Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Monday, October 9, 2017

BREAKING: California fires: Deadly wildfires sweep through wine country

October 10, 2017  01H:40 GMT/UTC/ZULU TIME



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Media captionWildfires rip through California's famous wine country
Parts of California's wine region are being ravaged by fast-spreading fires that have killed at least 10 people.
Mass evacuations have taken place and at least 1,500 properties have been destroyed. Seven people were killed in Sonoma county, authorities said.
About 20,000 people fled from Napa, Sonoma and Yuba counties after some of the state's worst-ever wildfires broke out.
The governor of California has declared an emergency.
Fire burns along Napa valley hillsidesImage copyright AFP/getty
Image caption At least fourteen fires are burning across eight Californian counties
"These fires have destroyed structures and continue to threaten thousands of homes, necessitating the evacuation of thousands of residents," the declaration said.
Along with the deaths in Sonoma county, two people were killed in Napa county and one in Mendocino county when thousands of acres burned in one valley.
Further injuries have been reported and others are said to be missing.
The head of California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Kim Pimlott, said that about 1,500 buildings had already been destroyed.
It is not yet known how the fires started on Sunday night.
Napa County's fire chief warned that conditions were hindering firefighting efforts, as further resources were brought in from across the state.
Dozens of vineyard workers were reportedly airlifted to safety overnight.
A house frame is totally set alightImage copyright AFP/GETTY
Image caption Officials say at least one person has died and about 1,500 buildings have been destroyed overnight
The fires are particularly fast-spreading because of the combination of high winds, low humidity and hot, dry weather.
The National Weather Service has issued a warning for the San Francisco area that "any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly".
One vineyard owner told the LA Times that he thought his property was likely destroyed after he and his family escaped from a fire late on Sunday night.
"There was no wind, then there would be a rush of wind and it would stop. Then there would be another gust from a different direction. The flames wrapped around us," Ken Moholt-Siebert said.
Burned out wreckages of houses and cars are picturedImage copyright Getty Images
Image caption Hundreds of homes have been destroyed in the overnight wildfires
"I was just being pelted with all this smoke and embers.
"It was just really fast."
The fire department's website estimates that tens of thousands of acres have already been destroyed in at least 14 fires, making it one of the most destructive outbreaks California has seen.
In September the Californian city of Los Angeles suffered the largest wildfires in its history.
Are you in the areas of California affected by these fires? If it is safe for you to share your experiences then please email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories.
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