© APCoffey Park homes burn in Santa Rosa, California
Raging wildfires in California's wine country have claimed at least 10 lives and forced thousands to flee their homes.
Wildfires whipped by powerful winds have swept through the region, destroying 1,500 homes and businesses as flames raged unchecked through high-end resorts, grocery stores and tree-lined neighbourhoods.
Several fires broke out virtually simultaneously and then spread rapidly overnight, sending residents fleeing as embers rained down and flames raged around them. Two hospitals in Santa Rosa, the largest city in the region with 175,000 people, were forced to evacuate patients.
Later in the day, fires from ruptured gas lines dotted the smoky landscapes of blackened hillsides. Fire trucks raced by smoldering roadside landscaping in search of higher priorities.
The flames were unforgiving throughout the city, torching block after block with little to salvage.
Hundreds of homes in the Fountain Grove area were leveled by flames so hot they melted the glass off of cars and turned aluminum wheels into liquid. One neighbourhood of older homes was scorched, leaving only brick chimneys and downed power lines.
Residents who gathered at emergency shelters and grocery stores said they were shocked by the speed and ferocity of the flames. They recalled all the possessions they had left behind and were lost.
"All that good stuff, I'm never going to see it again," said Jeff Okrepkie, who fled his neighbourhood in Santa Rosa, knowing it was probably the last time he would see his home of the past five years standing.
His worst fears were confirmed on Monday, when a friend sent him a photo of what was left: a smoldering heap of burnt metal and debris.
In the rush to leave, Okrepkie and his wife were able to gather important documents, photos and mementos, like letters from his wife's late father. Still, Okrepkie was tortured by the things he left behind, including a framed photo of his grandfather that his grandmother had carried with her for a decade after he died.
Some of the largest of the 14 blazes burning over a 200-mile region were in Napa and Sonoma counties, home to dozens of wineries that attract tourists from around the world. They sent smoke as far south as San Francisco, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) away. The causes of the fires were unknown.
The fires throughout the region were among the deadliest in California history, and fire officials expected the number of fatalities to increase.
Winds have posed a challenge to firefighters in the state this year despite a relatively wet winter that followed years of drought. The fires that broke out on Sunday burned "at explosive rates" because of 5 mph winds, said Ken Pimlott, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
October has generally been the most destructive time of year for California wildfires. What was unusual on Sunday, however, was to have so many fires take off at the same time.
Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Napa, Sonoma, Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada and Yuba counties. Authorities imposed a sunset-to-sunrise curfew in Santa Rosa, saying they were on the lookout for looters.
The ferocity of the flames forced authorities to focus primarily on getting people out safely, even if it meant abandoning structures to the fire.
Elsewhere in the state, a fire churning through canyons in hilly neighborhoods of Orange County burned at least half a dozen homes and forced residents of about 1,000 homes to evacuate. Brown also declared a state of emergency for Orange County.
The inferno in Northern California blackened miles along Highway 12, one of the main gateways into wine country.
Wooden fence posts and guard rails burned fiercely. Thick smoke roiled from the JR Cohn winery.
The fires also damaged the Silverado Resort in Napa and a Hilton hotel in Santa Rosa.
Kim Hoe, a 33-year-old tech worker from Penang, Malaysia, was staying at the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country, which was gutted by flames. He said the power went out at around 1am, and he and his colleagues started packing up when someone knocked on the door and told them to run.
"We just had to run and run. It was full of smoke. We could barely breathe," he said.
They returned in the morning to find the hotel had been destroyed along with most of their possessions. Mr Hoe was relieved he had taken his passport and a few essential items.
Firefighters rushed to a state home for the severely disabled when flames reached one side of the center's sprawling campus in the historic Sonoma County town of Glen Ellen. Emergency workers leapt from their cars to aid the evacuation.
Crews got the more than 200 people from the threatened buildings, one firefighter said, as flames closed within a few dozen feet.
Mike Turpen, 38, was at a bar in Glen Ellen early on Monday when a stranger wearing a smoke mask ran in and yelled that there was a fire. Mr Turpen raced home through flames in his Ford F-250.
"It was like Armageddon was on," he said. "Every branch of every tree was on fire."
He stayed to try to defend his own rental home.
By late morning, Mr Turpen, wearing shorts, a kerchief mask and goggles, was the last man standing for miles along one abandoned road. His yard and all those around him were burned, smoking and still flaming in a few spots. But his home was still standing.
Comment: Visitors to
Disneyland posted images across social media showing California's famous theme park shrouded in an apocalyptic-looking orange haze as fires raged in the nearby Anaheim Hills.
The death toll from the California wildfires is expected to rise as blazes continue ripping through wine country, officials
said. More than 100 people have been reported missing in Sonoma County, where at least seven people were killed because of the fires, making it one of the most devastating natural disasters in the county's history.
Here are some of the
deadliest wildfires in California state history:
Griffith Park, Los Angeles County (October 1933): 29 dead
Tunnel - Oakland Hills, Alameda County (October 1991): 25 dead
Cedar, San Diego County (October 2003): 15 dead
Rattlesnake, Glenn County (July 1953): 15 dead
Loop, Los Angeles County (November 1966): 12 dead
Inaja, San Diego County (November 1956): 11 dead
Hauser Creek, San Diego County (October 1943): 11 dead
Iron Alps Complex, Trinity County (August 2008): 10 dead
Harris, San Diego County (October 2007): 8 dead
Canyon, Los Angeles County (August 1968): 8 dead
Source: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Update (11 Oct.)The toll from Northern California's ranging wildfires continued to grow as officials said the fires destroyed up to 2,000 structures and killed at least 17 people and fear the death toll will continue to rise. 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.
In Santa Rosa, the Tubbs fire leveled an entire neighborhood, burned a Hilton hotel, turned big-box stores into smoking ruins and prompted the evacuation of two hospitals - Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital and Kaiser's Santa Rosa Medical Center.
The two biggest blazes - the Tubbs fire and the Atlas Peak fire in Napa County - had burned 27,000 and 25,000 acres, respectively, said Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant. Both fires were uncontained, he added. California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for Napa, Sonoma and Yuba counties. More images and videos have been released showing devastating scenes of one of California's deadliest wildfires.
Update (12 Oct.)The death toll has climbed to
23 as wildfires continue to blaze almost completely out of control in California's wine country and firefighters expect weather conditions to take a turn for the worse. More than 20,000 people have headed to evacuation centers across the region, with more leaving their homes as new areas are threatened.
At least 3,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed since the wildfires started Sunday, making them the most destructive blazes in state history. About 8,000 firefighters are working across the state, along with 73 helicopters and 30 air tankers, according to a Cal Fire spokesperson. New resources are set to pour in following a request from California, including 175 engines from neighboring states and dozens more from federal agencies.
Satellite footage from before and after show the widespread destruction the flames have left in its wake.
© Google Earth / NASA
The number of people confirmed dead in wildfires sweeping northern California has climbed to
31, the deadliest in California since 1933, when 29 people died in fires at Griffith Park in Los Angeles.
Hundreds of people remain missing as at least 22 fires rampaged across the state's famous wine country. Strong winds that have fanned the flames eased in recent days, but forecasters warned they were set to pick up again on Friday night.
"We are not even close to being out of this emergency," Mark Ghilarducci, state director of emergency services,
told reporters. State fire chief Ken Pimlott warned of "erratic, shifting winds all weekend".
© BBC
More than 8,000 firefighters continue to battle the flames which have destroyed more than 3,500 buildings and homes over 170,000 acres (68,800 hectares) and displaced about 25,000 people.
Aerial footage shot in Santa Rosa, California on Tuesday showed the extent of damage after wildfires ravaged the area for the second day in a row.
Update (14 Oct.)The scale of the disaster in California has became clearer as authorities said the fires had chased an estimated 90,000 people from their homes and destroyed at least 5,700 homes and businesses. The death toll rose to
36, making this the
deadliest and most destructive series of wildfires in California history.In all, 17 large fires still burned across the northern part of the state, with more than 9,000 firefighters attacking the flames using air tankers, helicopters and more than 1,000 fire engines. "The emergency is not over, and we continue to work at it, but we are seeing some great progress," said the state's emergency operations director, Mark Ghilarducci.
Dramatic
video was released of body camera footage on the first night of the fire, showing an unnamed deputy braving wild flames and thick smoke to clear out a community already being devoured by the flames. "Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!" the Sonoma County deputy yells to drivers who are hesitating and moving slowly as they flee.
Meanwhile on Friday afternoon, a
shallow 4.0 magnitude earthquake struck California's Mendocino County, north of Napa County, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake occurred near Mendocino County's Redwood Valley, an area in the northwest section of the state, where 34,000 acres have burned up since Sunday, due to the 17 wildfires in the region.
Windy conditions, joined with low humidity, could spread the flames drastically, the National Weather Service warned in a tweet.
The recent drought in California killed
more than 100 million trees, according to a U.S. Forest Service's aerial survey last year. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack then
warned, "These dead and dying trees continue to elevate the risk of wildfire, complicate our efforts to respond safely and effectively to fires when they do occur, and pose a host of threats to life and property across California."
The latest update on the fires from
RT America here:
Update (15 Oct.)The death toll in Northern California wildfires has risen to
40 people, making them the deadliest in the state's history. Hundreds more people remain missing as thousands of firefighters continue to battle the blazes across the state. More than 10,000 firefighters, sent from all over the country, are making slow progress in fighting the deadliest blazes in state's history. Cal Fire reported that aircraft dropped more than 2 million gallons of "retardant" on fires since Monday.
"The devastation is just unbelievable. It is a horror that no one could have imagined," California Governor Jerry Brown said on a visit to Santa Rosa. "This is truly one of the greatest tragedies that California has ever faced."
Despite the effort, firefighters are finding it extremely difficult to contain the infernos, according to the latest statistics. As of 8pm Saturday, the Nuns Fire between Sonoma and Santa Rosa is only 15 percent contained, the Tubbs Fire between Calistoga and Santa Rosa is 50 percent contained, while the Atlas Fire in eastern Napa County is 48 percent contained. Another 13 inferno pockets continue to terrorize California residents as far north as Butte, Lake, Mendocino and Yuba counties. Progress, however, was made in the Cascade Fire, which has been roughly 87 percent contained on Saturday, Cal Fire said. Mandatory evacuation orders were also lifted in Solano County.
Overall the fires consumed nearly 214,000 acres (86,000 hectares) in seven days of intense activity, forcing some 100,000 people out of their homes, Reuters reports. Around 3,000 were evacuated on Saturday from the city of Santa Rosa. Roughly 5,700 structures were reduced to ash.
The National Weather Service extended the red flag warning for Northern California to 8am Sunday, warning of wildland fire combustion and rapid spread conditions. Wildfires began tearing through the north of the state on October 8.
Meanwhile two men who hiked for miles through northern California wildfire territory expecting a grim discovery were met with a joyful one instead, as they were reunited with the family's beloved dog Izzy.
Comment: Visitors to Disneyland posted images across social media showing California's famous theme park shrouded in an apocalyptic-looking orange haze as fires raged in the nearby Anaheim Hills.
The death toll from the California wildfires is expected to rise as blazes continue ripping through wine country, officials said. More than 100 people have been reported missing in Sonoma County, where at least seven people were killed because of the fires, making it one of the most devastating natural disasters in the county's history.
Here are some of the deadliest wildfires in California state history:
Griffith Park, Los Angeles County (October 1933): 29 dead
Tunnel - Oakland Hills, Alameda County (October 1991): 25 dead
Cedar, San Diego County (October 2003): 15 dead
Rattlesnake, Glenn County (July 1953): 15 dead
Loop, Los Angeles County (November 1966): 12 dead
Inaja, San Diego County (November 1956): 11 dead
Hauser Creek, San Diego County (October 1943): 11 dead
Iron Alps Complex, Trinity County (August 2008): 10 dead
Harris, San Diego County (October 2007): 8 dead
Canyon, Los Angeles County (August 1968): 8 dead
Source: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Update (11 Oct.)
The toll from Northern California's ranging wildfires continued to grow as officials said the fires destroyed up to 2,000 structures and killed at least 17 people and fear the death toll will continue to rise. 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.
In Santa Rosa, the Tubbs fire leveled an entire neighborhood, burned a Hilton hotel, turned big-box stores into smoking ruins and prompted the evacuation of two hospitals - Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital and Kaiser's Santa Rosa Medical Center.
The two biggest blazes - the Tubbs fire and the Atlas Peak fire in Napa County - had burned 27,000 and 25,000 acres, respectively, said Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant. Both fires were uncontained, he added. California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for Napa, Sonoma and Yuba counties. More images and videos have been released showing devastating scenes of one of California's deadliest wildfires.
Update (12 Oct.)
The death toll has climbed to 23 as wildfires continue to blaze almost completely out of control in California's wine country and firefighters expect weather conditions to take a turn for the worse. More than 20,000 people have headed to evacuation centers across the region, with more leaving their homes as new areas are threatened.
At least 3,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed since the wildfires started Sunday, making them the most destructive blazes in state history. About 8,000 firefighters are working across the state, along with 73 helicopters and 30 air tankers, according to a Cal Fire spokesperson. New resources are set to pour in following a request from California, including 175 engines from neighboring states and dozens more from federal agencies.
Satellite footage from before and after show the widespread destruction the flames have left in its wake.
Update (13 Oct.)
The number of people confirmed dead in wildfires sweeping northern California has climbed to 31, the deadliest in California since 1933, when 29 people died in fires at Griffith Park in Los Angeles.
Hundreds of people remain missing as at least 22 fires rampaged across the state's famous wine country. Strong winds that have fanned the flames eased in recent days, but forecasters warned they were set to pick up again on Friday night.
"We are not even close to being out of this emergency," Mark Ghilarducci, state director of emergency services, told reporters. State fire chief Ken Pimlott warned of "erratic, shifting winds all weekend".
Aerial footage shot in Santa Rosa, California on Tuesday showed the extent of damage after wildfires ravaged the area for the second day in a row.
Update (14 Oct.)
The scale of the disaster in California has became clearer as authorities said the fires had chased an estimated 90,000 people from their homes and destroyed at least 5,700 homes and businesses. The death toll rose to 36, making this the deadliest and most destructive series of wildfires in California history.
In all, 17 large fires still burned across the northern part of the state, with more than 9,000 firefighters attacking the flames using air tankers, helicopters and more than 1,000 fire engines. "The emergency is not over, and we continue to work at it, but we are seeing some great progress," said the state's emergency operations director, Mark Ghilarducci.
Dramatic video was released of body camera footage on the first night of the fire, showing an unnamed deputy braving wild flames and thick smoke to clear out a community already being devoured by the flames. "Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!" the Sonoma County deputy yells to drivers who are hesitating and moving slowly as they flee.
Meanwhile on Friday afternoon, a shallow 4.0 magnitude earthquake struck California's Mendocino County, north of Napa County, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake occurred near Mendocino County's Redwood Valley, an area in the northwest section of the state, where 34,000 acres have burned up since Sunday, due to the 17 wildfires in the region.
Windy conditions, joined with low humidity, could spread the flames drastically, the National Weather Service warned in a tweet.
The recent drought in California killed more than 100 million trees, according to a U.S. Forest Service's aerial survey last year. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack then warned, "These dead and dying trees continue to elevate the risk of wildfire, complicate our efforts to respond safely and effectively to fires when they do occur, and pose a host of threats to life and property across California."
The latest update on the fires from RT America here:
Update (15 Oct.)
The death toll in Northern California wildfires has risen to 40 people, making them the deadliest in the state's history. Hundreds more people remain missing as thousands of firefighters continue to battle the blazes across the state. More than 10,000 firefighters, sent from all over the country, are making slow progress in fighting the deadliest blazes in state's history. Cal Fire reported that aircraft dropped more than 2 million gallons of "retardant" on fires since Monday.
"The devastation is just unbelievable. It is a horror that no one could have imagined," California Governor Jerry Brown said on a visit to Santa Rosa. "This is truly one of the greatest tragedies that California has ever faced."
Despite the effort, firefighters are finding it extremely difficult to contain the infernos, according to the latest statistics. As of 8pm Saturday, the Nuns Fire between Sonoma and Santa Rosa is only 15 percent contained, the Tubbs Fire between Calistoga and Santa Rosa is 50 percent contained, while the Atlas Fire in eastern Napa County is 48 percent contained. Another 13 inferno pockets continue to terrorize California residents as far north as Butte, Lake, Mendocino and Yuba counties. Progress, however, was made in the Cascade Fire, which has been roughly 87 percent contained on Saturday, Cal Fire said. Mandatory evacuation orders were also lifted in Solano County.
Overall the fires consumed nearly 214,000 acres (86,000 hectares) in seven days of intense activity, forcing some 100,000 people out of their homes, Reuters reports. Around 3,000 were evacuated on Saturday from the city of Santa Rosa. Roughly 5,700 structures were reduced to ash.
The National Weather Service extended the red flag warning for Northern California to 8am Sunday, warning of wildland fire combustion and rapid spread conditions. Wildfires began tearing through the north of the state on October 8.
Meanwhile two men who hiked for miles through northern California wildfire territory expecting a grim discovery were met with a joyful one instead, as they were reunited with the family's beloved dog Izzy.