California fires could worsen
Blaze expected to gain momentum and erase gains made by firefighters
SONOMA (California): Wildfires already well on their way to becoming the deadliest and most destructive in California history could gain momentum and erase even the modest gains firefighters have made.
Steady winds with gusts up to 72kph with nearly non-existent humidity are expected to descend on the areas north of San Francisco where at least 23 people have died and at least 3,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed.
“It’s going to continue to get worse before it gets better,” state fire Chief Ken Pimlott said on Wednesday.
Entire cities had evacuated in anticipation of the next wave, their streets empty, the only motion coming from ashes falling like snowflakes.
They included Calistoga, the historic resort town of wine tastings and hot springs, whose 5,300 people are all under evacuation orders.
Tens of thousands more were also driven from their homes by the flames. A few left behind cookies for firefighters and signs that read, “Please save our home!”
The 22 fires spanned more than 686 sq km as they entered their fourth day, many of them completely out of control.
Modern, strategic attacks that have kept destruction and death tolls low in recent years just haven’t worked against their ferocity.
The community of Boyes Hot Springs in Sonoma County also was told to clear out on Wednesday, and the streets were quickly lined with cars packed with people fleeing.
The ash rained down on the Sonoma Valley, covering wind- shields, as winds began picking up towards the potentially disastrous forecast speed of 48kph.
Countless emergency vehicles sped towards the flames, sirens blaring, as evacuees sped away.
State fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said 22 wildfires were burning on Wednesday, up from 17 the day before. As the fires grew, officials voiced concern that separate blazes would merge into even larger infernos.
“We have had big fires in the past. This is one of the biggest, most serious, and it’s not over,” Gov Jerry Brown said at a news conference on Wednesday, alongside the state’s top emergency officials.
They said 8,000 firefighters and other personnel were battling the blazes and more resources were pouring in from Arizona, Nevada, Washington and Oregon.
Flames have raced across the wine-growing region and the scenic coastal area of Mendocino farther north, levelling whole neighbourhoods and leaving only brick chimneys and charred appliances to mark where homes once stood.
Helicopters and air tankers were assisting thousands of firefighters trying to beat back the flames. Until now, the efforts have focused on “life safety” rather than extinguishing the blazes, partly because the flames were shifting with winds and targeting new communities without warning.
Fires were “burning faster than firefighters can run, in some situations”, Emergency Operations Director Mark Ghilarducci said. — AP