A deadline extension and an aggressive effort to track down victims have doubled the number of damage claims against Pacific Gas & Electric over California wildfires started by its equipment.

A filing Tuesday related to the giant utility’s bankruptcy case said more than 80,000 people were now seeking to tap into a relief fund projected to total $13.5 billion.

In his report, a court-appointed accountant charged with identifying and finding additional wildfire victims attributed the increased number of claims to, among other things, “grass-roots campaign efforts of the fire victims themselves.”

Less than three weeks before the previous Oct. 31 deadline, The New York Times reported that about 31,500 victims had filed claims but that 70,000 others could lose out on benefits if they did not act quickly.