Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
New fires break out in California
In wine country, more evacuees return as crews curb flames
SANTA ROSA, Calif. — As crews gained on the wildfires in California wine country, new blazes broke out in other parts of the state, including a fire in the mountains above Los Angeles that threatened a historic observatory Tuesday and more flames in the Santa Cruz mountains.
Firefighters on the ground and in the air raced to protect the Mount Wilson Observatory and nearby communications towers from the growing brush fire northeast of Los Angeles. The blaze was initially estimated at about 5 acres. The observatory, which has been evacuated, opened in 1917 and houses the 100-inch Hooker Telescope, one of the most advanced telescopes of the first half of the 20th century.
Farther north, a fire that sprang up late Monday in the mountains of the southern Bay Area blackened at least 150 acres and threatened 150 homes, which prompted evacuation orders. Smoke was descending into the coastal beach town of Santa Cruz.
Winds remained light, but conditions were dry. Crews dropped water on the blaze, which started as a structure fire.
“The idea is to hit it pretty hard with aircraft and hit it with ground resources at the same time,” said Rob Sherman, a division chief at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Five firefighters suffered minor injuries, including one who slipped down a ravine.
In the state’s wine-making region, tens of thousands of people began drifting back to their neighborhoods. Some returned to find their homes gone.
The deadliest wildfires in California history have been burning for more than a week, killing at least 41 people and destroying nearly 6,000 homes. About 34,000 people remained under evacuation Tuesday, down from 40,000 on Monday.
“It’s never going to be the same,” said Rob Brown, a member of the Board of Supervisors in Mendocino County, where all 8,000 evacuees were cleared to go home Monday. “You’re going to have to seek a new normal.”
The thousands of calls coming from concerned residents in neighboring Sonoma County “have shifted from questions about evacuation to questions about coping,” Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane said.
“Many people who call are sad and worried. The shock has worn off,” and depression is setting in, Zane said.
As a former grief therapist, she advised people with a family member or loved one who has lost everything to understand they can’t fix this but they can offer support.
“Provide a compassionate listening ear right now, and let them feel whatever they’re feeling,” Zane said.
And those who must rebuild from nothing are in for a changed life.
“You’re in for decades,” Brown said. “You’ll see benefits within years, but you’re literally in for decades of recovery.”
The return home was emotional even for those whose properties were spared.
“When we came up to check on it, we were amazed it was here,” said Tom Beckman. “All the trivial things we have to work on — cleaning up, replacing the stuff in the fridge and freezer — that’s nothing compared to my friends who lost their homes.”
In the hard-hit city of Santa Rosa, two hospitals were forced to close during the fires, leaving just one open, St. Joseph Health.
Eighty-three hospital employees and 51 doctors lost homes during the fires, though many continued to report to work.
“We expect the number to go up,” said St. Joseph Health spokesman Vanessa DeGier.
There was also good news to report.
A total of 36 babies were born at St. Joseph during the week since the wildfires started, about three times the normal delivery rate.
“All of those babies are doing very well,” said Vicki White, chief nursing officer.
Improving weather, the prospect of some light rain later in the week and tightening containment of the flames were tempered by the first death from the firefighting effort — a driver who was killed when his truck overturned on a winding mountain road.
The truck driver, who had been delivering water to the fire lines, crashed before dawn Monday in Napa County on a roadway that climbs from vineyards into the mountains.
In the historic main square of the wine and tourist town of Sonoma, a statue of the community’s 19th-century founder was draped with signs thanking firefighters who have saved the town from disaster.
“The love in the air is thicker than the smoke,” read a sign on the bench that displays the statue of Gen. Mariano Vallejo, which was wearing a face mask.