The Camp Fire that has been ravaging Butte County in Northern California and has claimed more than 70 lives is 55 percent contained, according to a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) incident update on Saturday morning.
That containment percentage is a slight improvement from the last report 7 p.m. Friday, when the wildfire was 50 percent contained. Full containment is not expected until November 30.
It has burned 148,000 acres the report, issued at 7 a.m., states -- roughly the size of Chicago. The majority of the town of Paradise has been destroyed and the entire population of about 27,000 people were forced to evacuate.
According to the report, firefighters overnight continued to battle "moderate fire behavior due to critically dry fuels and gusty canyon winds."
"Throughout the day firefighters will work to strengthen containment lines while also preparing for projected increased winds and a red Flag Warning this weekend," the report states. "Work continues in interior areas of the fire extinguishing hot spots and removing the many hazards that still exist."
A map of the Camp Fire provided by CAL FIRE can be found here.
There have been 71 civilian fatalities reported, making it the deadliest wildfire the nation has seen in a century. In addition, three firefighters have been injured. More than 1,000 are missing.
Property damage includes 9,700 single residences destroyed, 114 multiple residences destroyed, 336 commercial structures destroyed and 2,076 other minor structures destroyed. Another 15,500 structures have been threatened by the flames.
#CampFire [update] Pulga Road at Camp Creek Road near Jarbo Gap (Butte County) is now 148,000 acres and 55% contained. Unified Command: CAL FIRE, @ButteSheriff , Paradise Police Department, and the USFS.https://t.co/CJkryyPNVZ pic.twitter.com/plf1bnFg7J
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) November 17, 2018
The blaze in Butte County started as a vegetation fire on the morning of November 8 at Pulga Road and Camp Creek Road.
President Donald Trump departed Washington, D.C., for California on Saturday morning to see the wildfire damage first-hand.
Trump a week ago on Twitter threatened to stop federal money from flowing to California.
"There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor," he wrote. "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!"
The president later gave his approval for a federal disaster declaration.
Other wildfires besides the Camp Fire are ravaging California. They include the Morgan Fire in Contra Costa County near San Francisco and the Woolsey Fire and the Hill Fire in Ventura County near Los Angeles. The Woolsey Fire has killed three people.
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