Wildfires Rage On in Northern California; 3,500 Homes Destroyed; Hundreds Missing

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Category: World News

Published on Saturday, 14 October 2017 09:53

Written by Janet Walker

After a week of unprecedented wild fires marching across the once lush Northern California landscape, the harsh reality is setting in as entire neighborhoods in hard hit Sonoma are decimated; Many Napa Vineyards are totally destroyed; Mendocino scorched.

Fueled by high winds, nearly forty fires broke out on Sunday, October 8, as downed power lines from Pacific Gas & Electric Company, (PG&E) ignited deadened trees, brush and tinder, and are being investigated as the cause of the devastating fires.

Of the original forty fires reported on Sunday evening, 17 have burned a total of 180,000 acres have across  Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, counties. These three counties, all synonymous with delicious California Wines are fighting for their very existence against raging infernos that are still, one week later, not under control.

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Santa Rosa, Sonoma County’s most populated city, is nearly wiped out. No home was spared in the Larkfield/Wikiup neighborhood. The ariel views show foundations of soot and ash, trees charred black, decimated. The Coffey neighborhood is equally disheartening with complete destruction, as far as the eye can see.The Journey’s End Mobile Park nearly completely wiped out leaving a handful of homes standing.

In all nearly 3500 structures, homes and business, have been totally destroyed.

Stories that are filtering from evacuation shelters tell of having only minutes to escape the deadly blaze. Of going to bed not concerned and a few hours into the night facing a window of 15 minutes to flee as the fast moving inferno consumed homes in the rear view mirrors. Others sent hours in a neighbors pool, watching the fire destroy their home, as it was the only escape they could make in the minutes before the firestorm tore through their home.

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The home of Charles M. Schultz, the creator of Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang was also destroyed. The museum however was spared.