Amid harrowing tales of escape, death toll climbs to 15 as Northern California fires continue to rage

NAPA, Calif. - The death toll from the Northern California fires continued to rise Tuesday, reaching a confirmed total of 15 as multiple fires scorched upward of 100,000 acres.

Sonoma County alone has received about 200 reports of missing people since Sunday night, and sheriff's officials have located 45 of those people, said county spokeswoman Maggie Fleming.

The majority of the fatalities are from Sonoma County, where huge swaths of the city of Santa Rosa were leveled by the Tubbs fire. Nine people have died in Sonoma County as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, Fleming said. Two people have died in Napa County, three in Mendocino County and one in Yuba County, Cal Fire officials said.

Vice President Mike Pence said in a visit to California's emergency management headquarters that President Donald Trump has approved a "major disaster declaration" for California. When he spoke, 13 people had been confirmed dead.

"Let me first say our hearts and the hearts of every American go out to the families of the 13