Thousands of buildings destroyed
36 dead
People burned beyond recognition and may never receive true identification
Sunday night
Deadliest fires in state history
Devoted firefighters
A total of 235 people are reported missing in Sonoma County alone
First responders drove through fires
Sheriff bodycam image shows officer driving right through the blaze and assisting in the evacuation of disabled person amidst the intense fires.
Fires reduced neighbourhoods to piles of metal and burnt shells of cars
Fires in Northern California took a turn for the worse, displacing thousands of people, flattening over six thousand homes, killing over 40 plus people, and leaving over 88 people missing since the first started on Sunday at 8pm.
“Officials are making grim discoveries — victims burned beyond recognition are being discovered as they survey neighbourhoods after what has been one of deadliest fires in California State history. The fire devastated neighbourhoods leaving nothing but the burnt out shells of family SUV’s and the condensed rubble of homes, family heirlooms and the bones of the residents who were trapped as the fires torrented through their neighbourhood. First responders were risking their lives racing through embers and intense flames to assist with evacuations. Now firefighters are working around the clock, vigorously trying to contain the fire which is now more than 8,000 acres.”
Many families have been granted permission to return home. However, “many are discovering they have nothing to return home to.”
With 8900 buildings destroyed by the fires’ end (October 31st), they remain the deadliest fires to ever occur in California state history.
By Stuart Cooper