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.