California

Death toll rises to 76 in California fire with winds ahead

CHICO, Calif. (AP) — Northern California crews battling the country’s deadliest wildfire in a century were bracing for strong winds, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour, creating the potential to erode gains they have made in containing a disaster that has killed at least 76 and leveled a town.

Number of missing in California fire soars past 1,000

17 Nov 2018; AFP: The number of people listed as missing in a northern California wildfire jumped past 1,000 as searchers found the remains of eight more victims on the eve of President Donald Trump's trip to witness the devastation.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told reporters the number of people unaccounted for almost doubled from 631 to 1,011 in 24 hours as authorities receive more reports of people missing and as emergency calls made when the fire broke out are reviewed.

Fire deaths rise to 71 ahead of Trump’s California visit

CHICO, Calif. (AP) — With the confirmed death toll at 71 and the list of unaccounted for people more than 1,000, authorities in Northern California on Friday searched for those who perished and those who survived the fiercest of wildfires ahead of a planned visit by President Donald Trump.

The president on Saturday is expected to get a look at the grief and damage caused by the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century, and he could face resentment from locals for blaming the inferno on poor forest management in California.

California fire has claimed 63 as missing list grows to 631

CHICO, Calif. (AP) — At least 63 are now dead from a Northern California wildfire, and officials say they have a missing persons list with 631 names on it in an ever-evolving accounting of the missing after the nation’s deadliest wildfire in a century.

The high number of missing people probably includes some who fled the blaze and didn’t realize they had been reported missing, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said. He added that he was making the list public so people could see if they were on it and let authorities know they were safe.

Firefighters battle blazes on two fronts in California, 50 dead

14 Nov 2018; AFP: Thousands of firefighters battled blazes in northern and southern California on Tuesday as body recovery teams searched the remains of houses and charred cars for victims of the deadliest wildfire in the history of the US state.

At least 50 deaths have been reported statewide so far from the late-season wildfires, and with hundreds of people unaccounted for, the toll is likely to rise.

NASA to invite designs for AI lunar robot

New Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) NASA is planning to launch a challenge for the public and scientific community to design a self-assembling robot with artificial intelligence that can explore the surface of the Moon, William Harris, CEO of Space Centre Houston said Tuesday.

Space Centre Houston in the US, the official visitor centre for NASA Johnson Space Centre, conducts regular public outreach programmes to engage people of various ages and diverse backgrounds in scientific research.

Authorities still assessing why California bar terrorist snapped

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Investigators are still trying to piece together what led a former Marine to open fire at a Southern California country music bar last week, killing 12 people before fatally shooting himself.

Authorities have not publicly shared what motive they think might have led Ian David Long to snap late Wednesday night.

“An investigation of this magnitude takes time, and it’s not something that we’re going to piecemeal out along the way,” Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Eric Buschow said Monday. “People are going to have to be patient.”

Dead in cars and homes: Northern California fire toll at 42

PARADISE, Calif. (AP) — The dead were found in burned-out cars, in the smoldering ruins of their homes, or next to their vehicles, apparently overcome by smoke and flames before they could jump in behind the wheel and escape. In some cases, there were only charred fragments of bone, so small that coroner’s investigators used a wire basket to sift and sort them.

Death toll in Northern California wildfire rises to 23

PARADISE, Calif. (AP) — The few residents of the burned-out Northern California city of Paradise who were able to inspect their property on Saturday saw nothing but disappointment.

Nearly the entire city of 27,000 residents lay in ruins and most were still barred from returning to the still hazardous town where small fires continued to flare.

California bar terrorist stopped shooting to post online

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Authorities trying to make sense of why a gunman killed 12 people at a Southern California bar are not publicly discussing what they’ve learned, but at least one Instagram post he made after beginning the massacre has emerged as an early focus.

Social media platforms have scrubbed that and any other posts following Wednesday night’s massacre. But one law enforcement official said Ian David Long, a 28-year-old former Marine, posted about his mental state and whether people would believe he was sane.

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