‘SCREAMS OF TERROR AS FLAMES BARREL IN’
Death toll mounts as wildfires turn California’s wine country to ash
The rolling hills of California’s wine country have been reduced to swaths of smoldering ash and rubble by devastating, wind-fueled wildfires.
Seventeen blazes that started Sunday evening continued raging Tuesday amid high temperatures and dry conditions, as the death toll hit 17 people. Some 115,000 acres of land have been scorched.
The largest fires — covering 42 square miles and 39 square miles, respectively — hit Napa and Sonoma counties, the heartland of the wine industry.
So far, more than 2,000 homes and business in Northern California have been destroyed.
Officials were hopeful that a day of cooler weather and gentler winds would help firefighters contain the blazes, which are among the deadliest in the Golden State’s history.
“The weather has been working in our favor, but it doesn’t mean it will stay that way,” said Brad Alexander, a spokesman for the governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
An elderly Napa couple who recently celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary were killed when their home caught on fire Sunday night.
Sara Rippey, 99, and her husband, Charles, 100, were unable to escape the inferno.
“The only thing worse would have been if one survived without the other,” their granddaughter Ruby Gibney told KTVU.
More than 100 people have been injured in the fires — and the Sonoma County Sheriff ’s Office said it has received more than 150 missing-person reports.
“We are confident that many of these people will be found safe . . . but unfortunately, we are preparing for further fatalities,” the department said in a Facebook post.
The wildfires have forced at least 25,000 residents to evacuate, with thousands sleeping in shelters as they worry about the fate of their homes.
Fred Oliai, 47, owner of the Alta Napa Valley Winery, said winemakers were nervous.
“You can’t see anything, the smoke is very dense,” he told Reuters. “We got our grapes in last week, but others still have grapes hanging.”
The Napa Valley Vintners trade association said that at least four of its members’ wineries suffered “total or very significant losses.”
Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for Napa, Sonoma and five other counties.
Those at emergency shelters were shocked by the speed of the fires and lamented losing precious possessions.
“All that good stuff, I’m never going to see it again,” said Jeff Okrepkie, whose Santa Rosa home was destroyed.
Scott L. Stephens, professor of Fire Science at UC Berkeley, said 30- to 50-mph winds and humidity below 15 percent caused the flames to spread rapidly.
“Not much you can do at the time except try to keep people safe as possible,” he said.
Much of the damage was in Santa Rosa, home to 175,000 residents. Hundreds of homes were leveled by flames so hot, they melted glass off cars and turned aluminum wheels to liquid.
“I can’t shake hearing people scream in terror as the flames barreled down on us,” said former San Francisco Giants pitcher Noah Lowry, who fled with his wife, two daughters and 2-week-old son. With wires