The search for remains of victims in the charred ruins of the Northern California town of Paradise was set to intensify on Wednesday, while firefighters stepped up their nearly week-long efforts to contain the state's deadliest-ever wildfire.
A National Guard contingent of 100 military police trained to seek and identify human remains will reinforce coroner-led recovery teams, cadaver dogs and forensic anthropologists already scouring the ghostly landscape, left by a fire that has killed at least 48 people, some burned beyond recognition.
Two hundred twenty-eight had been listed as missing, but on Tuesday night local county sheriff Kory Honea said those numbers were highly fluid as some individuals may simply have fallen out of touch during chaotic evacuations.