Wildfires continue to spread, destroy homes; death toll reaches 40

[TexasTowelie]

SANTA ROSA — The fiery fates of Wine Country’s two famed valleys parted ways Saturday, as winds gave Napa Valley a reprieve but put new pressures on Sonoma Valley.

Firefighters made progress against Napa Valley’s Atlas fire, with containment growing around a blaze that as of Saturday had claimed six lives.

But fears were growing in Sonoma Valley, where the Nuns Fire has surged along two different flanks: one toward the historic downtown of Sonoma and the other into eastern Santa Rosa, still reeling from the earlier Tubbs fire, which has killed at least 22 people. All told, the number of confirmed deaths from all the North Bay blazes rose to 40.

“This is the cutest town in the nation,” said Sonoma resident Paul Giles, fearful for his home, nestled amid tall trees a few miles east of downtown. “It would be so terrible to see this town go down.”

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/14/officials-issue-new-evacuation-orders-crews-respond-to-new-lake-county-fire/

[nitpicker]

1. From the BBC

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41626201

(snip)

Forty people have died and hundreds are still missing in California after six days of wildfires that have devastated swathes of countryside and destroyed thousands of homes. California's governor said it was "one of the greatest tragedies" the state had ever faced.

More than 10,000 firefighters are battling 16 remaining blazes. Winds of up to 70 km/h (45mph) brought them to new towns, forcing many more people to evacuate.

One of the worst-affected areas is the city of Santa Rosa, in the Sonoma wine region, where 3,000 people were evacuated on Saturday. "The devastation is just unbelievable," Governor Jerry Brown said on a visit to the city. "It is a horror that no one could have imagined."

It is the most lethal outbreak of wildfires in the state's history. More than 100,000 people have been displaced. and whole neighbourhoods have been reduced to ash.
(snip)