California wildfires missing people tally surges to 630 as 63 confirmed dead

The number of people unaccounted for due to the California wildfires has surged to 630.



The blazes, which have completely destroyed the northern Californian town of Paradise, are the deadliest and most destructive the state has ever witnessed.



At least 63 people have been confirmed dead in the Camp Fire, which erupted a week ago in the drought-parched Sierra foothills, and now ranks as one of the most lethal single US wildfires since the turn of the last century.



The high death toll is down to the staggering speed with which the wind-driven flames sped through Paradise, which has a population of 27,000.



Nearly 12,000 homes and buildings, including most of the town, were incinerated last Thursday night hours after the blaze erupted, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has said.