SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- The number of people previously declared missing in massive wildfires in north California has been cut to about 180 after 57 were found alive, an official said Tuesday.
They were found in a county north of San Francisco hit the hardest by the most devastating fires in California history, said Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano.
The people who were reported missing and then found had lost contact with their loved ones as a result of cell phone towers being destroyed in the blaze in Sonoma County, which is a drive of about 70 km from San Francisco, Giordano said.
Giodano said many people have been reported missing from nursing homes, adding that a team of police officers will begin to excavate bodies possibly buried in the charred rubble Tuesday evening.
The deadly wildfires in north California have, by Tuesday, killed 15 people and injured hundreds of others, who were treated for burns and smoke inhalation in hospitals.
The local KRON4 TV station showed thousands of structures, including business facilities, hospitals and homes, had been burned and leveled to the ground by the flames.
More than 3,000 people remain in shelters as about 20 wildfires have burned through 115,000 acres across California.
Sonoma Raceway, a major car-racing venue in west California, has announced that it will open its 50 Acres campground, its largest facility, to evacuees seeking temporary refuge from the wildland blazes beginning Tuesday afternoon. The raceway is equipped to handle up to 2,000 campers during its major event weekends.
Wildfires statewide have also left at least 2,000 structures destroyed, officials announced at a California Office of Emergency Services press conference.
Tens of thousands of households are without power in Sonoma County, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company is working to restore power to 50,260 customers impacted by the wildfires in the county.
Many schools in the most-impacted counties remain closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and Sonoma State University has suspended classes for Wednesday, while Santa Rosa Junior College will be closed through Sunday.
