Deadly blaze destroys whole communities
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — An explosive wildfire burned largely unchecked Monday after incinerating hundreds of homes and devastating rural communities north of California’s Napa Valley, leaving at least one person dead and sending tens of thousands fleeing down flame-lined streets.
But it’s not the only one. A second massive blaze, less than 320 kilometres away, destroyed 135 homes as it spread through Amador and Calaveras counties in the Sierra Nevada. That fire was 30 per cent contained.
Both fires have displaced 23,000 people, Mark Ghilarducci, director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said at a press conference with Gov. Jerry Brown.
An elderly, disabled woman who was trapped in her home died in the wildfire about 32 km outside the famed Napa Valley. Others are missing, but officials don’t yet know whether those unaccounted for are elsewhere.
Authorities flooded with requests for evacuation assistance could not rescue the disabled woman who called for help Saturday evening. The flames prevented deputies from reaching her subdivision, and rescue workers found her body when the fire subsided, Lake County Sheriff’s Lt. Steve Brooks said.
The fire exploded in size within hours as it chewed through brush and trees parched from four years of drought, destroying 400 homes, two apartment complexes and 10 businesses since igniting Saturday, Cal Fire spokeswoman Lynn Valentine said.
Crews have gained little control of the 153-square-km blaze, which also damaged water distribution facilities and a massive complex of geothermal power plants known as the Geysers.
Residents fled from Middletown, a town of more than 1,000 residents, dodging smouldering telephone poles, downed power lines and fallen trees as they drove through billowing smoke. Several hundred people spent Sunday night at the Napa County Fairgrounds.
Four firefighters who are members of a helicopter crew suffered second-degree burns during the initial attack on the fire. They remained hospitalized in stable condition.
The governor declared a state of emergency Sunday to free up resources. He had already declared an emergency for the separate 178-square-km wildfire about 112 km southeast of Sacramento.
Ghilarducci, of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said this summer’s fires are the most volatile he has seen in 30 years of emergency response work. The main cause is dry conditions from the drought.
East of Fresno, the largest wildfire in the state marched away from the Sierra Nevada’s Giant Sequoia trees, some of which are 3,000 years old, fire spokesman Dave Schmitt said. The fire, which was sparked by lightning on July 31, has charred 340 square km and was 36 per cent contained Sunday, the U.S. Forest Service said.
Firefighters have maintained a precautionary line around Grant Grove, an ancient grove of Giant Sequoia trees, and set prescribed burns to keep the flames from overrunning it.