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A full accounting of the loss of life in Northern California’s wildfires has been agonizingly slow to emerge.

The death toll stood at 23 late Wednesday, officials said, up from 17 a day before.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people are reported missing. What proportion of those might be casualties was unclear. But officials said many of the reports are likely a consequence of severed cellphone coverage.

During a news conference on Wednesday, Rob Giordano, the Sonoma County sheriff, said teams had not yet been deployed to search the rubble for bodies.

Strong winds kicked up again on Wednesday, forcing new evacuations. Altogether, 22 wildfires were burning across the state.