With the Camp Fire's death toll now at 71, the list of those missing from the fire zone has grown to 1,011 names, though that may change after authorities follow up with families, officials cautioned.
The Camp Fire -- the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in state history -- has destroyed about 9,800 homes and scorched 148,000 acres since sparking November 8. It was 55% contained as of Saturday morning.
Meantime, three more deaths were reported in the Woolsey Fire in Southern California, bringing the statewide death toll from the wildfires to 74.
More than 230,000 acres have burned in California in the past week -- an area larger than Chicago and Boston combined. In the past 30 days, firefighters have battled more than 500 blazes, said Cal Fire, the state's forestry and fire protection agency.
President Donald Trump will get a first-hand glimpse of the despair Saturday as he visits the region. Gov. Jerry Brown and Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom plan to accompany him.
'A lot of people don't know ... we're looking for them'
Even as the list of those missing in the Camp Fire has ballooned, it's hard to tell exactly how many people truly are lost, officials have said.
Hundreds of deputies, National Guard troops, coroners and anthropologists are sifting through leveled homes and mangled cars for remains.
Officer Matthew Gates of Paradise, California, searched for two days through ash and collapsed buildings for the remains of a woman who, her son thought, likely had been driving on a jammed road that hundreds used to flee Camp Fire.
Gates finally came across her at an evacuee shelter.
"She had burns up her arms, and I knew it was her," the officer told CNN affiliate KRCR. "I went and gave her a hug because I've been looking for her body."
Investigators have combined all the information they've gotten from callers since the fire erupted to compile their list of the missing, Butte County Sheriff and Coroner Kory Honea said Friday. Some names appear more than once, and some may be duplicates.
Some who may have evacuated can't be reached because cell phone service is unreliable, while others haven't reached out to relatives, Honea said. Many may not know someone is searching for them.
"I want you to understand that there are a lot of people displaced, and we're finding that a lot of people don't know that we're looking for them," he said earlier this week.
If people find their own or loved ones' names on the list at the Butte County Sheriff's Office's website, they should call the sheriff's office, Honea said.
Authorities are also trying to reach those who called 911 to verify they've made contact with their loved ones, said Sgt. Steve Collins of the Butte County Sheriff's Office.
"We're asking people to call us if they do come in contact with their loved one so that we don't spend time looking for somebody that's already found," he said.
'I see flashbacks of the fire'
A week after her family narrowly escaped as the Camp Fire closed in on the town of Paradise, Whitney Vaughan said she feels like giving up.
Everything she and her husband, Grady, own is gone, along with a home they were renting, "a quirky older house with lots of character and lots of room" for their six kids, she said.
The children can stay with relatives, but she and her husband have nowhere to go, Vaughan said. One night, they drove from town to town in search of a motel.
"So, now we are homeless, have no money, are trying to find a place," Vaughan said. "And if that isn't bad enough, when I do close my eyes, I see flashbacks of the fire and the people trapped on our streets. The explosions and the screams will never be a sound that I can forget."
Vaughan worries about how she's going to explain to her kids that she'll likely have to move away while they find some stability, she said.
"There are just too many people in the same situation," she said. "I don't know what to do anymore. We have nowhere to turn. ... This fire has changed us in ways I can never explain."
3 deaths in Southern California
The Woolsey Fire burning in Southern California has destroyed 836 structures in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, Cal Fire said.
More than 98,000 acres have been burned since the blaze began November 8, while evacuees remain in shelters, and portions of Malibu and nearby areas must be rebuilt, officials said. It was 82% contained on Saturday morning, Cal Fire reported.
More than 3,300 firefighters are making progress against the massive wildfire, which had been only 67% contained a day earlier.
Smoke from the wildfire has prompted several universities to cancel or postpone sporting events. That includes the University of California, Berkeley men's basketball game, which was called off Thursday night, and its Saturday football game, which was rescheduled for December 1.
In the midst of despair, hope remains. The mayor of Paradise told CNN Saturday that she is committed to rebuilding her town, as is the town council.
"Paradise is not gone," Jody Jones said, citing a friend's Facebook post. "It's just closed for remodeling."
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