Experts in identifying human remains joined California police and firefighters on Monday in the grim task of sifting through the charred debris of homes destroyed in the most devastating wildfire in state history, searching for hundreds of missing people.

University anthropologists, trained in spotting bone fragments and other blackened body parts, systematically mined the ash and detritus of buildings destroyed when a wildfire swept through Paradise, a town with a population of 27,000 about 300 kilometres north of San Francisco. 

Flames reduced the town to a smoking ruin late last week and continued to scorch surrounding communities.

The number of people killed in that fire alone — at least 29 — matches the deadliest single fire on record in California, a 1933 blaze in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, though a series of wildfires in Northern California wine country last fall killed 44 people and destroyed more than 5,000 homes. 

At least  228 people remain unaccounted for in and around Paradise, but officials are holding out out hope that many are safe but have no cellphones or other way to contact loved ones.

Statewide, 150,000 remained displaced as more than 8,000 fire crews battled wildfires that have scorched nearly 1,040 square kilometres of land, with out-of-state crews continuing to arrive.

‘Explosive fire behaviour’

Authorities were also bringing in a DNA lab and encouraged people with missing relatives to submit samples to aid in identifying the dead after the Paradise fire — called the Camp Fire — destroyed more than 6,700 buildings, nearly all of them homes.

Yuba and Butte county sheriff deputies carry a body bag containing a deceased victim in Paradise on Saturday. (Stephen Lam/Reuters)

Glenn Forrest’s family lost two homes and a business in the fire. He told CBC News that he didn’t think his family would make it out of the fire zone alive. “This is the first time in my life, I think, that I ever felt like I could have died at any moment.”

He credits his mother for staying calm as she drove through flames and hot ash. “There were cars swerving everywhere, cars turning around. We were afraid we would either get hit by another car … or a tree would fall. Our car could have caught fire or exploded.”

City evacuation plan criticized

Some residents have complained the evacuation of Paradise was poorly executed and that city officials weren’t prepared. Paradise Mayor Jody Jones says no community could be prepared for a fire like the Camp Fire.

“We had a very robust evacuation plan that we had practised and used to in the past,” she told host Carol Off in an interview today on As It Happens. “It’s a zone-based. But when you have your entire town evacuated at the same time — not one zone or two zones, but the entire town — there isn’t any way that your transportation infrastructure can handle that.” 

Firefighters did gain modest ground overnight against the Camp Fire, which grew slightly to 440 square kilometres from the day before but was 25 per cent contained, according to state fire agency, Cal Fire.

But Cal Fire spokesperson Bill Murphy warned that gusty winds predicted into Monday morning could spark “explosive fire behaviour.”

Two people were also found dead in a wildfire in Southern California, where flames tore through Malibu mansions and working-class Los Angeles suburbs alike. The severely burned bodies were discovered in a long residential driveway in celebrity-studded Malibu, where those forced out of homes included Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian West, Guillermo del Toro and Martin Sheen.

Actor Gerard Butler said on Instagram Sunday that his Malibu home is “half-gone,” and shared a photo of himself standing in front of a burned-out section of the house and a badly burned vehicle.

Meanwhile, veteran actor James Woods, who often uses his Twitter following to espouse conservative views, has been using his account to help reunite families with loved ones, including pets. He started the hashtags #SoCalFiresJamesWoods and #CampFireJames to consolidate information so it’s easier for people to find loved ones in the chaos.

Flames also besieged Thousand Oaks, the Southern California city still mourning the 12 people killed in a shooting rampage at a country music bar Wednesday night.

Dana Baker, a Canadian who lives and works in Thousand Oaks, told CBC News the community is having trouble coping with the fires so soon after the shooting.

“I am tired. Between not sleeping well, trying to check on everybody, you know, to make sure they’re OK after two tragedies. No one is OK,” she said. “I can hear sirens right now. We’re all just on edge.”

Winds hamper firefighting efforts

Fire officials said Monday that the Woolsey Fire, the larger of the region’s two fires and the one burning in and around Malibu, grew to 395 square kilometres and was 20 per cent contained.

But the strong, dry Santa Ana winds that blow from the interior toward the coast returned after a one-day lull, fanning the flames.

The number of structures destroyed by both Southern California fires climbed to at least 370, authorities said, while emphasizing that more than 50,000 had been saved. Looting was also reported in areas affected by the southern fires and arrests were made, police reported.

Both Northern and Southern California continue to deal with deadly wildfires that have killed at least 31 people as of Sunday. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)

All told, 300,000 people were under evacuation orders up and down the state.

Gov. Jerry Brown said he is requesting a major-disaster declaration from U.S. President Donald Trump that would make victims eligible for crisis counselling, housing and unemployment help, and legal aid.

Drought, warmer weather attributed to climate change and the building of homes deeper into forests have led to longer and more destructive wildfire seasons in California.

On Saturday, Trump tweeted, “There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!”

Asked about the tweet, L.A. County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said he found it very hurtful to first responders. “I can tell you that we are in extreme climate change right now. We don’t control the climate. We’re doing all we can to prevent incidents and mitigate incidents and save lives,” he told reporters at a news briefing. “I personally find that statement unsatisfactory and it’s very hurtful for all first responders putting their lives on the line to protect lives and property.” 

Tearful residents react after deadly fires rip through their neighbourhoods:

On Sunday, Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen warned the California was “entering a new normal” and that fires in the state grew far more quickly in 2018 than they did even 10 years ago.

“The rate of spread is exponentially more than it used to be,” Lorenzen said.

While California officially emerged from a five-year drought last year, much of the northern two-thirds of the state is abnormally dry.

The Camp Fire burns along the top of a ridge near Big Bend, Calif., on Saturday. Crews working to contain the blaze overnight faced deteriorating weather conditions as winds picked up and humidity dropped. (Noah Berger/Associated Press)

In Paradise, a town founded in the 1800s, residents who stayed behind to try to save their properties or who managed to return despite an evacuation order found incinerated cars and homes.

Wearing masks because the air was still heavy with smoke, people sidestepped metal that had melted off of cars or Jet-Skis as they surveyed their ravaged neighbourhoods. Some cried when they saw nothing was left.

Jan McGregor, 81, got back to his small two-bedroom home in Paradise with the help of his firefighter grandson. He found his home levelled — a large metal safe and pipes from his septic system the only recognizable traces. The safe was punctured with bullet holes from guns inside that went off in the scorching heat.

“We knew Paradise was a prime target for forest fire over the years,” he said. “We’ve had ’em come right up to the city limits — oh, yeah — but nothing like this.”

McGregor said he probably won’t rebuild: “I have nothing here to go back to.”