California fire death toll keeps climbing, with hundreds missing

Updated Monday, November 12, 2018, 4:12 p.m. ET

The wildfires that killed at least 31 in California became some of the worst in state history as high winds and “extreme conditions” drove flames across bone-dry hills and mountains.

The Camp Fire in Northern California and the Woolsey Fire in suburban Los Angeles have destroyed more than 6,700 structures and could cost the state, insurers and homeowners at least $19 billion in damage.

The state’s two largest utilities both fell sharply, with Northern California’s PG&E Corp. losing as much as 38%, the most intraday in 16 years.

New fire broke out Monday near Simi Valley

It could take another five days before firefighters put out Woolsey and the rest of the month to extinguish the Camp Fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said. Meanwhile, 149,000 people remain evacuated, Mark Ghilarducci, director of California’s Office of Emergency Services, said on Sunday. Another fire broke out Monday in Ventura County, prompting officials to close the 118 freeway near the city of Simi Valley.

Gusts of up to 40 miles (64 kilometers) per hour are expected to buffet Southern California through Tuesday, fanning flames and potentially carrying embers onto rooftops and over roadways, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby said during a news conference Monday.

“These are extreme conditions,” Osby said. “We’re in extreme climate changes now.”

Blazes have spread to more than 200,000 acres

The blazes have now spread to more than 200,000 acres and threaten to destroy tens of thousands of structures, according to Cal Fire. About 228 people remain unaccounted for in the vicinity of the northern blaze. Governor Jerry Brown, meanwhile, has formally asked President Donald Trump to release new federal aid in a “major disaster declaration.’’

“We’re putting everything we’ve got into the fight against these fires, and this request ensures communities on the front lines get additional federal aid,” Brown said in a statement.

Initially, Trump had threatened to withhold money from California because of what he called “gross mismanagement of the forests.” His later tweets were more measured, saying that “our hearts are with those fighting the fires.” On Sunday, Trump tweeted again to encourage “proper” management to “stop the devastation constantly going on in California.”

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments! Sent via Twitter for iPhone.

Osby, the Los Angeles County fire chief, said the president’s comments were “very hurtful to all first responders who are putting their lives on the line to protect lives and property.”

Possible damages of about $25 billion

The damage north of San Francisco and near Los Angeles could be on par with the type of destruction triggered by Hurricane Michael, which left Florida in disarray earlier this year, said Chuck Watson, a disaster modeler at Enki Research.

“The California fires are as bad as folks think they are,” Watson said, pegging possible damages of about $25 billion. “Insurance for fire is already becoming an issue in California and this won’t help that industry.”

Camp Fire has now destroyed more structures than any other wildfire in state history, according to data compiled by Cal Fire. In Southern California, the Woolsey blaze has consumed almost 92,000 acres and is 20% contained, Osby said.

Investigating electrical equipment

Authorities are investigating electrical equipment as one of several possible causes of the fire north of San Francisco. A PG&E transmission line in the area went offline 15 minutes before the Camp blaze was first reported, the company said in a regulatory filing. The company also reported finding a damaged transmission tower near where investigators say the fire began.

Edison’s Southern California Edison utility said a power outage occurred near the suspected starting point of one of the fires near Los Angeles and that a sensor detected a disturbance in its equipment minutes before the blaze was reported. Osby said the origin of the blaze remains under investigation. Edison said it would cooperate with the probe.

Trading in PG&E Corp. was briefly halted Monday after shares plummeted. Edison fell as much as 25%.

For more coverage like this, explore our wildfires & their destruction Instant Insights page.

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California fires looking as costly as hurricane at $19 billion

The most destructive series of wildfires in California history could cost the state, insurers and homeowners at least $19 billion in damages, as firefighters struggled to gain control in swirling winds across vast swaths of the state.

Related: Insurance lessons learned from the 2017 California wildfires

The carnage caused by fires north of San Francisco and near Los Angeles could be on par with the type of destruction triggered by Hurricane Michael, which left Florida in disarray earlier this year, said Chuck Watson, a disaster modeler at Enki Research who pegged the hurricane’s damages at some $25 billion.

More than 6,700 structures torched, 31 killed

Sonoma County Sheriff Robert Giordano told reporters Sunday that the Camp Fire, which charred the town of Paradise in Northern California, and the Woolsey Fire, in suburban L.A., have already killed 31 residents. They’ve torched more than 6,700 structures.

“The California fires are as bad as folks think they are,” Watson said. “Insurance for fire is already becoming an issue in California and this won’t help that industry.”

Related: Wildfire issues and insuring to value

Weather forecasters are predicting more winds for California and no sign of the seasonal rain that typically dampens the brush in Northern California in time to prevent such disasters. Instead, some 250,000 people have already fled their homes across the state, including in Malibu, the coastal enclave of the rich and famous. Some 149,000 people remain evacuated, Mark Ghilarducci, director of California’s Office of Emergency Services, said Sunday.

Request for emergency funding

Governor Jerry Brown formally asked President Donald Trump to release new federal aid in a “major disaster declaration.’’ The request for emergency funding to support housing, crisis management and infrastructure recovery efforts came a day after Trump threatened to withhold federal payments to California.

“We’re putting everything we’ve got into the fight against these fires, and this request ensures communities on the front lines get additional federal aid,” Brown said in a written statement.Initially, Trump had threatened to withhold money because of what he called “gross mismanagement of the forests.” His later tweets were more measured, saying that “our hearts are with those fighting the fires.” On Sunday, Trump tweeted again to encourage “proper” management to “stop the devastation constantly going on in California.”

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump More than 4,000 are fighting the Camp and Woolsey Fires in California that have burned over 170,000 acres. Our hearts are with those fighting the fires, the 52,000 who have evacuated, and the families of the 11 who have died. The destruction is catastrophic. God Bless them all. Sent via Twitter for iPhone.

Abnormally dry

As of Nov. 6, all of California is abnormally dry, up from nearly 85% the week before, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor in Lincoln, Nebraska. Almost 52% of California’s land met drought definitions.

“Statewide we are in a climate change and it is going to be here for the foreseeable future,” said Daryl Osby, chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “Six out of the last seven years, we’ve been in a drought.”

8,000 firefighters

The blazes have spread to more than 196,000 acres and threaten to destroy tens of thousands of structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. About 50,000 homes and businesses have lost power, and 8,000 local, state and federal firefighters are on the scene.

Authorities are investigating electrical equipment as one of several possible causes of the Camp blaze, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco, Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean said. Utility PG&E Corp. is still struggling to cope with losses from last year’s deadly fires that could cost it as much as $17.3 billion in liabilities, according to a JPMorgan Chase & Co. estimate.

Related: 16 do’s and don’ts when you return home after a wildfire

Almost half of California faces an elevated risk for fires, with some 15.5 million people living in critical areas that include Los Angeles and San Jose, according to Brian Squitieri, a fire-weather forecaster at the U.S. Climate Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

Winds expected to spread blaze through Tuesday

The so-called Camp Fire has now destroyed more structures than any other wildfire in state history, according to data compiled by Cal Fire. In Southern California, the Woolsey blaze had consumed 83,275 acres in Ventura and Los Angeles counties by early Sunday and was only 10% contained. Winds are causing that blaze to spread, a situation that will continue through Tuesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Department Chief John Benedict said Sunday.

The worst situation is forecast for an area around Santa Ana, Riverside, Anaheim and San Bernardino, where winds will channel through the terrain reaching upwards of 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour, the climate center said. That will put almost 8 million people in “a volatile environment for wildfire potential.”

While the weather in many areas could improve Monday, conditions in Southern California and parts of the Sacramento Valley will remain extreme.

Utilities investigated

A PG&E transmission line in the area went offline 15 minutes before the Camp blaze was first reported, the company said in a regulatory filing. The company also reported finding a damaged transmission tower near where investigators say the fire began. And firefighter radio transmissions reviewed by the San Jose Mercury News included calls about downed power lines.

State investigators linked equipment owned by PG&E to 17 fires that burned in the state last year. Shares of PG&E, which provides electricity in Northern California, fell more than 16% on Nov. 9, the most since 2002. Edison International, which serves much of the southern part of the state, dropped 12%.

Related: Protecting your business operations and people from wildfires

Edison’s Southern California Edison utility said late Friday that it had a power outage near the vicinity of the suspected starting point for the so-called Woolsey Fire, according to a regulatory filing. The utility said that a sensor detected a disturbance in its equipment two minutes before the fire was first reported, according to the filing.

Southern California Edison said there had been no determination of origin or cause of the wildfires and the utility will cooperate with the investigation, according to a statement issued late Friday.

Southern California

In Southern California, the Hill Fire has torched about 4,500 acres in Ventura County, but has been contained up to 70%.

Malibu — which has been home to Hollywood stars including Tom Hanks and Dustin Hoffman — was evacuated after flames swept south across the Santa Monica Mountains toward the sea.

Related: Fierce California winds provide no relief from deadly fires

Meanwhile, decreasing winds in Northern California are lowering the risk that a fire burning near Chico, which has already torched about 110,000 acres, will continue to spread. Still, the blaze forced 52,000 residents to evacuate from several nearby towns. Governor Brown says he considers it clear that the reason for the raging fires is the changing global climate.

‘New abnormal’

“This is not the new normal, this is the new abnormal,” Brown told reporters on Sunday. “It will continue for the next 10 to 15 to 20 years. The best science is telling us that this warmth and dryness will intensify. This is a real challenge here threatening our whole way of life.”