Wildfires destroy 1,500 homes and buildings, force evacuations in wine country
CBS NEWS October 9, 2017, 2:19 PM
Santa Rosa fires destroy 1,500 homes and buildings, force evacuations in wine country
Last Updated Oct 9, 2017 2:19 PM EDT
NAPA COUNTY, Calif. -- More than a dozen wind-whipped wildfires continue to rage across Wine Country, burning buildings, forcing hundreds of evacuations and injuring several people, reports CBS San Francisco.
On Monday, Gov. Brown issued a state of emergency for Napa, Sonoma and Yuba counties due to the effects of the wildfires.
California's fire chief says at least 1,500 homes and commercial buildings have been destroyed in wildfires that have ripped through the state's wine country.
He says numerous people have been injured and a number of residents are also missing as 14 large fires burn.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Director Ken Pimlott say an estimated 20,000 people have been evacuated.
The Atlas Peak fire was the largest, quickly growing to more than 200 acres near Napa.
https://cbsnews1.cbsistatic.com/hub/...859408550.jpg#Flames consume a home in Glen Ellen, California, as out-of-control wildfires move through the area on October 9, 2017. Tens of thousands of acres have burned in widespread wildfires in Napa and Sonoma counties.
JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES
Meanwhile, a fire near Calistoga had burned several buildings, sent several people to the hospital to be treated for burns and prompted mandatory evacuations along several roads.
Early Monday morning, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department said fires had also erupted in Santa Rosa, Windsor and Sebastopol.
The fires had stretched Sonoma and Napa counties firefighting resources to the breaking point. A call for mutual aid was issued to other Bay Area fire departments.
The National Weather Service had issued a red flag warning for the Bay Area early Sunday, predicting gusty winds and dry conditions. Gusts were predicted to be in the 30 mph range in the area of the fires.
The rapidly moving Atlas Peak fire was visible throughout Napa Valley, heavy smoke was draping over the region. Cal Fire said the blaze broke out at 9:50 p.m.
Authorities said the flames moved quickly toward the Silverado Trail — an area dotted with homes and wineries. Officials said the Silverado Country Club — site of this week's PGA Tour tournament — was evacuated.
Flames were also burning near the Domaine Carneros winery.
Cal Fire Deputy Chief Scott McLean said there was no containment of Atlas Peak fire at 12:30 a.m. Monday, with winds blowing at 28 mph and the humidity at just 12.
"Very, very volatile fire conditions," McLean said.
The Napa Valley Register was reporting that authorities were going house to house just north of Silverado Resort urging residents to leave. The paper said there were reports of at least three structures burning on Atlas Peak.
Napa officials said two evacuation centers had been opened — at the Crosswalk Community Church on First Street and at the Napa County Fairgrounds. In Calistoga, an evacuation center was opened at the Calistoga Fairgrounds.
A large plume of smoke from the fire drifted as far south of San Francisco and the East Bay, where residents were reporting the strong smell of smoke in the air.
The massive fire rekindled memories for longtime Napa Valley residents of the 1981 Atlas Peak wildfire. In that blaze, 23,000 acres were burned, $36 million was done in damage, 65 structures were destroyed and 11 people were injured.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/santa-r...y-evacuations/
Cal Fire continues to probe cause of deadly wildfires despite arson arrest
*Sonoma County Sheriff Robert Giordano said an arson suspect was seen "walking away from a small fire."
*The 29-year-old suspect allegedly had "a fire extinguisher and a lighter with him," the sheriff said.
*Despite the arson arrest, Cal Fire said Tuesday afternoon it continues to investigate the cause of each of the wildfires in Northern California.
*The wildfires have claimed more than 41 lives, and many more people remain listed as missing.
Jeff Daniels
Published 20 Hours Ago Updated 19 Hours Ago
Sonoma County Sheriff Robert Giordano said Tuesday an arson suspect arrested Sunday is known to local law enforcement and remains in custody.
"Our arson arrest involves someone who is known to the deputies," said Giordano. He went on to say the suspect frequents Maxwell Farms Regional Park in Sonoma and "is known to sleep there."
The wildfires now raging in Northern California have claimed at least 41 lives and are responsible for the loss of more than 5,700 structures in several counties, including Sonoma and Napa. The fires wiped out entire neighborhoods in portions of Santa Rosa, the largest city in Sonoma County.
Dozens of people remain missing, and around 200 search and rescue workers were in the field Tuesday conducting searches for more possible victims of the disaster. Authorities also said they are using drones to find hot spots still in scorched areas.
Cal Fire said "repopulations" of evacuated areas remain a "priority." Over the last 24 hours, the state agency said 13,956 homes and 36,225 people were repopulated. "That's a pretty brisk pace and about as fast as we can do it," said a Cal Fire official.
Recent reports have cited PG&E's power lines as a possible cause of some of the current wildfires.
Despite the arson arrest, Cal Fire said it continues to investigate the cause of the various fires in Northern California.
"Cal Fire investigators continue to work on cause and determination," Bret Gouvea, a Cal Fire incident commander, told reporters at a press briefing Tuesday afternoon in Sonoma County. "And they are working closely with local law enforcement on those efforts to find a cause for each one of these fires."
The arson suspect is Jesus Fabian Gonzales, 29, Sgt. Spencer Crum, a spokesman for the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office told CNBC. Crum described him as "a transient out of Sonoma" and said the suspect was "arrested for setting a small fire in a park in Sonoma on Sunday."
Speaking at the Tuesday afternoon press conference, Giordano said the arson suspect was seen "walking away from a small fire" and stopped by deputies. Also, the suspect allegedly had "a fire extinguisher and a lighter with him," said the sheriff.
Giordano said the suspect was asked whether he started the fire and responded that "he started the fire to warm himself up — something to that effect."
In an SEC regulatory filing Friday, PG&E's parent company acknowledged that the causes of the fires are being investigated by Cal Fire, adding that the probe includes "the possible role of power lines and other facilities" of its Pacific Gas & Electric utility subsidiary.
The San Francisco-based utility has about $800 million in liability insurance for potential losses in connection with the wildfires, according to its SEC filing.
"If the amount of insurance is insufficient to cover the utility's liability or if insurance is otherwise unavailable, PG&E Corp's and the utility's financial condition or results of operations could be materially affected," the company's filing stated.
On Tuesday, PG&E shares closed up 7.5 percent. It recouped some of the losses from the past few days following investors getting nervous about its potential liability over the current wildfires.
An attorney specializing in wildfire lawsuits said PG&E could potentially be on the hook for up to $6 billion in damages if found liable for the deadly Northern California wildfires.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/17/cal-...on-arrest.html
