image taken by NASA’s Operational Land Imager shows the Camp Fire in Northern California.

A firefighter keeps watch as the Woolsey Fire burns a home near Malibu Lake on November 9.

The Woolsey Fire burns in Malibu on November 9. The community is known for celebrity beachside homes.

Doug Thomas and his dog Hanna rest November 9 while they await word if they can return to their Malibu Lake home.

Cars destroyed by the Camp Fire sit in a used-car lot in Paradise on November 9.

Firefighters battle flames in Thousand Oaks early on November 9.

Evacuees rest on cots supplied by the Red Cross at a Los Angeles high-school gym on November 9.

Fire Capt. Steve Millosovich, battling the Camp Fire in Big Bend, carries a cage of cats that fell from an evacuee’s pickup.

Firefighters push a vehicle from a garage as the Woolsey Fire burns a home in Malibu on November 9.

Patients are evacuated from Paradise’s Feather River Hospital as it burns on Thursday, November 8.

Juanita and Wayne McLish sit on a curb November 8 after losing their house to the Camp Fire in Paradise.

The Hill Fire burns in Thousand Oaks on November 8.

The Woolsey Fire burns in Ventura County, where Jason Bauer told CNN his parents had just been evacuated from their home.

People embrace in the parking lot of a Paradise hospital as the Camp Fire engulfed it on November 8.

The Paradise Inn burns on November 8.

A firefighter works to extinguish a spot fire at a home in Paradise.

Vehicles and homes burn as the Camp Fire rips through Paradise on November 8.

Dogs roam a burned-out neighborhood in Paradise.

Hospital staff and first responders evacuate the Feather River Hospital in Paradise on November 8.

A fire emergency crew works to protect the Paradise Town Hall from the encroaching Camp Fire on November 8.

A home burns as the Camp Fire rages through Paradise.

A vintage car rests among debris in Paradise.

Medical personnel move patients as the Feather River Hospital is evacuated in Paradise on November 8.

Smoke fills the sky over Paradise on November 8. Paradise, located about 85 miles north of Sacramento, has 26,000 residents.

The remains of a building are seen after being consumed by the Camp Fire.

A firefighter monitors a burning home on November 8.

California Highway Patrol officers attempt to transfer a potbelly pig they rescued in Butte County on November 8.

A Paradise home is engulfed in flames on November 8.

Firefighters monitor a back fire while attempting to save homes in Paradise on November 8.

Flames burn inside a van as the Camp Fire tears through Paradise on November 8.