Reports from CNN indicate that 23 people are dead as a result of the California wildfires. Of these deaths, 13 are reportedly from Sonoma County alone. Reportedly the wildfires have gutted over 170,000 acres in northern california. Reports from Wired, confirm that over 2000 businesses were lost to the fire.

Wildfires in Napa County destroyed hundreds of acres of vineyards

Wildfires are still ablaze in Napa County. Many vineyards are completely destroyed. Over 168 people have been injured in the fires or suffered smoke inhalation. They are currently being treated at nearby hospitals in Sonoma and Napa.

Authorities list at least 285 people as missing. Issues with mobile towers still persist and communication channels aren’t fully functional in these areas. Once communication channels are back up many of those who haven’t been able to contact family will be able to do so and the number of missing persons may go down. Many people in Napa Valley are left without a mobile phone signal and power.

Santa Rosa suffers major destruction

Margret Curzon, a resident of Santa Rosa said that her family lost everything in the fire. She describes the sky being orange and mistaking the debris and smell to be from a bomb blast. Once the truth dawned, they had only a few minutes to grab essentials, their two dogs, and sprint as fast as they could for their dear lives.

Santa Rosa faced much destruction. All that is left of cars and homes is a pile of charred wood, steel, and ash.

Revenue of $13 billion lost per County

Authorities have evacuated a large part of Santa Rosa and curfew orders are effective in the north and south of the city. Tubbs fire that stretched from Santa Rosa to Napa Valley destroyed 27,000 acres of land.

Tubbs destroyed much of the grape cultivation, subsequently used to produce wine, something that Napa Valley is famed for. The revenue that will be lost for each County is estimated to be at $13 billion for the wine alone. However, its people’s lives that matter and not wine say the winemakers. In Mendocino County, fires burned 21,000 acres in the Redwood Complex fire.

How to mitigate the risk of fire?

The risk of fire can be mitigated by planning the city more evenly, by planting different kinds of ornamental vegetation and moving all power lines underground. However, rehabilitation will take time. The fire has to die down first. The White House announced that the Trump administration has approved fire management assistance grants for the State of California.
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