Victims mourned as toll hits 77 in California wildfire

The toll from the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history rose further on Sunday to 77, the sheriff's office said, after a vigil to honor the victims.

“One human remain was located today,” raising the toll by one in the so-called Camp Fire which broke out 10 days earlier in northern California, a statement from the Butte County Sheriff said, following US President Donald Trump's visit on Saturday to survey the devastation.

On Sunday, mourners gathered at First Christian Church in Chico, near the incinerated community of Paradise, to hold a tearful vigil for the fire's victims.

Jacob Saylors, 11, walks through the burned remains of his home in Paradise, California on November 18, 2018 (AFP)

“Of the 77 fatalities, we have tentatively identified 67 individuals,” the sheriff's office said.

The number of people unaccounted for has fallen to 993, from a peak that exceeded 1,200, the statement added.

More than 10,000 homes have been destroyed in the blaze which has devoured an area roughly the size of Chicago, and essentially wiped Paradise off the map.

Thousands fled and many found temporary refuge at churches or in tents.

- AFP