October 9th 2017: Wildfires in Northern California Kill at Least 10 and Destroy 1,500 Buildings

Post date: Oct 09, 2017 9:22:36 PM

From the New York Times "SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Fast-moving wildfires raged across several counties in Northern California on Monday, killing at least one person, forcing the evacuation of up to 20,000 people and destroying hundreds of buildings, the authorities said.Firefighters were battling blazes in eight counties — Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Yuba, Nevada, Calaveras and Butte — officials said. Janet Upton, a deputy director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said that at least 15 fires had destroyed an estimated 1,500 residential and commercial structures and had burned over 73,000 acres since late Sunday night. The damage toll was expected to increase".

A house on fire in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Monday. CreditJim Wilson/The New York Times

Here's a picture from the fire. Notice how the trees are not burning but the house is. Look at the fire in the ground leading to to the fence and the garage. There is a good chance that this home was set on fire by embers ignitng flammable leaves and vegetation next to the house. Not through a "wall of flames" coming from the trees. We can take action long before a fire threatens to reduce this threat. Now is the time to make our homes less vulnerable to wildfire! Learn how to "Harden" your home Ask for a Home Ignition Zone evaluation.