The death toll from the severe fires in Northern California continues to rise.

So far, 29 people have been confirmed dead in the so-called Camp Fire in the northern part of the state.

More than 200 people are still missing, local sheriff Korey Honea said at a press conference. The fires are expected to take about three weeks to extinguish, according to the California Forestry and Fire Protection Agency, Cal Fire.

The death toll of 29 is as high as in the devastating Griffith Park forest fire of 1933, which is considered to be the deadliest fire in the state to date.

Two more bodies have been found in Los Angeles.

By Sunday, less than a quarter of the Camp Fire was under control. Many officials are urging residents to heed evacuation orders, noting that they themselves have left their homes.

Hot and dry winds of 18 meters per second, with gusts of up to over 30 meters per second, are expected to blow until Tuesday and provide extra oxygen to the fires.

"The winds are already blowing and will continue to blow for the next three days. Your house can be rebuilt, but you can't get your life back," says Daryl Osby of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

More than 6,700 homes and businesses have been destroyed in the city of Paradise, more than in previous documented fires in California.

Source: TT