California Turns to War-Zone DNA Test to ID Fire Remains
- ANDE’s analysis technology can get results in 2 hours or less
- Rapid DNA machine was developed for war zones and crime scenes
Butte County and Fresno County Sheriff officers prepare to remove the remains of a victim of the Camp Fire in Magalia, California, on Nov. 15.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergAuthorities in California have turned to a DNA-testing technology designed for war zones to help identify the charred remains of victims of the state’s deadliest fire in a century.
At least 77 people are dead and more than 900 remain missing after the Camp Fire swept through the Sierra foothills town of Paradise, destroying more than 11,000 homes and scorching an area hundreds of square miles wide. Many victims were burned beyond recognition, making identifying remains a difficult task using traditional DNA-analysis techniques. Those samples typically must be shipped off to a laboratory, and the identification process can take weeks -- if it works at all.