Northern California fire burned 212,000 acres & has caused at least 36 deaths.
Northern California fire burned 212,000 acres and has caused at least 36 deaths. almost 6000 structures have been destroyed. Firefighters continue to battle the fires on many fronts. How do you carry out the quick Six P’s evacuation?
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The grim toll from the Northern California wildfires continued to rise as officials said an estimated 5,700 structures were destroyed and that at least 36 people died.
Reinforcements from other regions are helping firefighters contain more of the largest wildfires devastating Northern California, though strong winds expected over the weekend could challenge those gains, a fire chief said Friday.
Thirty-six people have been killed since the wildfires began Sunday night, making this outbreak one of the deadliest in state history, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
Meanwhile, officials are making grim discoveries — victims burnt beyond recognition — as they search blackened ruins of some of the 5,700 homes and business that have been destroyed.
Firefighters continued to gain control of some fires scorching wine country, thanks in part to continued calm winds in some parts of the region. Officials expect the death toll to rise as search efforts continue in neighborhoods from Santa Rosa to the hills of Napa County.
The Tubbs fire has consumed at least 2,834 homes and 400,000 square feet of commercial space in the city of Santa Rosa alone, and has burned 34,770 acres overall as of Friday morning. The fire was 25% contained, a jump from the 10% containment gained Thursday night.
Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey estimated the flames had caused $1.2 billion in damage and destroyed 5% of the city’s housing stock.
Firefighters scrambled Friday to dig fire lines and bulldoze debris to gain an advantage over the blazes before winds pick up later in the day. Meteorologists have predicted overnight gusts of up to 40 miles per hour on ridges above 2,000 feet where the Pocket and Tubbs fires are burning, officials said.
That could cause problems for firefighters trying to restrain the fires from racing through canyons in the area.
After the flames from the Tubbs fire died down in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano drove through the ruins of the city’s Larkfield-Wikiup neighborhood.
Twisted beams, layers of ash, and garage doors crumpled like old newspapers littered spaces once occupied by tidy homes. Cars were reduced to charred frames, their wheel rims melted into rivulets of gleaming aluminum that pooled in the gutters.
Rescuers are still sifting through the flattened neighborhoods, looking for victims. Then hazardous-material specialists will need to remove toxic substances from the areas, Giordano said.
Officials said they were working to return lost power to homes and reopen the Kaiser hospital that was evacuated when flames burned nearby earlier in the week.
Some Santa Rosa residents may be allowed to return home Saturday or Sunday, officials said Friday afternoon.
Prepare Your Family
Keep These Six “P’s” Ready in Case Immediate Evacuation is Required
✔ People and pets
✔ Papers, phone numbers, and important documents
✔ Prescriptions, vitamins, eyeglasses
✔ Pictures and irreplaceable memorabilia
✔ Personal computer hard drives & disks 6 ✔ “Plastic” (credit cards and ATM cards) and cash