Posts
10/10
Santa Rosa Fire, Entire Towns Burning Down, 1,000's of Homes
Climate & Extreme Weather News #72 (October 8th to 10th 2017)
LIVE coverage
23 dead in Wine Country Fires; parts of city of Napa warned
11
October, 2017
Latest
developments in the North Bay fires:
7:40
p.m. Two more deaths reported in Sonoma County: The
Sonoma County Coroner’s Office reported two more fire-related
deaths, bringing the fatality totals to 13 in the county and 23 for
all the fires.
7:25
p.m. Napa residents told to prepare: The
Napa County Sheriff’s Office is telling residents in some parts of
Napa to prepare to evacuate, although no mandatory order has been
issued. These areas have been warned: east of Silverado Trail between
Trancas Street and Soscol Avenue, east of Soscol Avenue between
Siverado Trail and West Imola Avenue, east of Highway 221 between
West Imola Avenue and Highway 29, east of Highway 29 between Highway
221 and Jameson Canyon Road, and north of Jameson Canyon Road between
Highway 12 and the Napa-Solano County line.
6:15
p.m. Mandatory evacuations in Geyserville: The
Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office issued mandatory evacuations in
Geyserville, on Highway 128 east to River Rock Casino and south to
Geysers Road up to Cal Pine.
6:04
p.m. Oakland limits outdoor school activity: Oakland
Unified School District is canceling PE classes, athletic activities
and recess that take place outside due to declining air quality. All
school and office buildings will keep doors and windows closed to
prevent smoke from entering.
6
p.m. Red Flag warning for East Bay Hills: The
National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for the East Bay
hills from 11 p.m. Wednesday to 5 p.m. Thursday, citing fire danger
from low humidity and gusting winds. People are encouraged to park in
their driveways or garages, leaving streets clear for emergency
vehicles, and to use extreme caution in operating barbecues, power
equipment and other heat sources.
5:30
p.m. Sheriff clears up immigration rumor: Sonoma
County Sheriff Rob Giordano took time out of a press conference to
clear up a rumor he wanted dispelled. “There’s a rumor out there
that people are checking immigration status in shelters and that is
not true,” he said, explaining that shelters were asking for names
to identify who was coming in. “Immigration status will never be
asked of you.”
5:25
p.m. School closures continue to expand: West
Contra Costa Unified School District superintendent Matthew Duffy
said all schools in the district would be closed on Thursday due to
declining air quality. All classes and after school activities are
canceled.
5:23
Missing persons number update: Sonoma
County sheriff’s officials say there are now 285 people still
missing. There had been 600 reports, after officials weeded out
duplicate reports. Of the 600, 315 people were located safely.
Officials said if they cannot locate a missing person, they are
checking the home where the person lived.
5:15
p.m. Suspected Looters Arrested:
Santa Rosa police arrested three suspected looters, identified as
Kelly Martin, 48, Tammara Hill, 49, and Patrick Daly 28. Police said
they have tightened security in evacuated areas and are actively
looking for looters.
5:10
p.m. Pleasants Valley Evacuation Advisory:
Residents of the west Pleasants Valley area from Highway 128 south to
Mix Canyon Road, should be prepared to evacuate, the Solano County
sheriff said.
5
p.m. Haze from fires impacts SFO: More
than 80 flights out of San Francisco International Airport were
cancelled on Wednesday due to smoky skies caused by fires burning out
of control in Sonoma and Napa counties, airport duty manager Jeff
Figone said.
About
25 percent of flights were experiencing delays, with affected flights
running 60 to 75 minutes late on average. The delays affected both
departing and arriving flights.
Airport
spokesman Doug Yakel said that the conditions are variable and the
FAA-mandated ground delays will change on a day-by-day basis. SFO
handles more than 12,500 flights per day.
3:45
p.m. Bay Area sports teams donate $450,000 to fire relief: A
number of local sports teams, including the San Francisco 49ers,
Oakland A’s, San Jose Earthquakes, San Francisco Giants, Oakland
Raiders, San Jose Sharks and the Golden State Warriors joined to
donate $450,000 to North Bay fire recovery efforts, according to Lisa
Goodwin, the Warriors’ spokeswoman. The teams also
formed a YouCaring page for
fans to make monetary donations for fire victims.
3:25
p.m. More districts announce further school closures: Benicia
Unified School District released students early Wednesday due to the
declining air quality, schools Superintendent Charles Young said. All
schools in the district will be closed through Friday.
Vallejo
City Unified School District will also close all schools through
Friday, schools Superintendent Adam Clark said. Students will return
to school on Tuesday, as Monday is a scheduled professional
development day for staff.
Vacaville
Unified School District announced that all schools and offices will
be closed through Friday.
3:15
p.m. Evacuation Advised for Boyes Hot Springs and north Sonoma:
The Sonoma County Sheriff is advising residents of Boyes Hot Springs
and those on Arnold Drive from Madrone, south to Petaluma Avenue and
east to E. Napa and Lovall Valley roads to leave now with pets,
medications and all necessary personal items. The best route out of
town is south, toward Petaluma. The Sonoma Raceway is offering
temporary shelter to evacuees.
3:05
p.m. Calistoga evacuated: The
entire town of Calistoga has been ordered evacuated. Leave
immediately, with pets and medications, officials said as the
mandatory evacuation was issued. A shelter is open at American Canyon
High School at 3000 Newell Drive, the city of Calistoga announced.
2:30
p.m. San Francisco air quality warning: Air
in San Francisco has been designated “unhealthy for sensitive
groups.” Air in parts of the North Bay fire zone has been
designated “hazardous” and “very unhealthy.”
San
Francisco air quality is predicted to decrease on Thursday to
“unhealthy” for all. The San Francisco Main Library and the
Chinatown, Mission Bay and Glen Park branches are open as shelters
with filtered air, Mayor Ed Lee tweeted.
2:00
p.m. Rohnert Park mowing fields:
The Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety said it had started to
mow open fields to the north and east of the city to “reduce the
fire threat in Rohnert Park.”
1:15
p.m. At least 380 people still missing in Sonoma County: Hundreds
of people are still unaccounted for in Sonoma County wildfires,
Sheriff Rob Giordano said. The number of people found versus the
number reported missing continues to fluctuate as displaced residents
who were without cell service reconnect with loved ones who hadn’t
heard from them, he said.
Those
looking for people in Sonoma County can call (707) 565-3856. At least
11 people have died in Sonoma County, making the Tubbs Fire the sixth
deadliest in California history, according to Cal Fire officials.
At
least 2 people have been killed in Napa County, 6 in Mendocino County
and 2 in Yuba County.
1
p.m. Some Fairfield residents asked to evacuate their
homes: Residents
of Fairfield’s Eastridge Development are being asked by local
police to evacuate their homes as gusty winds bring the raging Atlas
Fire closer to residential areas. An advisory evacuation order has
been issued by the Fairfield Police Department. Earlier, police asked
residents in the Eastridge and Rancho Solano neighborhoods to pack a
‘Ready-to-Go’ bag with all essential papers and medicines.
12:45
p.m. Officials say power lines possibly sparked some wildfires,
drought helped spread it: As
officials probe the source of a series of Northern California
wildfires that left 21 dead, the cause remains unknown, but there
were reports that strong winds had knocked down numerous power lines
between 9:20 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Sunday night, about the time the
fires broke out in Napa and Sonoma counties.
“We
are investigating a number of potential causes, including whether
reports of power lines falling down and electrical transformers
exploding Sunday night may have caused some of the wildfires in the
region,” said Janet Upton, deputy director of the California
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire.
Cal
Fire Chief Ken Pimlott said at a Wednesday news conference that the
fires were driven by a “critically dry fuel bed” across the
state. “We are still impacted by five years of drought,” he said.
The recent wet season that brought California out of the drought was
ineffective in tempering dry, explosive conditions, Pimlott said.
Photo:
Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle
Paolo
Solari uses a hose to put out embers that burn around his parents
home at Solari Vineyards on Monday, October 9, 2017 in Calistoga,
Calif.
12:05 p.m. Gov. Jerry Brown says wildfires among the most serious in state history: Brown said at a Wednesday news conference that California will recover only “on a material basis,” citing the loss of 21 lives in the fire. He said the state should prepare for a long rebuilding process.
“We’ve
had big fires in the past. This is one of the biggest, most serious,”
Brown said. “It’s not over.”
Addressing
the number of recent natural disasters in the United States, Brown
said the
country will probably spend tens of billions in total on nationwide
federal assistance.
11:40
a.m. Death toll now at 21 in Northern California fires: The
series of deadly wildfires have now claimed 21 lives, according to
Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott. Conditions
remain unfavorable for firefighting,
with 8 percent humidity and northerly winds of up to 40 mph. The fire
was driven by a dry fuel bed as the region still recovers from five
years of drought, Pimlott said at Wednesday news conference.
“Make
no mistake, this is a serious, critical, catastrophic event.”
Pimlott said. “The potential continues to exist for peril.”
11:30
a.m. Boil water notices expanded to sections of Kenwood and
Larkfield: Wildfires
in Sonoma County have tainted tap water for customers of the Lawndale
Water Company in Kenwood and the Kenwood Village Water company,
prompting advisories to boil all water used for consumption. The
California American Water Company in Larkfield has a boil water
notice as well along with an ongoing notice for the Oakmont area of
Santa Rosa, officials said. Water system pressure loss from the Tubbs
Fire led officials to advise Oakmont residents to boil tap water for
cooking and drinking to prevent stomach or intestinal illnesses,
according to city officials.
11:10
a.m. City of Napa water infrastructure up and running again: Some
Napa residents were advised to boil water for drinking and cooking
Tuesday after wildfires destroyed a pump station in the upper region
of Napa’s Silverado Country Club and the water treatment plant for
the Milliken Creek reservoir stopped running.
The
water treatment plant is operational again, Mayor Jill Techel said at
a Wednesday morning news conference. She said the initial water
advisory was for an evacuated area, so no one currently in their
homes should be required to boil their water.
10:45
a.m. Some Fairfield residents advised to pack
a to-go bag in
case fire spreads: Volatile
and gusty winds in Solano County are expected to begin about 11 a.m.
and could spread the Atlas Fire to neighborhoods in Fairfield,
according to a statement from the city police department. The fire is
about 3 miles from city limits close to the Eastridge and Rancho
Solano neighborhoods.
“All
residents in the Eastridge and Rancho Solano neighborhoods are
encouraged to pack a ‘Ready-to-Go’ bag with all essential papers
and medicines and be prepared to leave on short notice,” the police
advisory said. “There is no evacuation notice at this time.”
10:20
a.m. California Highway Patrol rescues more than 50 from Napa County
wildfires: CHP
officers flying above the burning region have saved more than 50
people off mountain tops in Napa County as four wildfires blacken the
area, Cmdr. Chris Childs of CHP Napa said at a Wednesday morning news
conference.
Photo:
Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle
A
statue of Jesus is seen while firefighters work to contain the
Tubbs fire at Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, Calif., on
Monday, Oct. 9, 2017.
Tens and thousands of acres in Napa County have been burned as four fires devastate the region: the Atlas Peak Fire, Tubbs Fire, Partrick Fire and Nuns Fire, officials said.
9:45
a.m. Number of people missing rises to more than 500 in Sonoma
County: As
thousands evacuate and broken cell towers inhibit communication, 670
people have been reported missing in Sonoma County wildfires, Sheriff
Rob Giordano said.
Of
those reported missing, 110 people have been found safe, he said. At
least 11 people have died in Sonoma County from the Tubbs Fire,
making it the sixth deadliest fire in California history, according
to Cal Fire officials.
Giordano
said the individuals who died were found as the result of police and
sheriff’s deputies being called to neighborhoods for various
reasons. He said teams put together to excavate the burned area for
bodies have yet to begin their work.
“When
we start doing searches, I expect that number to go up,” Giordano
said a news conference Wednesday in Santa Rosa.
9
a.m. Poor air quality from wildfires sicken Bay Area
students: Students
at schools in Richmond and Herculesreported
respiratory irritation due to heavy smoke in the air from North Bay
wildfires,
said Marcus Walton, a West Contra Costa Unified School District
spokesman. A number of medical calls have been made at schools in the
district, which spans from Hercules to El Cerrito. The district is in
the process of providing appropriate medical masks while some parents
opt to leave their children at home.
8
a.m. California wildfires have burned nearly 170,000 acres:
There are now at least 22 wildfires across the state burning tens and
thousands of acres, according to Cal Fire officials. At least 17
people have died in fires in Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Yuba
counties since the fires broke out Sunday.
7:45
a.m. Boil water notices extended to Oakmont in Santa Rosa: Water
systems in isolated areas of Fountaingrove and Oakmont have been
“compromised,” prompting Santa Rosa police to advise that
residents boil tap water used for cooking or drinking. Poor water
quality has
also become an issue in Napa County.
7:15
a.m. Updated Sonoma County school closures: The
Sonoma County Office of Education has released a
list of school closures for Wednesday.
In Napa County, all schools in Napa Valley Unified School District
will be closed for the remainder of the week.
Photo:
Leah Millis/The Chronicle
Evacuees
were advised to leave south on Silverado Trail to Zinfandel Lane and
west to southbound Highway 29. Napa County Sheriff’s officials
asked that residents contact loved ones before leaving due to limited
cell service. Check in with neighbors and carpool if necessary,
authorities said.
A
shelter for evacuees has been set up at Napa Valley College on Napa
Vallejo Highway.
The
remainder of Calistoga is under advisory alert and evacuations are
voluntary.
6:10
a.m. : More mandatory evacuations in Sonoma County: New
evacuations ordered were issued overnight for the Bennett Valley
neighborhood in Santa Rosa and Geyserville.
Evacuations
are also in place for the area of Annadel Heights in Santa Rosa,
bordered on the north by Parktrail Drive and on the west by
Summerfield Road.
People
must evacuate from downtown Geyserville, Palomino Road, Asti Ridge
Road and Highland Ranch Road.
Residents
in other areas of Geyserville must evacuate the following streets:
Nutter Road, Sellers Road, River Road, Fay Ranch Road, Ridge Oaks
Road, Fox Ridge Road, Vineyard Road, Woodridge Road, Deerpath Drive,
Ram Hill Road, Rockmouth Road, Colony Road, Lakewood Lane and Porter
Creek Road.
Photo:
Michael Macor, The Chronicle
Captain
Mike Harrison of Santa Rosa fire directs his team of firefighters
in containing a small roadside fire in the Oakmont neighborhood of
Santa Rosa, Ca. on Tuesday October 10, 2017. Massive wildfires
ripped through Napa and Sonoma counties, destroying hundreds of
homes and businesses on Monday morning.
Residents between the 1900 block of Highway 128 and the Russian River were also advised to evacuate.
5:50:
a.m. Largest veterans’ home
in the United States partially evacuated: Yountville
Veterans Home in Napa County has evacuated its skilled nursing
facility amid wildfires in the region, according to the department of
veterans affairs.
Some
residents at the facility have voluntarily evacuated but may return,
officials said. No general evacuation has been ordered for the home,
which houses about 1,000 disabled veterans from World War II, the
Korean War, Vietnam War, Desert Storm and Operation Enduring
Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom.
5:30
a.m. A third of people reported missing in Sonoma County found
safe: There
were 300
missing persons reports filed as
a result of wildfires in Sonoma County, but 110 people have been
located safe, Deputy Brandon Jones of the sheriff’s office said
Wednesday morning.
Most
missing persons reports stemmed from a lack of cell service due to
damaged cell towers and some 3,800 evacuees in Sonoma County still
staying in numerous shelters spread across the North Bay losing
contact with friends and relatives, Jones said.
5
a.m. Warning for North Bay Hills: Dangerous
gusty winds expected Wednesday afternoon prompted the National
Weather Service to issue a red flag warning for Sonoma, Napa and
Solano counties, setting up a tough day for firefighters battling
multiple blazes in the region.
The
warning will go into effect at 5 p.m. and run until at least 5 p.m.
on Thursday. The expected gusty winds and dry conditions will allow
fires that started Sunday night and have been burning out of control
ever since to spread quickly, meteorologist Charles Bell of the
weather service said Wednesday morning.
Photo:
Michael Macor/The Chronicle
“The
gusty winds could potentially topple some trees and power lines,
which of course could cause more fires to start on top of what we
already have,” Bell said.
12:35
a.m. Sonoma Valley evacuations: The
Sonoma County Sheriff’s office ordered mandatory evacuations of the
following areas: Moon Mountain Road, Mission Way, London Way, Martin
Road, Cavedale Road, and Adobe Way. The office also is advising Agua
Caliente residents along Hwy 12 between Agua Caliente Road and
Madrone Road to pack bags and be ready in case evacuations there are
ordered.
12:21
a.m. Tubbs Fire grows: The
Tubbs Fire has grown to 28,000 acres and continues threatening 16,000
structures, according to CalFire.
Tuesday
10:40
p.m. Geyserville area evacuations: New
evacuations were ordered in the Geyserville area, including all
residences between 1922 Highway 28 and the Russian River, the Sonoma
County sheriff’s office said. Downtown Geyserville residents are
being told to prepare to evacuate in case an order is issued.
10:03
p.m. St. Helena warned: St.
Helena city officials were
encouraging residents
to pack bags and get ready for possible evacuation after mandatory
evacuations were ordered near Mt. Veeder, about 10 miles south of St.
Helena, due to the Nuns Fire. St. Helea police, however, assured
residents they are not
under an evacuation order.
9:45
p.m. More Evacuations:
Evacuations were conducted on Dry Creek Road in Napa County and the
road is now closed from Orchard Ave to Oakville Grade. In addition,
evacuations were conducted on Redwood Road, and Redwood Road at the
intersection of Browns Valley Road is now closed, the Napa County
Sheriff reported.
8:57
p.m. Fairfield-Suisun schools closed: Superintendent
Kris Corey said that all schools in the Fairfield-Suisun School
district will be closed Wednesday.
Employees will not report to work
and all district sites will be closed to the public.
8:42
p.m. Atlas Fire 3% Contained: CalFire
says the Atlas Fire has burned 26,000 acres, destroyed 125 structures
and is now 3% contained. Five thousand structures remain threatened.
8:16
p.m. Eleven Shelters Full: Sonoma
County authorities said 11 emergency shelters were now full but 25
still had space available, including two shelters that were accepting
large pets. For information, click
here.
7:40
p.m. Structures threatened: The
Tubbs Fire is threatening more than 16,000 structures — on top of
the nearly 600 structures that have been destroyed in the blaze
already, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire
Protection.
Photo:
Noah Berger/Special To The Chronicle
6:55
p.m. The scene from Bennett Valley: As
evacuation orders extended to parts of Bennett Valley, southeast of
Santa Rosa, some evacuees stopped at the nearby golf course to watch
the unrelenting smoke barrel from Annadel Heights Tuesday afternoon.
An intense ring of fire could be at the peak of the mountain top,
with new flare ups visible further down the mountain every few
minutes.
Sean
Coleman watched the hills burn, worried about what would happen once
the sun set and the winds got worse.
Coleman
and his fiancé were evacuated from central Santa Rosa Monday, and
came to Bennett Valley Hills Tuesday to help police evacuate people
from their homes.
"The
winds will determine everything," he said.
6:25
p.m. Solano County evacuations expand: Officials
have issued a mandatory evacuation order for Gordon Valley, Williams,
Lambert, and Clayton roads in Solano County on Tuesday night. “The
fire has jumped to Wooden Valley Road and is moving southeast,”
read a statement released by the Fairfield Police.
6:20
p.m.: Clarification on evacuations: The
Larkfield area just north of Santa Rosa was evacuated on Sunday and
continues to remain closed, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s
Office. The area had been reported incorrectly earlier by officials
as being a new area for evacuations.
6:00
p.m.: Emergency declaration declared in Solano: Gov.
Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in Solano County
because the Atlas Fire has damaged infrastructure and is threatening
homes.
5:35
p.m. Santa Rosa danger: Fire
is threatening the Annadel Heights area in eastern Santa Rosa.
Residents in the area bordered on the north by Parktrail Drive and on
the west by Summerfield Road should evacuate immediately, the Sonoma
County Sheriff’s Office says.
5:20
p.m. Miscommunication on evacuations: The
Pacific Heights area just north of Santa Rosa is not under
evacuation, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. The
initial evacuation order was a “miscommunication,” they said in a
statement.
4:55
p.m.: Solano County evacuations: Officials
report that the the Atlas Fire has crested the ridge at Twin Sisters
Road in Solano County on Tuesday afternoon. Sheriff’s deputies are
“going door-to-door on Twin Sisters Road, reverifying any remaining
inhabitants and urging them to leave immediately.”
4:50
p.m.: More evacuations near Santa Rosa: Officials
are evacuating an area called Pacific Heights just north of Santa
Rosa. The latest evacuations are near where people were ordered to
leave a short time ago near Shiloh Ranch Regional Park.
4:35
p.m. College closed: Sonoma
State University has suspended classes for Wednesday because of the
fires in the area. The school was closed both Monday and Tuesday.
4:30
p.m. Inmates fighting off blazes: More
than 500 inmate firefighters are battling the wildfires in Northern
California, officials said Tuesday. The California Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation reports that another 300 inmate
firefighters are hitting the blazes in Southern California on
Tuesday.
4:20
p.m.: Fires near Santa Rosa: A
fire is burning south of Shiloh Ranch Regional Park just north of
Santa Rosa, Sonoma County sheriff’s officials say. People in the
area of Faught and Montebello roads are being evacuated. Separately,
evacuations also are under way near the Bennett Valley Golf Course
southeast of Santa Rosa.
4:03
p.m. Wildfires labeled ‘worst fire disaster in California
history’ : Rep.
Mike Thompson, D-Napa, surveyed Northern California’s decimated
fire region on Monday. He said at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds
Tuesday, “It’s devastating. I fully expect this will be the worst
fire disaster in California history.”
3:52
p.m. First responders in Napa, Sonoma counties lose homes in
wildfires: Mill
Valley Fire Chief Tom Welch lost his home while working the
wildfires, city officials said. In Sonoma County, at least 20
sheriff’s office employees lost their homes as well, authorities
said.
3:30
p.m. School closures in Napa, Sonoma counties: All
schools in the Napa Valley Unified School District will be closed
Wednesday and Thursday, according to city officials. All schools in
Sonoma Valley Unified School District will be closed for the rest of
the week, district officials said. Classes at Sonoma State University
have been suspended for Wednesday, while Santa Rosa Junior College
will be closed through Sunday.
2:51
p.m. More than 180 people missing in Sonoma County: Fifty-seven
out of 240 people reported missing in Sonoma County have been found,
said Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano. Downed cell phone towers and
more than 25 evacuation centers contributed to difficulties in
finding loved ones, he said. Many people have been reported missing
from nursing homes. A team of police officers will begin the mission
to excavate bodies possibly buried in the charred rubble Tuesday
evening, Giordano said.
2:30
p.m. Pelosi calls on Congress to provide aid: Rep.
Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, called the Trump administration’s
major disaster declaration for the California fires an “appreciated
first step” but said Tuesday afternoon that more was needed.
“Speaker (Paul) Ryan and Republicans must work with Democrats to
update federal relief estimates and adjust the supplemental disaster
package so that we can make available all necessary resources for
those devastated by these wildfires,” she said in a statement.
2:28
p.m. Nuns Fire racing toward Oakmont in Santa Rosa:
The Santa Rosa Police Department sent out an urgent tweet warning
Tuesday afternoon of a fast-moving wildfire encroaching on the
Oakmont senior living community on three sides. The Police Department
tweeted, “#NunsFire is rapidly approaching Oakmont. Oakmont is
still under mandatory evacuation - all residents must leave now!”
Oakmont has been under mandatory evacuation since Monday.
2
p.m. Sonoma Raceway opens to evacuees: The
Sonoma Raceway is welcoming wildfire
evacuees to
its 50-acre campground, officials announced. The campground, across
from the raceway on Highway 121, will have basic services for
recreational vehicles, including water and sewage. For more
information contact the Sonoma Raceway at (800) 870-7223 or
email sonomaraceway@sonomaraceway.com.
1:15
p.m. Sonoma County warns of criminal action against price gougers and
looters: People
are being asked to call 911 to report suspected looting. Any vendor
offering products and services with more than a 10 percent markup is
breaking the law and should be reported to the Sonoma County District
Attorney’s Office.
“Please
be advised that any looters who are apprehended will be prosecuted to
the fullest extent of the law,” District Attorney Jill Ravitch said
in a statement.
Santa
Rosa has issued a curfew from 6:45 p.m. until 7:15 a.m. in
the mandatory evacuation area.
Breaking curfew is a misdemeanor, officials said.
1
p.m. Tens of thousands without power in Sonoma County: Pacific
Gas and Electric Company is working to
restore power to 50,260 customers impacted by the wildfires in Sonoma
County.
About 28,000 customers are without gas service in Santa Rosa,
Windsor, Yountville, Napa, and Kenwood, according to Shirlee Zane,
chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.
12:18
p.m.: High-wind warning: The
National Weather Service has issued a
red-flag warning for
Wednesday night and Thursday for hills in the North Bay and East Bay,
predicting northeast winds of up to 30 mph and gusts of 45 mph. The
warning starts at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the North Bay hills and 11 p.m.
in the East Bay hills, and runs through 5 p.m. Thursday. High winds
contributed to the explosive spread of fires throughout the North Bay
on Sunday night and Monday.
12:08
p.m. Thousands remain in shelters in Napa and Sonoma counties: More
than 3,000 people remain in shelters as
17 wildfires have burned through 115,000 acres across California.
Wildfires statewide have left at least 2,000 structures destroyed,
officials announced at a California Office of Emergency Services
press conference.
12
p.m. Wildfire death toll reaches 15: Two
more fatalities have been confirmed by Sonoma County sheriff’s
officials ,
marking nine deaths in Sonoma County. Northern California fires have
now killed 15 people, including two in Napa County, three in
Mendocino County and one in Yuba County. More than 200 people had
been reported missing in Sonoma County, and 45 of those people have
been found, officials said.
11:45
a.m. Santa Rosa smolders: Along
Highway 101 through
Santa Rosa, visibility
for drivers extended no more than 300 yards and traffic was stop and
go in both directions Tuesday morning.
The
sun was nearly blotted out by a sky filled with gray ash and smoke.
Skeletons of trees, gutted buildings and burned-out cars lined
roadways. Occasional flames burned on wooden structures holding up
highway guardrails. Fields, lawns, a pizza joint and grocery store
that were fully engulfed in flames Monday continued to smolder
Tuesday.
Frustrated
residents were trying to find any exit that wasn’t closed down to
get off the highway and find a backroad home to survey the damage.
Police weren’t letting them, for the most part.
11:17
a.m. Authorities seek suspicious person in small San Rafael
vegetation fire: A
man was seen running from the scene of a vegetation fire that broke
out Tuesday morning in San Rafael, according to the city fire
department. The fire burned less than an acre and was quickly
contained. Fire officials ask that anyone with information on the man
call 911.
11
a.m. Nearly half of downed cell sites restored: Seventy-seven
cell sites were down from loss of power or fire damage, and 35 are
running again, according to State Senator Mike McGuire. Tens of
thousands of customers remain without cell phone service in the fire
zones in Napa and Sonoma counties, he said.
10:25
a.m. Vice President Mike Pence pledges aid in the North Bay
wildfires: “To
California, we say though this declaration, we are with you, our
prayers are with you and we will be with you every day until we put
the fires out,” Pence said.
President
Trump approved the major disaster declaration,
which will give California additional federal resources and funding
to fight fires up and down the state. Pence said legislation that
will be considered in Congress next week includes $576 million for
fire suppression.
10:12
a.m. Agencies protect homes from looting: The
California National Guard is working to protect property in the wild
fires. Mendocino County reported at least one looter was arrested in
the fire area on Monday.
9:29
a.m. Mendocino death toll rises: The
number of people killed
in a wildfire in
the Mendocino County town of Redwood Valley now stands at three. Cal
Fire officials said the victims died when the Redwood Complex Fire
tore through the town of 2,000 people Sunday night and Monday. Their
names have not been released. Four more people suffered major burn
injuries, and about two dozen others suffered lesser burn injuries,
Cal Fire said. Roughly 50 homes were destroyed in the town, located 8
miles north of Ukiah on Highway 101.
9:17
a.m. Couple identified as Napa victims: Charles
and Sarah Rippey were identified as victims from the wildfires in
Napa, county sheriff John Robertson said. Charles was 100 years old
and his wife was 98.
The
couple died while trying to escape their home in the 100 block of
Westgate Circle in Santa Rosa, Robertson said.
9
a.m. Small vegetation fire in San Rafael: A
vegetation fire less than one acre large started off Professional
Center Parkway. Firefighters stopped forward progress. No damage or
injuries have been reported, according to fire officials.
8:45
a.m. Napa County cell service limited: With spotty service affecting
thousands of cell phone users in Napa County, the sheriff’s
department announced a website for people to go on and post they are
safe.
With
dozens of people still missing from the fires ravaging Napa and
Sonoma counties, residents with cell reception problems are
encouraged to log on to safeandwell.org and register their names.
8
a.m. Cascade Fire in Yuba County spreads: The
deadly Cascade Fire has reached 11,500 acres, a growth of more than
3,000 acres overnight, officials said Tuesday.
It
was 15 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. The blaze killed
vehicle fleeing from the town of Loma Rica.
7:42
a.m. Dozens reported missing in Sonoma County: Roughly
150 people have been reported missing as a result of wild fires, said
Sgt. Spencer Crum, a sheriff’s office spokesman.
7:32
a.m. Tubbs Fire grows: The
Tubbs fire in Sonoma County is
now at 27,000 acres, growing 2,000 acres overnight, according to Cal
Fire.
7:01
a.m. Nuns fire spreads: Santa
Rosa police announce the Nuns fire is moving to the southwest corner
of Oakmont.
7
a.m. School closures stay in place: All
schools in Napa and Sonoma counties remain closed Tuesday due to
wildfires, district officials announced.
6
a.m. Death toll rises to 11: One
person died early Monday morning trying to flee the Cascade Fire in
Yuba County, county spokesman Russ Brown confirmed Tuesday.
The
person, whose name was not immediately released, was in a vehicle
fleeing from the town of Loma Rica, ran off a back-road and became
trapped in the fire, Brown said.
Northern
California fires have now killed 11 people, including seven in Sonoma
County, two in Napa County and one in Mendocino County.
The
Cascade fire is one of at least 15 blazes burning in Northern
California. It has consumed 8,200 acres and was only 10 percent
contained Tuesday morning.
5
a.m. Cooler temperatures, but fires rage: Cool
overnight temperatures aided firefighters battling blazes in Napa and
Sonoma counties, but the fires continued to rage out of control
Tuesday morning.
High
temperatures in the North Bay are forecast to be in the mid 70s to
upper 70s, generally 5 to 10 degrees cooler than Monday, said Charles
Bell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
At
least eight fires were burning across Northern California Tuesday
with little to no containment, officials said. The fires have killed
at least 10 people, including seven in Sonoma County, two in Napa
County and one in Mendocino County.
1:33
a.m. Santa Rosa water alert: Santa
Rosa Fire Department officials are
advising residents
of the Fountaingrove neighborhood to boil their water to ensure it is
safe to drink — if they have low or no water pressure.
Chronicle
staff writers Kimberly Veklerov, Melody Gutierrez, Marissa Lang,
Michael Cabanatuan, Steve Rubenstein and Annie Ma contributed to this
report.
Click
here for
previous updates from the Wine Country fire coverage
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