About 20,000 forced to evacuate
Updated Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 3:50 p.m.
A series of devastating, wind-whipped early morning fires spread flames, ash and fear across Sonoma County, leading 20,000 residents to evacuate their homes in what authorities are calling the region’s worst natural disaster.
Cal Fire officials reported that 15 fires in nine counties erupted late Sunday night and early Monday morning, burning more than 73,000 acres, with no estimate yet on containment.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a total of nine deaths attributed to the worst of those fires, dubbed the Tubbs Fire because it is believed to have originated on a small lane northwest of Calistoga that connects state routes 128 and 29.
Cutting across northern and central Santa Rosa, the Tubbs Fire killed nine people, burned 27,000 acres, destroyed an estimated 550 homes and about two dozen commercial buildings. Officials attributed another six deaths to fires elsewhere in Sonoma County as well as in Napa and Mendocino counties.
The Nuns Fire that began in the Glen Ellen and Kenwood area and threatened Oakmont and eastern Santa Rosa consumed 5,000 acres. In Napa County, the Atlas fire covered 25,000 acres and the Redwood complext of fires in Mendocino County consumed 21,000 acres.
The fires in Santa Rosa prompted evacuation orders that sent residents to shelters and friends’ homes as far away as Sebastopol, Petaluma, Windsor, Healdsburg and Bodega Bay. Air quality is so poor that all schools in the county remain closed through Wednesday and possibly beyond.
About 240 people are reported as missing, although officials said some of those may be in shelters, with friends or without access to phones.
County Sheriff Rob Giordano said current calculations of death and damage are merely estimates that await official verification.
“That number is going to change,” Giordano said. “It’s just too early.”
However, from social media and news reports it was apparent that the firestorm destroyed dozens of well-known businesses and neighborhoods, particularly in northern Santa Rosa.
The list of those burned to the ground in the northeast section included: the Fountaingrove Inn and the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country hotels, Paradise Ridge Winery, Willi’s Wine Bar and the Cricklewood restaurants, the Redwood Adventist Academy Christian School, the Hidden Valley Satellite Elementary School and the ANOVA Center for autistic students, as well as the historic Fountaingrove Round Barn. About half of Cardinal Newman High School is destroyed.
When the fire jumped Highway 101, it took out a dozen buildings including Trader Joe’s and K-Mart, as well as restaurants like Applebee’s, Arby’s, McDonald’s and Puerto Vallarta.
Santa Rosa city and Sonoma County officials expressed their frustration over lack of public information available but acknowledged that local firefighting forces were outmatched in their attempts to fight multiple blazes on different fronts.
“I’m just as frustrated as you,” said Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey. “On the other hand, for the last 17 or 18 hours our personnel have been going out there, saving lives. There will be time later on to measure the damage and count the numbers.”
Officials have not yet pinpointed the cause of the fires, saying it was too early to determine how the firestorm began.
“The fire is still under investigation at this time,” said Santa Rosa acting police chief Craig Schwartz.
Cal Fire has been assisted by nearly every fire department in Sonoma County. Law enforcement, evacuation and rescue efforts have been spearheaded by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, which has received immense support from neighboring agencies, including San Francisco, San Mateo and Alameda counties.
“We have a lot of highly trained first responders working together to make everyone safe,” Giordano said.
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, accompanied at a news conference by U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman and Assemblymember Jim Wood, said his office is working with state and federal governments to secure help for Sonoma County victims.
“The state of emergency has been forward to the federal government,” Thompson said. “It rests with FEMA now.”
Thompson said FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has approved federal fire assistance grants and public assistance, which will help the county and city governments begin to rebuild. He also believes individual assistance will be available, including low interest loans that will enable people to begin rebuilding their lives.
“I rode in the sheriff’s helicopter and took pictures and sent them to FEMA and the White House so they know how serious this is and how devastated our community is,” Thompson said.
