Five things to know a dozen days into California's horrific Camp Fire

John Bacon | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Camp Fire survivor describes her terrifying evacuation Evacuees from Northern California describe an "apocalyptic" scene as they fled the deadly Camp Fire.

The wildfire that essentially destroyed the Northern California city of Paradise continued to burn Monday while search teams sifted through the ashes looking for more victims.

A total of 699 people, down from nearly 1,000 this weekend, were listed as missing Monday night, and Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea has urged area residents to see whether they or their friends or family members are on the list. Honea hopes the list will shrink quickly as residents check in to say they are safe.

Honea also said the death toll may never be known.

Here are five important things to know about the Camp Fire.

It started as a brush fire

The Camp Fire ignited Nov. 8 in the brush of a rugged canyon in the parched foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. At first inaccessible, the small blaze near unpaved Camp Fire Road in Butte County was whipped by wind gusts and quickly became an inferno. It raced through the tinder-dry brush undeterred as it rolled into Paradise, population 27,000, and nearby communities. At its peak the inferno swallowed up the equivalent of 60 football fields per minute.

Utility scrutinized as cause is probed

Cal Fire lists the cause as under investigation. A Pacific Gas & Electric high-voltage power line has come under scrutiny, however, because it malfunctioned about 15 minutes before the fire was first spotted nearby. The company said it filed an "initial electric incident report" with state regulators, adding that "there has been no determination on the cause of the Camp Fire."

Death, destruction tolls keep rising

Authorities have confirmed 79 deaths and are continuing to sift through the ashes of burned-out homes and businesses for more remains. As of 7 p.m. Monday, Cal Fire reported that 11,713 residences, 472 businesses and 3,388 barns, sheds and other buildings have burned in the blaze. Search teams "will use their specialized human and canine skills to assist the Butte County Sheriff in the search for missing victims," Cal Fire said.

The fire isn't out yet

The fire was 70 percent contained on Monday night, Cal Fire said. As a result, almost 14,500 more homes, businesses and other buildings remained threatened. Almost 400 fire trucks, 17 helicopters and more than 4,700 firefighters were battling the blaze. The good news and bad news was that rain was forecast for Wednesday through Friday. "The rain is definitely going to have a positive effect on fire suppression activity," Forest Service spokesman Brian Ramsey said. But the totals, 2-4 inches, could be too much of a good thing – ash flows, mudslides and flooding could result.

Resettlement could take years

Hundreds of residents left homeless are living in tent cities. Others have found temporary shelter with friends or relatives. But resettling everyone could take years. Ed Mayer, executive director of the Butte County Housing Authority, said the percentage of rentals available before the Camp Fire was a meager 2 percent or less. The fire has turned the housing problem into a crisis, he said. “We have a long resettlement effort on our hands,” Mayer said. “We can’t have these folks living in tents in the Walmart parking lot for the next five to seven years."

Contributing: Damon Arthur, Redding (Calif.) Record Searchlight