11 dead, 100 missing as fires rage in California

Powerful wildfires fanned by strong winds ravaged parts of the US state of California on Monday, killing at least 11 people and destroying some 1,500 structures.

More than a dozen blazes continued to burn across eight counties since the weekend, while over 20,000 people in the paths of the fast-moving infernos fled their homes, fire officials said, NBC News reported.

With increased resources headed to the region to battle the wildfires, “hopefully we’ll start seeing some turnaround throughout the course of today and into tomorrow,” Cal Fire Deputy Chief Scott Mclean said Tuesday.

Gov. Jerry Brown declared an emergency in the affected counties, which include Napa and Sonoma, and asked for a federal declaration of a major disaster for the entire state.

In Sonoma County, officials said they had received more than 100 phone calls to its missing people hotline, although they believed some could be duplicates.

The 15 wildfires — which also engulfed a hotel and a trailer park in the city of Santa Rosa and sent smoke spewing as far south as San Francisco — have collectively become among the deadliest in California’s history.

Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano said seven people had been killed there in fire-related incidents — and “that number’s going to change.”

The National Weather Service warned that very low relative humidity, coupled with strong and gusty winds, would continue to pose a critical threat. Winds were expected to weaken on Wednesday, with higher humidity spreading slowly inland.

Pacific Gas & Electric said more than 94,000 customers were without power as of Tuesday. Gas service was shut off to 30,000 customers, it said. The California Highway Patrol said it had rescued 44 people by helicopter.