Death toll from northern California wildfire climbs to 48

Photo taken on Nov. 10, 2018 shows remains of a construction destroyed by fire in Malibu, California, the United States. [Photo/Xinhua]

The death toll from the raging Camp Fire in the U.S. state of California has increased to 48 as rescuers continue to search for missing residents in and around the town of Paradise, local authorities said Tuesday.

An additional six bodies were discovered Tuesday in the town, which had been almost totally burned down by the deadliest fire in the state's history, said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea at a daily media briefing.

All the six victims were found in their homes, the officer said.

More than 200 people were still missing as a result of the fire and the list of names would be published soon, said Honea.

He also said the recovery teams were using "cutting-edge technology" to identify the badly-burnt bodies.

According to local media, a Rapid DNA-analysis system is set up in the decimated town, equipped with portable devices that can identify someone's genetic material in hours, rather than the days or weeks it takes to test samples in labs.

Xinhua reporters met these teams Tuesday in Paradise, who were scouring ruins wearing white protection suits.

There had been 208 suspicious incidents reported in Camp Fire's evacuation zone, with 18 of them linked to looting, according to an announcement by the Butte County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday. Deputies arrested four suspects on Monday.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) updated details on the fire Tuesday evening, saying it had scorched 130,000 acres (526.1 square km) with 35 percent contained.

More than 5,600 firefighters from other western states in the country are battling the blaze.