Wildfires Force More Evacuations As Death Toll Climbs To 40; Nearly 6,000 Buildings Destroyed
Hurricane force winds returned to Northern California on Saturday, revitalizing the massive Tubbs fire that’s destroyed much of Santa Rosa. With the fire headed toward the few neighborhoods in the city of 140,000 that haven’t already been destroyed, state authorities ordered thousands more residents to evacuate as residents in some of the hardest hit neighborhoods began venturing back into the city to see what, if anything remains of their homes.
An estimated 3,000 people in Santa Rosa and at least 250 people in Sonoma evacuated their homes before dawn, the Associated Press reported.
Meanwhile, the death toll for what was the deadliest week for wildfires in California history has climbed to 40, while 5,700 homes and businesses have been destroyed.
Fortunately, the winds that have stoked the fires started to die down Saturday afternoon. And with temperatures dropping on Sunday, firefighters have finally been able to go on the office and make meaningful advances in their attempts to contain the flames.
Officials said Sunday they are making good progress on the Tubbs and Atlas fires, which have devastated much of Sonoma and Napa counties. Both were fires were more than 50% contained by mid-morning Sunday, the LA Times reported. Fifteen fires continue to burn across A 100-mile swath of the state. So far, they’ve ravaged more than 220,000 acres.
Meanwhile, the Nuns Fire, which continued to rage in Sonoma County, has burned 47,106 acres and is 25 percent contained. There were no reports of new evacuation orders early Sunday in the areas affected by the fires, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
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