Californian toll hits 40

FAST-MOVING fires spread by shifting winds have forced thousands more Californians to evacuate their homes as the death toll from the deadliest blaze recorded in the state’s history rose to at least 40, with hundreds of other people still missing.

More than 10,000 firefighters supported by air tankers and helicopters overhead were at the weekend battling 16 major wildfires, in areas north of San Francisco that have consumed nearly 86,000 hectares over seven days. Of the 40 confirmed fatalities, 22 were in Sonoma County.

Some 100,000 people have been forced from their homes, including 3000 evacuated from the city of Santa Rosa.