Firefighters battle to save historic Sonoma
Massive blazes continue to rage in California, where at least 40 people have died
SONOMA, CALIF.— The California wildfires raced toward wineries and the historic town of Sonoma on 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 in east Sonoma to see flames “lapping up” no more than 350 metres 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 that some additional buildings had been damaged or destroyed before firefighters stopped it.
Several homes and other structures near a vineyard east of downtown were in smouldering ruins.
As of Saturday afternoon, Teter said crews did not expect any more losses in that area. But gusts up to 40 kilometres per hour were forecast for the rest of the day.
Nearly a week after the blazes began, the flames have left 40 people dead and destroyed at least 5,700 homes and businesses, making them the deadliest and most destructive group of wildfires in California history. Some 300 people remain unaccounted for, though officials think they’ll locate most of those people alive.
Most of the victims are believed to have died late on Oct. 8 or early on Oct. 9, when the fires exploded and took people by surprise in the dead of night. Most of the victims were elderly, though they ranged in age from 14 to 100.
“It’s a horror that no one could have imagined,” Gov. Jerry Brown said, after touring the destruction with Sens. 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 that the blazes remain a threat and that people need to leave their homes when told to go.
Although some evacuees were returning home in Mendocino County, the latest estimates were that about 100,000 people were under evacuation orders as the fires burned for a sixth day.
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.