Death Toll Rises to 76 in California Fire With Winds Ahead

Death Toll Rises to 76 in California Fire With Winds Ahead
Cathy Fallon wipes her face beside her son Gabriel Fallon as she stands near the charred remains of her home Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. "I'll be darned if I'm gonna let those horses burn in the fire" said Fallon, who stayed on her property to protect her 14 horses, "It has to be true love." All of the horses survived. John Locher/AP Photo
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CHICO, California—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.

Even as hundreds of searchers sift through the rubble in the town of Paradise looking for the dead, nearly 1,300 people remain unaccounted for more than a week after the fire sparked in Butte County, Sheriff Kory Honea announced Saturday night. Authorities stressed that the long roster does not mean they believe all those people are missing as officials need to follow up on many past reports.