The multiple wildfires spreading across Northern California have taken the lives of 31 people and destroyed more than 3,500 structures. Hundreds are missing.
In Sonoma County, authorities reported 15 deaths as of Thursday. Rob Giordano, the sheriff in the area said they found some bodies almost completely intact. The other bodies were “nothing more than ashes and bones.”
Sheriff Giordano said identifying some of the victims will be extremely difficult. The identification process will take months. In one case, they were able to identify a person who was burnt into ashes through a hip replacement with ID
Majority of the victims are elderly
According to him, most of those who died were elderly–the youngest in the list is 57 years. They found their remains inside their homes. “The bulk of them are in their 70s and 80s,” said Sheriff Giordano.
As of Thursday morning, Sheriff Giordano said around 400 people are still missing in Sonoma County. Since the wildfire broke out on October 9, authorities received approximately 1,000 reports of missing persons. The county’s sheriff’s office confirmed that they found around 600 people and are safe.
