California Fires Death Toll Rises to 31 as Hundreds Remain Missing

The death toll from northern California wildfires has climbed to 31, as officials warned that conditions would worsen.

Hundreds of people remain missing as at least 22 fires rampaged across the state’s famous wine country.

More than 8,000 firefighters are now battling the flames.

The fires have destroyed more than 3,500 buildings and homes over 170,000 acres and forced the evacuation of about 25,000 people.

According to officials, 17 people are now confirmed killed in Sonoma County, with another 8 in Mendocino County, 4 in Yuba County and two in Napa County.

The updated casualty figures mean the wildfires are the deadliest in California since 1933, when 29 people died in fires at Griffith Park in Los Angeles.

California Wildfires: At Least 17 Dead and More Than 150 Missing

California Wildfires Kill at Least 13 in Wine Country

Strong winds that have fanned the flames eased in recent days, but forecasters warned they were set to pick up again on Friday night.

Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano said recovery teams with cadaver dogs were searching the smoldering ruins of homes.

“We have found bodies that were completely intact, and we have found bodies that were no more than ash and bone,” he said.

It is not yet clear what started the fires on October 8, but officials say power lines blown over by strong winds could be the cause.

One of the greatest threats to life is believed to be around the town of Calistoga, Napa County, where the entire population of 5,000 has been ordered to evacuate.

Geyserville, a town of around 800 people, and the community of Boyes Hot Springs, both in Sonoma, were also evacuated.

The huge fires have sent smoke and ash over San Francisco, about 50 miles away, and over some towns and cities even further south.

At least 13 Napa Valley wineries have been destroyed, a vintners’ trade group says.