California fire toll hits 23

PARADISE, United States, Nov 11 (AFP): Firefighters battled raging blazes at both ends of drought-stricken California on Sunday, with the death toll rising to at least 23 and strong winds and dry conditions in the forecast.

The largest fires were in Butte County, a scenic area in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains north of Sacramento, and in the Los Angeles area, where two deaths possibly related to a fire were reported.

Acrid smoke from the fire covered the sky for miles, the sun barely visible. On the ground, cars caught in the flames were reduced to metal carcasses, while power lines were gnawed by the flames.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said at a late Saturday news conference that 14 more bodies had been found, bringing the number of fatalities of a blaze known as the "Camp Fire" to 23.

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for more than 52,000 people in the area.

In the town of Paradise more than 6,700 buildings -- including a hospital, a gas station, and several restaurants -- have been consumed by the fire.