Stiff winds whip up wildfires in California
SONOMA, Calif. — The California wildfires raced toward wineries and the historic town of Sonoma Saturday, chasing hundreds more people from their homes and threatening to roll back firefighters’ modest gains against the cluster of blazes that was as wide as 160 kilometres.
Propelled by stiff winds, the fires damaged or destroyed several buildings in the middle of the night before crews halted their advance at the edge of Sonoma, where firefighters spent days digging firebreaks to keep flames from reaching the city’s historic central plaza built centuries ago when the area was under Spanish rule.
For those living in the huge fire zone, it was another night spent watching, waiting and fearing the worst.
John Saguto said he awoke several hours before dawn at his home east of Sonoma to see flames “lapping up” 300 to 500 yards away. He and his neighbours evacuated as fire trucks raced up and down the streets and hot embers flew over their heads.
The fire made a “strong run” into Sonoma, deputy state fire director Dave Teter said, announcing some additional buildings had been damaged or destroyed before firefighters stopped it. Several homes and other structures near a vineyard east of downtown were smouldering ruins. Firefighters hosed down embers and knocked down walls that could topple over.
As of Saturday afternoon, Teter said crews did not expect any more losses in that area.
But gusts up to 40 km/h were forecast for the rest of the day.
Nearly a week after the blazes began, the flames have left 38 people dead and destroyed at least 5,700 homes and businesses, making them the deadliest and most destructive group of wildfires in California history.
“It’s a horror that no one could have imagined,” Gov. Jerry Brown said after touring the destruction with senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris.
Brown, 79, and Feinstein, 84, said the fires were the worst of their lifetimes. The two veteran politicians reminded people the blazes remain a threat and people need to leave their homes when told to go.
The latest estimates were about 100,000 people were under evacuation orders as the fires burned for a sixth day.
Some evacuees weary from nearly a week on the run demanded to return home or to see if they still have homes.
Plans were in the works to reopen communities, but they were not ready to be put into effect, Teter said late Saturday.
In all, 17 large fires still burned across the northern part of the state with more than 10,000 firefighters attacking the flames using air tankers, helicopters and more than 1,000 fire engines.
The fires have threatened several neighbourhoods more than once.