We were having a late lunch at the Hana Ranch Restaurant in Hana Maui and I had enough Cellular data to pull in CNN on my IPhone there and was shocked to realize one of the cities my wife had lived in growing up was burning down. We called her best friend since birth who still lives there and she is okay because she lives with her husband in another section of town but her brother's home is another story. They are driving south To Santa Rosa from vacation since they are retired hoping their home hasn't burned down yet.
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Fast-moving wildfires kill 10, devour buildings in Northern California
begin quote from:
Fast-moving wildfires kill 10, devour buildings in Northern California
CNN · 3 hours ago
Fast-moving wildfires kill 10, spur evacuations in Northern California
Story highlights
- Fire kills 7, destroys neighborhoods in Santa Rosa, authorities say
- Fire official: "As of right now, with these conditions, we can't get in front of this fire..."
(CNN)Deadly
wildfires roared across California on Monday, forcing evacuations and
destroying homes and businesses in their paths. The biggest fires burned
in the wine country of Napa and Sonoma counties.
Here's what we know so far, according to California authorities.
• Ten people have died and the number is expected to grow.
•
More than 100 people were being treated at Napa- and Sonoma-area
hospitals for fire-related injuries or health issues including burns,
smoke inhalation and shortness of breath.
• An estimated 1,500 structures have been destroyed and 57,000 acres burned in eight counties.
• A wildfire in Anaheim, in Southern California, has spread to 4,000-5,000 acres and burned at least six buildings.
Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
A man walks Monday next to a burning house in the Silverado Crest subdivision in Napa.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
A resident rushes to save his home on Monday in Glen Ellen.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
A firefighter on Monday places belongings onto the lawn of a home in Santa Rosa on Monday.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Jim Cook, manager of the Journey's End mobile home park, stands beside his burned home on Monday in Santa Rosa.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
The remains of fire-damaged homes on Monday in Glen Ellen.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
In this photo provided by the Sonoma Raceway, a wildfire burns behind the raceway on Monday in Sonoma, California.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
The remains of fire-damaged homes on Monday in Glen Ellen.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
A
large plume of smoke rises over the city of Orange, California, on
Monday. The wildfire started Monday about 45 miles southeast of Los
Angeles in the hill country of eastern Orange County, the Anaheim Fire
Department said.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Rudy
Habibe, from Puerto Rico, and his service dog Maximus walk Monday
toward a burning building at the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country hotel in
Santa Rosa, where he was a guest.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
The entrance to the fire-ravaged Signorello Estate winery on Monday in Napa.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Smoke rises as a wildfire burns in the hills north east of Napa on Monday.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
A
firefighter covers his eyes as he walks past a burning hillside in
Santa Rosa, California, on Monday, October 9. Wildfires whipped by
powerful winds swept through Northern California, sending residents on a
flight to safety through smoke and flames as homes burned.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Fire
glows on a hillside vineyard in Napa, California, on Monday as multiple
wind-driven fires continue to whip through the region.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Two women hug as they watch houses burn Monday in Santa Rosa.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
An
inmate firefighter monitors flames as a house burns Monday in the Napa
wine region in California, as multiple wind-driven fires continue to
whip through the region.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Flames rise Monday from the remains of a burned down commercial building in Santa Rosa.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
The remains of a car sit near the Fountaingrove Inn Hotel on Monday as the Santa Rosa hotel burns in the background.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Napa County firefighter Jason Sheumann sprays water Monday on a home as he battles flames from a wildfire.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
A tent structure built for the 2017 Safeway Open burns Monday on a golf course at the Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Fire
consumes a barn Monday as wildfire moves through the area in Glen
Ellen, California. Tens of thousands of acres and dozens of homes and
businesses have burned in Napa and Sonoma counties.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Flame from an open gas valve burns Monday at the Journey's End mobile home park in Santa Rosa.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
A man hoses down hot spots on Monday where a house burned down in Santa Rosa.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
A man walks Monday next to a burning house in the Silverado Crest subdivision in Napa.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
A resident rushes to save his home on Monday in Glen Ellen.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
A firefighter on Monday places belongings onto the lawn of a home in Santa Rosa on Monday.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Jim Cook, manager of the Journey's End mobile home park, stands beside his burned home on Monday in Santa Rosa.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
The remains of fire-damaged homes on Monday in Glen Ellen.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
In this photo provided by the Sonoma Raceway, a wildfire burns behind the raceway on Monday in Sonoma, California.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
The remains of fire-damaged homes on Monday in Glen Ellen.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
A
large plume of smoke rises over the city of Orange, California, on
Monday. The wildfire started Monday about 45 miles southeast of Los
Angeles in the hill country of eastern Orange County, the Anaheim Fire
Department said.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Rudy
Habibe, from Puerto Rico, and his service dog Maximus walk Monday
toward a burning building at the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country hotel in
Santa Rosa, where he was a guest.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
The entrance to the fire-ravaged Signorello Estate winery on Monday in Napa.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Smoke rises as a wildfire burns in the hills north east of Napa on Monday.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
A
firefighter covers his eyes as he walks past a burning hillside in
Santa Rosa, California, on Monday, October 9. Wildfires whipped by
powerful winds swept through Northern California, sending residents on a
flight to safety through smoke and flames as homes burned.
Hide Caption
1 of 22
Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Fire
glows on a hillside vineyard in Napa, California, on Monday as multiple
wind-driven fires continue to whip through the region.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Two women hug as they watch houses burn Monday in Santa Rosa.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
An
inmate firefighter monitors flames as a house burns Monday in the Napa
wine region in California, as multiple wind-driven fires continue to
whip through the region.
Hide Caption
4 of 22
Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Flames rise Monday from the remains of a burned down commercial building in Santa Rosa.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
The remains of a car sit near the Fountaingrove Inn Hotel on Monday as the Santa Rosa hotel burns in the background.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Napa County firefighter Jason Sheumann sprays water Monday on a home as he battles flames from a wildfire.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
A tent structure built for the 2017 Safeway Open burns Monday on a golf course at the Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Fire
consumes a barn Monday as wildfire moves through the area in Glen
Ellen, California. Tens of thousands of acres and dozens of homes and
businesses have burned in Napa and Sonoma counties.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
Flame from an open gas valve burns Monday at the Journey's End mobile home park in Santa Rosa.
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Photos: Wildfires blaze in California's wine country
A man hoses down hot spots on Monday where a house burned down in Santa Rosa.
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The
fires ignited Sunday night and Monday and spread with alarming speed
because of dry conditions, Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott said at a news
conference. More than 20,000 people evacuated, some with little notice.
Jesus Torres of Napa said a neighbor called to tell him the fire was bearing down on his house, CNN affiliate KPIX reported.
"We
gathered up a few of our things and our pets and headed out to our
car," Torres said. "We could see the sky was turning red. ... We didn't
know (about the fire) until the last second. There was smoke all over
the area."
The first known fatality
occurred as a result of the Redwood Complex fire in Mendocino County,
Mendocino County Sheriff spokesperson Capt. Greg Van Patten said. Cal
Fire tweeted that two people died in the Atlas Fire in Napa County. The
Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said seven people had died in Santa Rosa.
No additional details were available.
"That
number's going to change," Sonoma County Sheriff Robert Giordano said
of the death toll in his jurisdiction. Officers are still searching for
people to evacuate and rescue, he said, and "it's just logical" more
bodies will be found.
The devastation was significant in Santa Rosa, a town of about 175,000.
The
fire left whole blocks of residences in smoking ruins and destroyed
landmark buildings like the Fountaingrove Inn, a 124-room hotel; a
nearby event center, the Fountaingrove Round Barn; and classrooms at the
Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported.
A large part of the town was evacuated, including Kaiser Permanente Hospital and Sutter Hospital. Authorities imposed a sundown-to-sunrise curfew for parts of the city under evacuation orders.
"I'm lucky," Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey said at a news conference. "My house is fine. My family is fine. My city is not."
A man retrieves belongings from where his house once stood in the Fountaingrove area of Santa Rosa.
More
than 100 patients were treated at Napa and Sonoma area hospitals
because of fire-related injuries and issues, said Vanessa DeGier,
spokeswoman for St. Joseph Health. Santa Rosa Memorial also accepted 12
patients from the two nearby hospitals that evacuated, including
expectant mothers, she said.
"Our
hospitals are beginning to see patients with injuries incurred as a
result of evacuation. This includes victims of car crashes and injuries
from falling," a statement from St. Joseph Health said.
Active wildfires in Northern California
Vineyards threatened
Napa
County is dealing with the biggest fires, Cal Fire said. The Tubbs and
Atlas fires each cover about 25,000 acres. The Patrick fire west of Napa
was at 3,000 acres.
The Nuns fire
in Sonoma County covers 5,000 acres, and firefighters also are battling
a 1,500 acre fire at Highway 37 and Lakeville Highway in Sonoma.
Alison
Crowe, the winemaker for Garnet Vineyards & Picket Fence Vineyards
in Napa Valley, said she has not been told to evacuate her home on the
western edge of downtown Napa.
"A
quarter of my co-workers have been evacuated," she said Monday. "I have
friends fighting off fires with hoses in the hills. Thankfully a lot of
my friends got out last night."
The main road through the area is still open but the aggressive nature of the blaze worries her.
"It's scary. We feel surrounded," she said.
Crowe
estimated two-thirds to three-fourths of Napa's grape harvest has taken
place. The 2017 harvest will be remembered for this fire, she said.
"Wine doesn't matter, people matter," she said. "I know that's people's attitude right now."
Perfect conditions for fires
Authorities
have not said what caused the fires, but noted that dry conditions made
it easy for the fires to spread. October is typically the busiest month
for wildfires in California, they said.
Complicating firefighting efforts are low humidity and a lack of resources, Napa County Fire Chief Barry Biermann said.
"As
of right now, with these conditions, we can't get in front of this fire
and do anything about the forward progress," he said, adding that
resources from across California were to begin arriving in the area
later Monday.
Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday issued an emergency proclamation for Napa, Sonoma and Yuba counties.
"These
fires have destroyed structures and continue to threaten thousands of
homes, necessitating the evacuation of thousands of residents," the
governor's emergency proclamation said. "These fires have damaged and
continue to threaten critical infrastructure and have forced the closure
of major highways and local roads."
Flames rise from the remains of a burned commercial building in Santa Rosa, California, on Monday.
The
California National Guard has sent three medical evacuation
helicopters, six firefighting helicopters and 100 military police
personnel to assist local law enforcement.
Winds expected to ease
The
fire spread smoke across the San Francisco Bay area and the
Anaheim-area fire turned the sky red over Disneyland, according to a
social media posting.
Firefighters may get a break from the weather on Tuesday, mainly with decreasing winds.
The National Weather Service in San Francisco
on Sunday issued a "red flag warning" for the Bay Area because of
current or impending critical fire weather conditions. The warning cited
dry, "windy locations through the Napa Valley and northern Sonoma
County valleys." Gusts ranging from 35 mph to more than 60 mph were
recorded.
But "winds and the fire
weather threat will decrease Tuesday in the north, but a threat will
remain in Southern California," the weather service said.
Forecasters said the warning will likely remain in effect because of the warm and dry conditions and the presence of wildfires.
Residents fleeing homes, hospitals
Veronica Ortega was at the
Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Santa Rosa when she smelled smoke and saw
flames through the window of her fiancé's room on the fourth floor.
The two soon were loaded onto a city bus and shuttled away.
Brian
Alexander, a 34-year-old Santa Rosa resident, told CNN about stepping
in to help his neighbors as the inferno surrounded his apartment
complex.
He drove four neighbors to
nearby shelters. As they fled the flames one of them told him, "There's
no need to repent. Hell is already here."
"I
couldn't live with myself if someone died or couldn't get help and I
could have been there to stop it," said Alexander, who packed what he
could into his car, eyeing his apartment one final time amid the ash and
smoke that burned his eyes and made breathing difficult.
He
later drove to Kaiser Permanente Hospital, where he works in
environmental services, and began helping the hospital evacuate patients
by moving gurney beds to the ambulances and city buses that were
ferrying the patients to safety.
"In a situation like this, it is really important that we be the best we can be," he said. "There was no other option."
They watched home burn
Alyssa
O'Gorman and her family fled their home in the nick of time. As the
flames closed in Sunday night, they left without a change of clothes.
O'Gorman, her parents and her grandfather gathered their animals and
were out of the house in minutes.
O'Gorman, a nursing assistant, was driving home from her job when she first spotted flames.
After
evacuating the house, which sits at the dead end of a one-lane road in
rural Napa County, she and her family watched from a distance as a
propane tank exploded and their home's roof caught fire.
If O'Gorman hadn't been coming home from work to wake her family, "we would have been in the house trapped," she said.
Along
with Kaiser Permanente hospital, Sutter Hospital in Santa Rosa was also
evacuated. Much of a mobile home park behind the Kaiser facility
burned, CNN affiliate KPIX said.
In
Santa Rosa, the Fountain Grove Inn and Hotel was destroyed and another
hotel, the Hilton, was in flames, the affiliate reported.
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