The remains of a car near the burning Fountaingrove Inn in Santa Rosa Monday.
At least 1,500 homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed as more than 14 fires ravaged eight counties throughout Northern California late Sunday and Monday morning, authorities said.
Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency as multiple fires forced thousands of evacuations across wine country as they burned tens of thousands of acres.
No deaths have been reported, but there have been injuries and people are unaccounted for, said Janet Upton, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. She could not estimate the number of injuries.
The declaration authorizes the mobilization of the California National Guard.
One of the raging fires had Santa Rosa under siege Monday morning, with a large swath of the city north of downtown under evacuation order.
The fast-moving fire jumped the 101 Freeway, forcing hospitals to be evacuated and, witnesses said, burning homes and businesses.
Comment: It's also important to note that the first snow of the coming winter season for this country fell 2 months ago, see: August snowfall hits the mountains of northern Romania