California firefighters say rains will aid efforts to contain the wildfires, but will also turn ash on the ground into a thick sludge. Workers will struggle in the mud, and there could be land and mudslides, officials warn. The wildfires have so far claimed a total of at least 80 lives. The fire in northern California, which has destroyed at least 10,500 homes in the town of Paradise, with nearly 1,000 people still unaccounted for, is unlikely to be fully contained before the end of November. Sheriff Kory Honea said it was possible that the full death toll in Paradise may never be known.