Deadly Northern California Wildfire Incinerates Homes

Some 400 homes were among the hundreds of structures destroyed as fast-moving wildfires raged through communities in Northern California
Deadly Northern California Wildfire Incinerates Homes
SAN ANDREAS, CA - SEPTEMBER 13: A burned truck and structures are seen at the Butte Fire on September 13, 2015 near San Andreas, California. California governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in Amador and Calaveras counties where the 100-square-mile wildfire has burned scores of structures so far and is threatening 6,400 in the historic Gold Country of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images
The Associated Press
Updated:

MIDDLETOWN, Calif.—An explosive wildfire burned largely unchecked Monday after incinerating hundreds of homes and devastating rural communities north of California’s Napa Valley, leaving at least one person dead and sending tens of thousands fleeing down flame-lined streets.

But it’s not the only one. A second massive blaze, less than 200 miles away, destroyed 135 homes as it spread through Amador and Calaveras counties in Sierra Nevada. That fire was 30 percent contained.

Both fires have displaced 23,000 people, Mark Ghilarducci, director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said at a news conference with Gov. Jerry Brown.

An elderly, disabled woman who was trapped in her home died in the wildfire about 20 miles outside the famed Napa Valley. Others are missing, but officials don’t yet know whether those unaccounted for are elsewhere.

“These fires will take lives and they will cause injuries, and we have to do the best we can, because we are really in a battle with nature, that nature is more powerful than we are,” Brown said.

Authorities flooded with requests for evacuation assistance could not rescue the disabled woman who called for help Saturday evening. The flames prevented deputies from reaching her subdivision, and rescue workers found her body when the fire subsided, Lake County Sheriff’s Lt. Steve Brooks said.

Her name hasn’t been released pending notification of relatives.

A firefighter in Middletown, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A firefighter in Middletown, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015. AP Photo/Elaine Thompson