With the help of rain that's fallen across the burn area in recent days, crews have reached 100 percent containment on the Camp Fire. Even so, more than a thousand firefighters continue the effort to fully douse the flames.
“We’re looking for any hazards that need to be mitigated,” said CAL FIRE’s Scott McClean. “Any trees that have burned to a point where they could topple with a slight wind, for example.”
Even as firefighters move into final mop-up stages, search and rescue teams continue scouring the area for those unaccounted for. More rain this week could hamper efforts to locate the almost three-hundred people still missing.
“You have material moving from one place to another, so if you anticipate that human remains will be found inside a home – perhaps near water near a bathtub or a shower or someplace where a person would have been seeking refuge during the active fire period - now that has moved and is in a different location,” explained KFBK Talk Show Host and former Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness.
McGinness notes other theories suggest the rain and potential debris flows could move skeletal remains out into the open - offering a benefit to searchers.
Crews have accounted for almost 2600 people previously listed as missing. The death toll now stands at 88.