Wildfire Death Toll Rises As Search For Missing Continues

Authorities have identified only a fraction of the dozens of victims of a wildfire that has decimated the Town of Paradise. Jesus Fernandez, a 48-year-old Concow resident nicknamed “Zeus,” and his beloved dog “King” had been missing since the fire broke out Thursday. Family friend Myrna Pascua told The Sacramento Bee that Fernandez’s son was informed Monday that his father was found pinned between two cars. The daughter of one of the three named victims says that 63-year-old Ernie Foss Jr. was a musician and former San Francisco resident who shared his love of music with others. Angela Loo told KTVU-TV on Sunday that the family is devastated by the death of her father. She says Foss moved to the town of Paradise eight years ago because of the San Francisco Bay Area’s high cost of living. Loo says he taught music from their home near the city’s famous Haight Street and turned their living room into a studio. Foss and his dog, Bernice, were found outside their home on a street where several other victims were also found. Foss had advanced lymphedema and could not walk. The son of another man who died in the Camp Fire says his father will be buried next to his wife in a cemetery in the small town where he died. The Butte County sheriff’s office identified 77-year-old Carl Wiley of Magalia as one of at least 48 who died in the fire. James Wiley says his father was a tire recapper for Michelin and described him as a stoic figure. The elder Wiley will share a headstone with his wife, Mary Lee. She died of cancer nearly three decades ago.

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