(TNS) - The monstrous North Complex fires claimed another seven lives in Butte County, bringing the death toll to 10 on Thursday as search crews looked for 26 people who have not been heard from.

In one case, investigators asked relatives of a missing 16-year-old boy to provide DNA samples, which helped confirm that one of the dead was their loved one, Josiah Williams, of Berry Creek.

“We are at a complete loss for words right now,” his aunt, Bobbie Zedaker, told The Chronicle late Thursday night.

The wildfires tore into rural Butte County towns, devastating several communities, including Berry Creek and Feather Falls, on Tuesday and continued to burn Thursday.

Butte County sheriff’s Capt. Derek Bell reported the additional deaths in a Thursday evening news conference, 24 hours after his boss, Sheriff Kory Honea, announced the first three.

“We’re still investigating the circumstances of these deaths,” he said. “(We) want to make sure that the notification to next of kin is done in the most respectful manner we can do it.”

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