The death toll from wildfires raging in California rose to 31 after six more people were found killed in what is poised to become the deadliest wildfire in state history.

Officials said the bodies of five people were found in their burned-out homes and the sixth was found in a vehicle in northern California’s Camp Fire, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told reporters on Sunday evening.

More than 200 people are still unaccounted for, Honea said.

The devastation was so complete in some neighborhoods that “it’s very difficult to determine whether or not there may be human remains there”, he said. 

The so-called Camp Fire in the northern part of the state has claimed at least 29 lives since it broke out on Thursday. Hundreds of kilometres to the south at least two people died in the Woolsey conflagration threatening the wealthy beach community of Malibu, near Los Angeles.

Looting was reported in the southern fire area and arrests were made, police reported.

Exponential spread 

Hot dry winds expected to blow until Tuesday whipped up the flames and heightened the urgency of evacuation orders, officials said.

“We are entering a new normal. The rate of spread is exponentially more than it used to be,” said Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen, noting at a news conference that California’s fires in 2018 grow far more quickly than they did even 10 years ago.

Several officials urged residents to heed evacuation orders.

Sol Bechtold drove from shelter to shelter looking for his mother, Joanne Caddy, a 75-year-old widow whose house burned down along with the rest of her neighborhood in Magalia, just north of Paradise. She lived alone and did not drive.

“I’m also under a dark emotional cloud. Your mother’s somewhere and you don’t know where she’s at. You don’t know if she’s safe,” he said.

‘Get smart’

With proper Forest Management, we can stop the devastation constantly going on in California. Get Smart!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 11, 2018

The Camp Fire burned down more than 6,700 homes and businesses in Paradise, more structures than any other California wildfire on record, and the death toll, which could rise, also makes it one of the deadliest.

Its death toll now equals that of the Griffith Park Fire in 1933, the deadliest wildfire on record in California.

President Donald Trump, on a trip to France, said in a Twitter post early Sunday, “With proper Forest Management, we can stop the devastation constantly going on in California. Get Smart!”

The Republican president has previously blamed California officials for fires and threatened to withhold funding, saying the state should do more to remove rotten trees and other debris that fuel blazes.

State officials have blamed climate change and said many of the burn areas have been in federally managed lands.

Ronnie O’Sullivan fended off a Kyren Wilson comeback to win a dramatic Champion of Champions final 10-9.

O’Sullivan lost the first frame before reeling off five in a row on the way to taking a 6-3 lead after the first session, in which he hit two tons.

Wilson reduced the arrears to 6-5 and, after going 8-5 behind, won four frames in a row to go 9-8 up.

O’Sullivan took it to a decider and, after both players had chances, hit a 110 break to win the title.

The victory earned the 42-year-old the £100,000 first prize, with Wilson collecting half that amount as runner-up.

O’Sullivan gets ‘lucky’ after ambitious double

Wilson, 26, was on the brink of victory on a break of 61 when 9-8 up only to miss a red.

In response, his rival got to 37 before the end of his break when he failed to move a red off the cushion.

In frustration, O’Sullivan went for an ambitious double and, even though he missed, he left Wilson snookered.

Wilson escaped from the snooker but left the red and O’Sullivan went on to clear up and take the frame to send the match into a decider.

The final frame had plenty of drama. Wilson potted a black and red at the same time as well as leaving a red over the pocket.

O’Sullivan, meanwhile, committed a foul when his waistcoat touched a red before knocking in a century to emerge as the winner and claim the title for a third time.

“We didn’t play great,” said O’Sullivan. “I know he can play better and I know I can play better.

“For me, I am just pleased to be competing. If I win I win and, if I don’t, I don’t. It’s just nice to be playing.

“I was lucky. He should’ve won it. I got away with that double.”

Wilson said: “It’s hard. He was my hero growing up. I just wanted to make a bit of a fight of it and it was a bit of sickener to lose like that.

“At the interval, I just thought I want to make a fight of it and have a bit of a close match.”

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Ain’t it great when things just work out?

Like the latest trailer for Nintendo’s upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which perfectly syncs up with Queen’s classic 1978 hit “Don’t Stop Me Now.”

This magic little match was realised by YouTuber Fennec Fox, who perfectly timed and edited the track and the trailer together for your viewing pleasure.

Two enthusiastic thumbs up for the supersonic timing of Sonic the Hedgehog’s arrival.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is out on Nintendo Switch Dec. 7.

“Oh my word, what a team goal! They must have kept it for 50-60 passes.”

Actually, Robbie Savage, it was *just* the 44 passes as Ilkay Gundogan finished off a superb team move to seal the Manchester derby in City’s favour. Still, not bad.

Over the course of a minute and 55 seconds – or 2.13% of the entire game – the hosts produced neat one-touch moves, triangles and dynamic runs, leaving the Red Devils chasing shadows.

And what a time to bring it together, with Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United seeking an equaliser in the closing stages after Anthony Martial had halved the deficit to 2-1 at Etihad Stadium.

There was no passing it about at the back, or dilly-dallying with goalkeeper Ederson – nearly every pass in the move happened in either the middle or final third, before working it to Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling and finally Gundogan, who pulled the trigger.

“The reason to pass the ball is to move the opponent,” City boss Pep Guardiola said afterwards. “To just pass the ball makes no sense.”

The move left Match of the Day 2 pundit Alan Shearer purring. “It was incredible, absolutely magnificent,” Shearer said.

“City were full of confidence, and everyone knows what their plan was there – they knew they were keeping hold of the game, to try and get United to come at them.

“United didn’t really want to press them – it was half-hearted and, if you do that against City, they will punish you.

“If you give their guys that time on the ball – time to take a touch, to turn, to pick their head up and play their passes when they want to – they will do exactly what they did to United.”

In time-honoured tradition, social media went into meltdown.

Former Manchester City playmaker Rodney Marsh called it “THE perfect goal”, while BBC Match of the Day host Gary Lineker said City “really are one hell of a side”.

Others just went straight in on the gifs…

But it’s not all bad for the red half of Manchester. City’s move was one short of the 45 produced by United for a Juan Mata goal against Southampton in 2015.

City have previous as well, sticking 52 passes together in scoring against West Brom in the Carabao Cup last season.

Your comments on Manchester City’s 44-pass goal:

Sonsofpunjab: Man Utd and Man City may be in the city but are worlds apart when it comes to football…. City so so good, Utd so so awful.

Andrew Reyes: In truth, City are on another planet compared to United.

David: Brilliant play and control by City. No comparison in the two teams. Well done City!

Image: TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images

In another instance of a Hollywood figure finding words they apparently never said printed in a feature, iconic Italian composer Ennio Morricone has denied talking trash about director Quentin Tarantino in an interview.

The lauded Hollywood composer has issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter denying that he gave the interview to the German edition of Playboy, and that he harshly criticised The Hateful Eight director in said interview.

The Playboy feature has Morricone not only dismissing events like the Oscars, but calling Tarantino names and accusing the director of borrowing ideas.

The 90-year-old composer, who has worked with Tarantino during his career, recently writing the Oscar-winning film score for The Hateful Eight, says the interview is entirely fabricated.

“I have never expressed any negative statements about the Academy, Quentin, or his films — and certainly do not consider his films garbage,” reads the statement published by THR.

“I consider Tarantino a great director. I am very fond of my collaboration with him and the relationship we have developed during the time we have spent together,” he added. “I credit our collaboration responsible for getting me an Oscar, which is for sure one of the greatest acknowledgments of my career.”

Here’s the full statement:

It has come to my attention that Playboy Germany has come out with an article in which I have stated extremely negative comments about Tarantino and his films, and the Academy. I have never expressed any negative statements about the Academy, Quentin, or his films — and certainly do not consider his films garbage. I have given a mandate to my lawyer in Italy to take civil and penal action.

I consider Tarantino a great director. I am very fond of my collaboration with him and the relationship we have developed during the time we have spent together. He is courageous and has an enormous personality. I credit our collaboration responsible for getting me an Oscar, which is for sure one of the greatest acknowledgments of my career, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity to compose music for his film.

In London, during a press conference in front of Tarantino, I clearly stated that I consider Quentin one of the greatest directors of this time, and I would never speak poorly of the Academy — an important institution that has given to me two of the most important acknowledgments of my career.

As detailed in Morricone’s statement, the composer is looking into taking legal action on the matter.

Mashable has reached out to Playboy for comment.

A teenage jockey was lucky to escape serious injury as he obliviously jogged around a course as racehorses sped towards him.

Evan Daly, 18, narrowly avoided being trampled when running in his tracksuit on the track at Navan, Republic of Ireland, as the runners and riders competed in a novice hurdle race.

Daly, who was riding later in the meeting, initially did not hear the horses approaching as he was listening to music on his earphones, and had to swerve to the right at the last minute.

The jockey was cautioned by stewards at the course.

Their report said: “The stewards enquired into the reason why ET Daly, rider, was jogging on the racing line in the back straight during the running of this race.

“Evidence was heard from the rider concerned who apologised for what had occurred.

“Having considered all the evidence, the stewards cautioned the rider to be more careful when out on the course in future.”

Daly, from County Galway, was the first jockey born in the 21st Century to ride a winner on an Irish racecourse when he triumphed aboard Roibeard at Fairyhouse in 2016.

Jockeys often run around tracks before racing to lose weight and get an idea of the conditions, but it is thought Daly made a mistake over the race schedule.

The two-mile Grade Three contest was won by Aramon, for trainer Willie Mullins.

The Gordon Elliott-trained favourite Apple’s Jade returned to action with victory in the Lismullen Hurdle but it was overshadowed for owners Gigginstown House Stud after Identity Thief suffered a fatal injury.

Ballyoisin, trained by Enda Bolger, was an impressive winner of the Fortria Chase.

Roger Federer paid for his errors as he lost to Japan’s Kei Nishikori in his opening group match at the ATP Finals.

The Swiss, chasing a 100th career title at the season-ending event, lost 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 to the world number nine.

The normally unflappable Federer showed uncharacteristic frustration, while a calm Nishikori sealed victory when the Swiss hit a wild forehand.

World number one Novak Djokovic opens his campaign against John Isner at the O2 Arena in London on Monday.

Federer hit 34 unforced errors – and was given a warning by the umpire for swiping a ball into the stands in the first set – in a performance that he will be keen to forget.

The 37-year-old will be back in action on Tuesday when he faces Dominic Thiem, who lost to Kevin Anderson earlier on Sunday.

It is the fourth time Federer has lost his opening match at the event, but he can take some comfort from the fact that in 2007 he still went on to win the title.

Frustrated Federer

Federer began the match calmly and he put pressure on the Nishikori serve in the fourth game, taking him to deuce. But as his errors began to mount, his mood visibly soured.

Nishikori looked like he would run away with the tie-break, forging a 6-1 lead before Federer clawed it back to 6-4, but the Swiss then sent a forehand into the net to hand the set to the Japanese player.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion grew increasingly frustrated with himself, while Nishikori simply grew in confidence.

Having traded early breaks in the second, the Japanese player broke in the sixth game to go 4-2 up and then served to love in the following game.

More Federer errors gave Nishikori three match points and one final mis-hit forehand way beyond the baseline handed him victory.

“I’m glad to win, it is never easy to play with my idol, it is always a big challenge against him, so it was great to win,” said Nishikori, who has reached the semi-finals here twice.

What went wrong for Federer?

Federer pointed to a combination of nerves and the surface for his below-par showing, which followed a good run of results where he had won the title in Basel and reached the semi-finals in Shanghai and Paris.

“The court here plays differently, definitely slower than the last few tournaments I’ve played. So everyone is making minor adjustments, including me,” he said.

“I’ve been feeling fine, just practice was a bit all over the place, practising at Queen’s, practising on outside courts here and at Centre [at Wimbledon] as well, so it was not always the same conditions.

“Overall I’m hitting the ball alright, the warm-up was fine.

“Maybe both of us had a bit of nerves too, not knowing how to attack second serves, trying to get the right feel for it. We both struggled to get that early.”

Federer is chasing a record-extending seventh title at the tournament, having last won the title in 2011.

His chances had been improved by the withdrawal through injury of world number two Rafael Nadal and number four Juan Martin del Potro, but the favourite for the title before a ball had even been hit was Djokovic.

And as if to hammer the point home, the Serb appeared at the O2 Arena on Sunday afternoon to collect his trophy for sealing the year-end world number one ranking sporting a golden number one on his white top.

Analysis

Former British number one Tim Henman on BBC TV

The way Federer has played throughout his whole career, he has made it look ridiculously easy. This was not easy and it’s a shock for people to see.

I said before the match, for Nishikori to win, Federer had to play way below par and that’s what happened.

Federer never found his rhythm from the back of the court. Nishikori is not a great server, but Federer didn’t make a break point in the first set.

Time and time again we saw errors from the back of the court and not getting his feet into the right areas.

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

Federer had won his last 11 round-robin matches at the ATP Finals, but produced an erratic performance which hugely complicates his passage to the semi-finals. After Nishikori recovered from 5-6 0-30 down with the help of an extraordinarily athletic backhand half volley to win the first set on a tie-break 7-4, he was the stronger and more confident player.

Serving and volleying at opportune moments, Nishikori ended a run of six consecutive defeats against Federer.

The private space race is heating up.

U.S. and New Zealand spaceflight company Rocket Lab successfully completed its first commercial launch called “It’s Business Time” on Sunday, sending seven payloads to orbit.

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula at 4:50 p.m., shortly reaching orbit afterward.

On board was seven spacecraft, which mostly comprised of small satellites and one drag sail called NABEO, which is designed to deorbit inactive, small satellites to help reduce space junk.

Electron is designed to carry smaller payloads around 150 to 225 kg (330 to 495 lb), and the company intends to start ramping up its launches in 2019. 

Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck told CNBC the aim is to start launching once a month, before moving up to “one every two weeks.”

The launch of “It’s Business Time” was originally scheduled for June, but was postponed after a glitch within a part was spotted during pre-launch operations. Sunday’s launch follows the success of its second test flight in January, where it deployed three satellites.

“The world is waking up to the new normal. With the Electron launch vehicle, rapid and reliable access to space is now a reality for small satellites,” Beck said in a statement.

“We’re thrilled to be leading the small satellite launch industry by reaching orbit a second time and deploying more payloads. The team carried out a flawless flight with incredibly precise orbital insertion.”

Rocket Lab won’t have much time to rest. Its next launch, the ELaNa XIX mission for NASA, is slated to take off in December.

Watch the quirkiest moments from the FA Cup first round so far, including Guiseley’s sensational win over Cambridge United and a brilliant goal from Doncaster’s Herbie Kane.

WATCH MORE: Saturday’s funnies – world’s worst free-kick, burgers, shocks & FA Cup funnies

Watch all the FA Cup second-round goals here.

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Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic said referee Paul Tierney showed “disrespect” to his team after disallowing a header from Aleksandar Mitrovic, which allowed Mohamed Salah to score 14 seconds later for Liverpool.

Replays showed the decision for Mitrovic’s effort was a borderline call, with Liverpool left-back Andrew Robertson appearing to be in line with the Serbia forward.

The decision angered Jokanovic, whose team remain bottom of the Premier League after their sixth successive defeat.

“When I check the clips now it’s Robertson (who) hasn’t done a good enough job to squeeze up and my player is onside and scored the goal,” he said.

“In one moment, a crucial moment, instead of 1-0 up we’re 1-0 down.

“We can talk about this situation for hours, but the damage is done. It’s a completely absurd situation to defend.

“In this country normally you cannot show disrespect to the referee and this is a problem because it’s shown disrespect to my team, myself and Fulham supporters.”

Salah’s goal came after goalkeeper Alisson initiated a lightening counter attack, with the Egyptian running unopposed from the halfway line to open the scoring.

“We were a bit lucky and maybe because of Robbo it is not 100% offside because of his heel,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Xherdan Shaqiri’s cushioned finish in the second half confirmed victory for the Reds who equalled their best start to a Premier League season, which came in 2002-03.

Liverpool and Salah approaching their best?

Klopp has maintained his Liverpool team are not yet at their free-flowing best – and that in itself should swell confidence around Anfield.

This victory ensured the Reds remain unbeaten after 12 league outings, eight points better off than at the same time last term and well placed to challenge for the league title.

Last season Liverpool toiled against the bottom three, drawing twice against West Brom, once against Stoke and losing at Swansea.

But Salah, who has now scored five goals and provided five assists in 633 minutes against newly promoted teams, helped to ensure the outcome of this fixture was not in question.

The Egyptian had scored nine times at the same stage last term but his performance against Fulham, where he registered his sixth goal of the campaign, suggested he is not far from replicating his best form.

The 26-year-old instigated a glorious early exchange with Roberto Firmino to carve the visitors’ defence apart, only to see Rico react well to save at his feet.

And that was a precursor to what was to follow, with Rico again saving from the Egyptian before he broke clear to open the scoring.

“The most important thing is reacting quick in that situation and it was brilliant: Alisson, Trent (Alexander-Arnold), Mo and done,” Klopp added.

Revised style sees Fulham improve

Fulham, whose expansive style of play proved so successful in the Championship last season, have yet to deliver results against clubs in the Premier League.

The Cottagers, who spent more than £100m on players in the summer, arrived at Anfield with the worst defensive record in the league, having conceded 29 goals from their opening 11 fixtures.

That prompted Jokanovic into a rethink as he deployed four central defenders in a revised system and fended off pre-match questions about his team selection.

And after early teething problems – with Sadio Mane firing wide from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross – Fulham grew into the game.

Happy to concede possession and sit deep, the visitors could have delivered the perfect riposte of a goal when Ryan Sessegnon was sent clear by Mitrovic’s flick-on.

The England under-21 winger, who covered more ground (12.22km) than any other player during the course of the afternoon, guided his shot wide of the right-hand post.

German forward Andre Schurrle then tested Alisson and Mitrovic failed to connect properly with a shot from 10 yards out.

When the Serbia forward powered a header past Alisson from Tom Cairney’s cross it appeared as though Jokanovic’s strategy might yield an unlikely dividend.

Instead the visitors, who managed the same number of shots on target as Liverpool in the first half, were undone by a moment of naivety with Denis Odoi’s attempt to catch Salah offside.

Man of the match – Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Fulham close unwanted Barnsley record – the stats

• Liverpool have picked up 30 points from their opening 12 Premier League games (W9 D3 L0) – their joint-best total at this stage in the competition (level with 2002-03).
• Fulham have conceded 31 goals from their first 12 league games this season; only Barnsley in 1997-98 conceded more goals at this stage of a Premier League campaign (35).
• Fulham have taken one point from their past 19 Premier League games against the ‘big six’ sides (W0 D1 L18), losing all four games this season by an aggregate score of 2-13.
• Liverpool have won all nine home Premier League games under Jurgen Klopp against newly promoted teams, scoring 27 goals and conceding just three.
• Liverpool have kept 10 clean sheets in 14 Premier League games at Anfield in 2018; as many as they’d kept in the past calendar year (10 clean sheets in 21 home league games).
• Xherdan Shaqiri has either scored or assisted in five of his past six games for Liverpool in all competitions (two goals, three assists).

What’s next?

Liverpool travel to Watford for their next Premier League fixture on Saturday, 24 November (15:00 GMT) while Fulham host Southampton on the same day (15:00).