California wine country fire death toll hits 10
Updated 2 hrs 44 mins ago
NAPA, Calif. -- Wildfires whipped by powerful winds swept through California wine country Monday, killing at least 10 people and injuring at least 100, destroying 1,500 homes and businesses and sending thousands fleeing as flames raged unchecked through high-end resorts, grocery stores and tree-lined neighborhoods.
The fires broke out nearly simultaneously and then exploded 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 Santa Rosa hillsides. Fire trucks raced by smoldering roadside landscaping in search of higher priorities.
The flames were fickle in some corners of the city. One hillside home remained unscathed while a dozen surrounding it were destroyed.
One of the homes that was reduced to ash had a Mercedes Benz in the garage. Two cars parked across the street were untouched.
PHOTOS: Fires force evacuations in Northern California
Flames from a propane tank rise as smoke from a wildfire blankets the area on Monday, Oct. 9, 2017, in Napa, Calif. (AP)
The large majority of the injured were treated for smoke inhalation, according to St. Joseph Health, which operates hospitals in the Santa Rosa area. Two were in critical condition and one was in serious condition. The number of injured is expected to climb as information comes in for all the other areas affected by the firestorm consuming the state.
The flames were unforgiving throughout Santa Rosa, 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 neighborhood 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 neighborhood 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 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 Sunday burned "at explosive rates" because of 50 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 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 around 1 a.m., 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," Hoe said.
They returned in the morning to find the hotel had been destroyed along with most of their possessions. Hoe was relieved he had taken his passport and a few essential items.
Santa Rosa lost a Kmart, restaurants, businesses and homes.
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 Monday when a stranger wearing a smoke mask ran in and yelled that there was a fire. Turpen raced home through flames in his Ford F-250.
"It was like Armageddon was on," Turpen said. "Every branch of every tree was on fire."
He stayed to try to defend his own rental home.
By late morning, 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.
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Wine Country Wildfires Leave at Least 10 Dead, Torch 1,500 Structures, Destroy Entire Neighborhoods
Hospitals evacuated, schools closed and buildings flattened as a result of the fires in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties
By NBC Bay Area Staff
About 15 wildfires erupted across North Bay counties, scorching about 73,000 acres. At least 1,500 structures have been wiped out.
At least 10 people have died and two people have suffered serious injuries as a result of the blazes, according to Cal Fire.
An estimated 20,000 people have been evacuated, Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott said.
Thousands of residents of wine country were sent fleeing from their homes Monday as about 15 wind-driven wildfires erupted across North Bay counties, wiping out at least 1,500 structures and sending the smell of smoke as far as San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose.
At least 10 people have died and two people have suffered serious injuries as a result of the blazes, according to Cal Fire. Seven deaths occurred in the Tubbs Fire in Sonoma County, two deaths occurred in the Atlas Fire in Napa County, and one death was reported in the fire that ignited in Mendocino County, Cal Fire said.
A Sonoma County spokesman said late Monday that the county has received more than 100 missing-persons reports.
An estimated 20,000 people have been evacuated, Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott said. He added that the estimates of destroyed structures are very conservative.
Pimlott said the fires are burning across an eight-county swath of Northern California, including Napa, Sonoma and Yuba counties. Cal Fire estimates that a total of 73,000 acres have been scorched as of Monday afternoon.
Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in response to the blazes, which spread rapidly as a result of wind gusts topping out around 50 mph during the overnight hours.
"It was an inferno like you’ve never seen before," said Marian Williams, who caravanned with neighbors through flames before dawn as one of the wildfires reached the vineyards and ridges at her small Sonoma County town of Kenwood.
Laurie Thompson said she had "just enough time to grab a few things" before fleeing from the Coffey Park neighborhood in Santa Rosa. Swift gusts whipped flames into the area, leaving some homes in a heap of smoldering rubble.
"Homes were just destroyed," Thompson said. "Blocks are gone."
Wildfires Burning Across Northern California
About 10 wildfires are burning across wine country in Northern California, forcing evacuations(Published Monday, Oct. 9, 2017)
John Gianfermi returned to one of those leveled Coffey Park homes Monday morning. As he talked, he picked out a washing machine, folding chairs, and what looked like a bed frame in the ruins. A Buddha had survived the flames, but he thought his photo albums and other family possessions were gone.
Gianfermi said he had started to smell smoke Sunday night and noticed that the wind was very strong.
"A neighbor pounded on our door and said, 'You've got to go now,'" he said.
North Bay Wildfires: The Smoldering AftermathHe, his wife, and two teenagers got into his truck and fled in a neighborhood exodus, eventually heading to his sister's house. They returned Monday morning to see what, if anything, was left, and while his wife and children waited in the truck about a mile away, he walked the rest of the way.
"Better that I see it than my wife and my kids," he said.
But everyone got out alive, no one was hurt, and the family could buy new clothes, he said.
"You don’t think that that’s going to happen to you," he said.
RAW: Aerial Footage Depicts Scope of North Bay Fires
Footage captured by NBC Bay Area's SkyRanger depicts the widespread devastation caused by wind-driven wildfires that quickly spread across the North Bay. (Published Monday, Oct. 9, 2017)
The Tubbs Fire burning in Napa County off Highway 128 and Bennett Lane in Calistoga has scorched 35,000 acres, according to officials. The Atlas Fire south of Lake Berryessa off Atlas Peak Road has burned at least 25,000 acres while the Partrick Fire, which ignited west of Napa, has torched roughly 3,000 acres.
The Nuns fire, burning in Sonoma County north of Glen Ellen, has torched 5,000 acres, according to Cal Fire. At the southern tip of Sonoma County, the 37 Fire, which started near Highway 37 and Lakeville Highway, has incinerated 1,500 acres.
At least 10,000 acres in Mendocino County also have been scorched after the Redwood Complex Fire, which includes the Redwood and Potter fires, ignited west of Mendocino National Forest, Cal Fire reported.
North Bay Fires: Health Officials Issue Smoke Advisory
Bay Area health officials issued a smoke advisory due to the North Bay fires and advise residents to stay inside.(Published Monday, Oct. 9, 2017)
Evacuations have been ordered across the North Bay for residential neighborhoods, shopping centers and hospitals, such as Kaiser Permanente Hospital and Sutter Hospital in Santa Rosa. Flames consumed mobile homes next to Kaiser while hospital employees rushed patients to safety. Staff moved some in private cars when they ran out of ambulances.
The fires forced all Santa Rosa schools and Napa Valley Unified School District schools to close for the day.
Santa Rosa officials on Monday issued a curfew for affected burn areas from 6:45 p.m. until sunrise.
Residents Flee Homes as Wildfires Torch North Bay
Scores of residents were forced to leave thier homes late Sunday or early Monday as multiple wildfires ignited across the North Bay. Bob Redell reports.(Published Monday, Oct. 9, 2017)
In Napa County, Kim McPherson said she had heard that her house was gone.
"Shock," she said. "Disbelief."
But she said she was grateful that she and others were alive and uninjured.
A man whose parents live in the Fountain Grove neighborhood of Santa Rosa described driving over to wake them up, then waking up their neighbors. His parents' house was still standing, but all around them was devastation. Firefighters from around the area had responded to Santa Rosa to help, he said.
"This is insane," he said.
Fire Destroys Santa Rosa Mobile Home Park
A fire that ignited in Santa Rosa destroyed a mobile home park, which is situated next to a hospital. Thom Jensen reports.(Published Monday, Oct. 9, 2017)
Dreama Goldberg, who is eight months pregnant, got out safely with her husband, 7-year-old stepdaughter, roommate and cat.
“We feel very fortunate for that,” she said. “It was really scary.”
Goldberg, who is a dance instructor in Santa Rosa, said her house was destroyed but already her friends in the dance community are rallying around the family.
“We’re going to start from scratch,” she said.
Peninsula Crews Travel to North Bay to Fight Fires
Crews from San Mateo left early Monday to help assist in the fight against multiple fires burning in the North Bay. Kris Sanchez reports.(Published Monday, Oct. 9, 2017)
A number of areas in Sonoma County are under evacuation orders including the region west of Highway 101 in the Piner Road area to downtown Forestville, Cloverdale KOA, Palomino Road, Vanoni Road to Gill Creek Road, Arnold Drive to the State Hospital and west of Jack London State Park, according to officials.
Evacuation centers in Sonoma County have opened at the Cloverdale Citrus Fair, Sebastopol Vets Hall and Sonoma Valley High School, according to officials.
Evacuation orders in Napa County include the Wooden Valley area, Montecito area, Old Sonoma Road to Buhman Avenue, Dealy Lane, Henry Road, Coombsville Road and Wild Horse Valley Road.
RAW: Fire Burns Near Calistoga, Patients Being Treated
Raw video shows flames, embers and smoke in wildfire burning near Calistoga. Burn and smoke inhalation victims being treated at the scene.(Published Monday, Oct. 9, 2017)
Centers for the evacuated have opened at Crosswalk Church, Napa Valley College Gym and the Napa County Fairgrounds, officials said.
The Solano County Sheriff late Monday issued mandatory evacuation orders for Joyce Lane and Twin Sisters Road in Fairfield.
NBC Bay Area has compiled a running list of evacuation orders and evacuations. Those impacted by the fire can also check the Cal Fire website or Nixle for further updates on evacuations.
For those with large animals, Vintage High School farm is taking animals that need shelter. The Napa County Animal Shelter will hold smaller animals.
The animals and birds at Safari West, a 400-acre African animal preserve in Santa Rosa, were not harmed by the fires.
RAW: Wildfire Burns Out of Control, Prompts Evacusations in Napa County
Raw video of the wind-driven fire burning off Atlas Peak Road in the hills above Napa that has prompted mass evacuations.(Published Monday, Oct. 9, 2017)
High winds overnight drove the blazes to spread rapidly across the region, according to officials. The strong gusts also toppled power lines, knocking out power for some and leading to spotty cellular coverage.
Smoke from the fires has drifted across all parts of the Bay Area, as far south as San Jose. People across the Bay Area are advised to limit their outdoor activities and close their windows.
A red-flag warning is in effect through Tuesday morning for the North Bay and East Bay hills, meaning there is an elevated risk for fire danger because of dry conditions and gusty winds.