California Fires Death Toll Rises to 50

The death toll in California’s wildfires has taken another giant leap, with a total of 50 people now lost to the disaster.

Northern California has been suffering from three massive wildfires since Thursday, and it could be weeks before they are all contained. As firefighters and first responders make their way through the remains of towns, they are still calling in casualty reports. On Wednesday, CBS News put the state-wide death toll at 50 people.

The majority of these deaths — 48 of them — came from the Camp Fire raging up in Butte County. The other two came from the Woolsey Fire a few hundred miles south in Ventura County, where the Hill Fire is also blazing. The Hill Fire is now 94 percent contained, and officials are hopeful that he Woolsey fire will be out on Sunday.

In addition to those that passed away, over 200 people may be missing. Authorities did not disclose the number of people unaccounted for on Wednesday, though it was over 200 at last count. At least six firefighters have also been injured across the state.

The Camp Fire remains far and away the worst of the three. It has now claimed 135,000 acres of land and over 8,800 structures — 7,600 of which were homes. The fire has been described as “the worst in modern history” by experts, and was fueled by powerful winds.

The Woolsey Fire moved in on Malibu, California — home to some of the wealthiest and most influential people in the entertainment industry. Progress has been fast, as some residents were able to return home at last to see what was left of their property.

At least one of the celebrity victims clashed with law enforcement on her way home. Ireland Baldwin — 23-year-old daughter of Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin — posted a few scathing tweets about police who refused to let her back into her neighborhood on Saturday. According to Baldwin, her ID listed a different address than her Malibu home, and the officer assumed she might be a looter.

“Not only was he a d—, but he had 0 compassion and he literally accused us of being looters and threatened us that we were going to be arrested if we kept giving him trouble,” she wrote.

Many fans responded to tell Baldwin she was looking at things the wrong way, suggesting that she be grateful police were defending against looters. Baldwin returned to social media on Tuesday afternoon with fresh perspective, though she was still angry with the followers who had admonished her during a time of such crisis.

“Rather than telling me to ‘check my privilege’ let’s focus on what’s important,” she wrote. “I couldn’t be more grateful but in times like these, you can try and do your best to show compassion towards people who are struggling.”