Number of Missing in Northern California Wildfire Falls to 25

At a Glance

• Once in the thousands, the list of people unaccounted for after the Camp Fire has fallen to 25.
• The toll of the Northern California fire has reached at least 88.
• Cal Fire announced the Camp Fire was 100 percent contained on Nov. 25
• Some residents are being allowed back into their neighborhoods.

The list of people reported missing after California's deadliest wildfire has fallen to 25, the Butte County Sheriff's Office has announced.

The office added that 3,141 people had been accounted for.

The death toll in the Camp Fire remains at 88. Of those, 42 people have been tentatively identified, and 41 have been positively identified. 

On Sunday, the sheriff's office said residents of some neighborhoods in Magalia could return to the area beginning at noon, and public access would resume 24 hours later, the Associated Press reported. The town of Paradise, which was nearly destroyed in the fire, remains off limits.

However, the communities may have very limited services, and authorities urged residents to ensure they have food, water, and fuel for their vehicles before returning. They also advised residents not to use electric generators because of potential back feeding of current and that fire and utility crews were still working in the area.

Cal Fire reported on Nov. 25 morning that the fire was 100 percent contained. 

The blaze began Nov. 8 in the parched Sierra Nevada foothills and quickly spread across 240 square miles, destroying most of Paradise in a day. Nearly 19,000 buildings, most of them homes, are gone. Thousands of residents lost their homes and all their belongings.

(MORE: How You Can Help Those Affected by the California Fires)

Shelby Boston, director of Butte County Employment and Social Services, told the Chico Enterprise-Record that about 750 people remained in regional shelters Friday. All evacuees were being asked to consolidate into the shelter at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico, including people who had been camping in a Walmart parking lot.

Brad Pierce, an external affairs officer for FEMA, said about 2,000 temporary housing units, such as mobile homes, recreational vehicles and camp trailers were being prepared for residents who had lost their homes. He was unclear on when the units would be available. 

In the meantime, Pierce said, FEMA is offering rental assistance and transitional shelter programs. About 2,500 families have been deemed eligible for a program that allows evacuees to use hotel rooms and other temporary accommodations, he told the Enterprise-Record, but only about 450 have taken advantage of the assistance.

Send Money, Not Stuff, Officials Say

The Butte County Emergency Operations Center reinforced that monetary donations are the best way to help the most people. It said it has run out of space for donated items. 

The center listed the North Valley Community Foundation and these groups as trusted organizations that people could donate to

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