Sacramento, November 17 (RHC)-- In the United States, the death toll from the Northern California Camp Fire has risen to at least 71, and authorities are now saying at least 1,000 people are missing -- double the previous count. 

The wildfire has grown to 141,000 acres and destroyed a total of nearly 12,000 structures, including almost 10,000 homes, mostly in the decimated town of Paradise. 

Evacuated residents now face the challenge of finding shelter, as hundreds have taken to camping out in a Wal-Mart parking lot.  The Camp Fire was 40 percent contained by Friday, while the Woolsey Fire in the Los Angeles area is now over 60 percent contained.

In other news, a massive cloud of smoke now hangs over parts of Northern California.  One environmental monitoring group says the region has the worst air quality in the world. Residents and workers in Butte County and surrounding areas have been urged to remain indoors, as schools in Butte County have remained shut since the fire started.  Dozens of schools across the Bay Area will be were closed on Friday due to the poor air quality.