A Sonoma City firefighter walks in front of flames during a backburn operation Friday, Oct. 13, 2017, in Glen Ellen , Calif.
Marcio Jose Sanchez, The Associated Press
Healdsburg Wiley Valley, right, and Mike Dwyer are engulfed in smoke from a wildfire along a mountain road Friday, Oct. 13, 2017, in Glen Ellen, Calif.
Marcio Jose Sanchez, The Associated Press
A firefighter monitors flames from a blackburn operation Friday, Oct. 13, 2017, in Glen Ellen, Calif.
Marcio Jose Sanchez, The Associated Press
A Sonoma City firefighter sets a backburn on a hillside Friday, Oct. 13, 2017, in Glen Ellen, Calif.
Jae C. Hong, The Associated Press
Two firefighters watch for spot fires Friday, Oct. 13, 2017, near Calistoga, Calif. Firefighters gained some ground on a blaze burning in the heart of California's wine country but face another tough day ahead with low humidity and high winds expected to return.
Jae C. Hong, The Associated Press
A row of chimneys stand in a neighborhood devastated by a wildfire Friday, Oct. 13, 2017, near Santa Rosa, Calif. Firefighters gained some ground on a blaze burning in the heart of California's wine country but face another tough day ahead with low humidity and high winds expected to return.
Rich Pedroncelli, The Associated Press
Ana Vigil Footman, left, and her grandson Tim Rallis sit outside her Ana's Cantina on the nearly empty main street of St. Helena, Calif., Friday, Oct. 13, 2017. Many of the residents of the historic wine country town, voluntarily evacuated as flames from a massive wildfire neared. Vigil Footman decided to remain open to provide people a place to food and drink.
Rich Pedroncelli, The Associated Press
Smoke from a massive wildfire blanket Highway 9 near Oakville, Calif., Firefighters continue to battle the blaze burning in the heart of California's wine country.
Rich Pedroncelli, The Associated Press
Grapes are harvested from a vineyard as smoke from a massive wildlife fills the air near Oakville, Calif Friday, Oct. 13, 2017. Firefighters continue to battle the blaze burning in the heart of California's wine country.
Rich Pedroncelli, The Associated Press
Laura Castellanos comforted by neighbor Mike Fisher, Friday, Oct., 13, 2017, after learning that her home was destroyed by the massive wildfire that swept through the hills near Oakville, Calif. Firefighters continue to battle blaze burning in the heart of California's wine country. Fishers home was sparred by the fire.
Rich Pedroncelli, The Associated Press
Firefighters huddle confer as flames from a massive wildfire burn along a mountain top near Oakville, Calif, Friday, Oct. 13, 2017. Firefighters continue to battle the blaze burning in the heart of California's wine country.
SANTA ROSA, Calif. – Northern California officials ordered a new round of mandatory evacuations overnight for parts of the Sonoma Valley and eastern Santa Rosa, as gusty winds returned, reviving dangerous fire conditions in a region that has been devastated by ongoing blazes since last week.
The National Weather Service warned Friday night that strong winds were expected throughout Northern California, with gusts of 35 to 45 mph, putting much of the region under a red flag warning.
“If any new fires start, they could spread extremely rapidly,” the NWS said. Dangerous winds and extremely dry “fuels” on the ground “also could cause problems with the current wildfires and the firefighters trying to suppress them,” the NWS noted.
Late Friday, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office recommended that residents in eastern Sonoma Valley be prepared to leave because of a blaze in the area, dubbed the Nuns Fire, that was only 10 percent contained. Shortly after 2 a.m. local time Saturday, the order was upgraded to a mandatory evacuation.
“Everybody needs to evacuate westbound on Hwy 12 to Santa Rosa immediately,” the sheriff’s office wrote.
Even as several fires still burn across hundreds of acres in California wine country, the horrific scale of death and destruction is coming into focus.
At least 35 people have been confirmed dead in four counties, many of them elderly, some burned to ashes. One victim was 14 years old. (The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office revised its death toll late Friday, from nine fatalities to eight.)
Taken together, the disastrous blazes – more than 20 in all since Sunday, including at least six in Sonoma County – have killed more people than any other California wildfire on record.
Hundreds are still missing on Friday. Statewide, an estimated 5,700 structures have been destroyed, including whole neighborhoods reduced to smoldering rubble. About 90,000 people have been displaced by the fires, officials say.
“It’s devastating. I’ve only driven maybe 5 percent of the fire area . . . I don’t even think I understand what the damage toll is going to be, and I have a better handle on it than most,” Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano told the Los Angeles Times. “Santa Rosa will be a different planet. There is so much to rebuild. It will absolutely change the community.”
Firefighters have made some significant gains. As of Friday evening, some of the deadliest fires in Sonoma and Napa counties were nearly 50 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
“We’re making a lot better progress today,” said Steve Crawford, a Cal Fire operations chief for the Tubbs fire in Sonoma County. “We told the guys, ‘Get the boots on the ground. Do hard work today and by this evening when this wind comes up, hopefully we’ll be ahead of the power curve.’ ”
As blazes are extinguished, counties have been preparing to get people back to evacuated areas.
“We don’t want to keep people out of their homes one minute longer than we have to,” Cal Fire Deputy Chief Bret Gouvea said.
California Gov. Jerry Brown, D, and U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D, and Kamala Harris, D, will visit the disaster zone in Sonoma County Saturday afternoon.
Even as emergency personnel battled the fires in and around the wine country, authorities began facing questions about the cause of the most damaging blaze, in Sonoma, and whether they did enough to warn vulnerable residents as the flames edged closer to populated areas.
The scrutiny marks the next phase of a disaster that erupted seemingly out of nowhere Sunday night, prompting panic among residents who had no idea that a fire was bearing down on them and emergency workers who said they were stunned at the speed with which the fire progressed.
Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, sustained the most damage, with 19 people confirmed dead and 256 still reported missing. The fires have destroyed nearly 3,000 homes and caused $1.2 billion in damage in Santa Rosa, the county seat and gateway to the wine-tourism industry.
Officials say this is now the deadliest week of wildfires in state history. The death toll is certain to rise as authorities – some accompanied by cadaver dogs – continue to explore the wreckage.
As areas become safer to enter, Giordano said deputies had begun the task of searching for the missing and the dead, with bodies showing up in a variety of conditions.
“We have recovered people where their bodies are intact,” he said, “and we have recovered people where there’s just ash and bone.”
The majority of the victims who have been identified were elderly, except for one: A 14-year-old who was found near his family’s home in Mendocino County. Kai Logan Shepherd was running away from the fire when he was killed, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
Of the 10 Sonoma County victims who have been named so far, two of whom were identified through medical devices or implants, two through dental records, another by a distinctive tattoo, while others were matched with fingerprints or visuals and other investigative means.
Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images
Fire glows on a hillside in Napa, California on Oct. 9, 2017, as multiple wind-driven fires continue to whip through the region.
Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images
Flames ravage a home in the Napa wine region in California on Oct. 9, 2017, as multiple wind-driven fires continue to whip through the region.
Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images
Property owner Chris Schrobilgen stands in his neighbor's burned grape vineyard in Calistoga, California on Oct. 11, 2017.
More than 200 fire engines and firefighting crews from around the country were being rushed to California on Wednesday to help battle infernos which have left at least 21 people dead and thousands homeless.
Colby Clark of San Francisco, left, comforts her mother, Bonnie Trexler, after being escorted by law enforcement to her home in Silverado Highland to retrieve medicine and some personal items on Wednesday, Oct., 11, 2017 in Napa, Calif. Trexler was one of the lucky few who found that her home was spared from the devastating fire which burned homes around her Monday.
Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images
Homeowner Martha Marquez looks over her burned home in Santa Rosa, California on Oct. 10, 2017.
Firefighters encouraged by weakening winds were battling 17 large wildfires on Tuesday in California which have left at least 13 people dead, thousands homeless and ravaged the state's famed wine country.
Elijah Nouvelage, AFP/Getty Images
Fire damage is seen from the air in the Coffey Park neighborhood on Oct. 11, 2017, in Santa Rosa, California
More than 200 fire engines and firefighting crews from around the country were being rushed to California on Wednesday to help battle infernos which have left at least 21 people dead and thousands homeless.
Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images
Ben Pederson find's a school yearbook in the remains of his bedroom after his family's home was destroyed by wildfire in Santa Rosa, California, Oct. 11, 2017.
The death toll from some of California's worst ever wildfires rose to 17 as thousands of firefighters battled to bring the infernos under control. The fires which have devastated California's wine country are already among the deadliest ever in the western US state and officials warned they expect the toll to go up.
Elijah Nouvelage, AFP/Getty Images
Fire damage is seen from the air in the Coffey Park neighborhood Oct. 11, 2017, in Santa Rosa, California
More than 200 fire engines and firefighting crews from around the country were being rushed to California on Wednesday to help battle infernos which have left at least 21 people dead and thousands homeless.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
An aerial view of homes that were destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on Oct. 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. Twenty one people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
A view of mobile homes at the Journey's End Mobile Home Park that were destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on Oct. 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. At least 21 people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties.
In this Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, photo, fire consumes two cars but spares a home on Keiser Road southwest of Kenwood, Calif.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
Charred wine barrells sit on racks at Paradise Ridge Winery after being destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on Oct. 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. Twenty one people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties.
Elijah Nouvelage, AFP/Getty Images
Fire damage is seen from the air in the Coffey Park neighborhood on Oct. 11, 2017, in Santa Rosa, California
More than 200 fire engines and firefighting crews from around the country were being rushed to California on Wednesday to help battle infernos which have left at least 21 people dead and thousands homeless.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
Charred wine barrells sit on racks at Paradise Ridge Winery after being destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on Oct. 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. Twenty one people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties.
Ezra Shaw, Getty Images
Wine grapes are destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on Oct. 11, 2017 in Napa, California. In one of the worst wildfires in state history, more than 2,000 homes have burned and at least 17 people have been killed as more than 14 wildfires continue to spread with little containment in eight Northern California counties.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
An aerial view of a K-Mart store that was destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on Oct. 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. At least 21 people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties.
Hector Amezcua, The Sacramento Bee via The Associated Press
Mark Haley, carries his daughter Fiona, 5, as he attends a community meeting with fire officials at Browns Valley Elementary School community in Napa, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
An aerial view of homes that were destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on Oct. 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. Twenty one people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
An aerial view of homes that were destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on Oct. 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. At least 21 people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
Firefighters inspect an Arby's restaurant that was destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on Oct. 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. At least 21 people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties.
David McNew, Getty Images
A vineyard on Napa's Silverado Trail is seen next to land blackened the Atlas Fire on Oct. 11, 2017 near Napa, California. In one of the worst wildfires in state history, more than 2,000 homes have burned and at least 21 people were killed as more than 14 wildfires continue to spread with little containment in eight Northern California counties.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
A view of hundreds of homes in the Coffey Park neighborhood that were destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on Oct. 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. At least 21 people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
A view of hundreds of homes in the Coffey Park neighborhood that were destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on Oct. 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. At least 21 people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties.
Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images
Homeowner Phil Rush looks at the remains of his home destroyed by wildfire in Santa Rosa, California, on Oct. 11, 2017.
Rush said he and his wife and dog escaped with only their medication, a bag of dog food when flames overtook their entire neighborhood on October 9. The toll from Northern California's ranging wildfires continued to grow as officials said the fires destroyed up to 2,000 structures and killed at least 17 people.
David McNew, Getty Images
The sun shines behind a smoky sky and scorched trees at the family-owned winery, Signorello Estate, on Napa's Silverado Trail, which was destroyed by the Atlas Fire, on Oct. 11, 2017 near Napa, California. In one of the worst wildfires in state history, more than 2,000 homes have burned and at least 17 people have been killed as more than 14 wildfires continue to spread with little containment in eight Northern California counties.
Elijah Nouvelage, AFP/Getty Images
Fire damage is seen from the air in the Coffey Park neighborhood Oct. 11, 2017, in Santa Rosa, California
More than 200 fire engines and firefighting crews from around the country were being rushed to California on Wednesday to help battle infernos which have left at least 21 people dead and thousands homeless.
Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images
A U.S. flag hangs on a tree in the wildfire ravaged Coffey Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa, California, Oct. 11, 2017.
The death toll from some of California's worst ever wildfires rose to 17 as thousands of firefighters battled to bring the infernos under control. The fires which have devastated California's wine country are already among the deadliest ever in the western US state and officials warned they expect the toll to go up.
Jeff Chiu, The Associated Press
A law enforcement officer blocks a road as flames from a wildfire burn in a residential area in Santa Rosa, Calif., Monday, Oct. 9, 2017.
Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images
A truck burns as fire ravages the Napa wine region in California on Oct. 9, 2017, as multiple wind-driven fires continue to whip through the region.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
A resident rushes to save his home as an out of control wildfire moves through the area on Oct. 9, 2017 in Glen Ellen, California. Tens of thousands of acres and dozens of homes and businesses have burned in widespread wildfires that are burning in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
Fire consumes a home as an out of control wildfire moves through the area on Oct. 9, 2017 in Glen Ellen, California. Tens of thousands of acres and dozens of homes and businesses have burned in a widespread wildfire that is burning in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images
Flames overtake a structure as nearby homes burn in theNapa wine region in California on October 9, 2017, as multiple wind-driven fires continue to whip through the region. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSONJOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
The remains of fire damaged homes after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017 in Glen Ellen, California. Tens of thousands of acres and dozens of homes and businesses have burned in a widespread wildfire that is burning in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
GLEN ELLEN, CA - OCTOBER 09: Fire consumes a home as out of control wildfires move through the area on October 9, 2017 in Glen Ellen, California. Tens of thousands of acres and dozens of homes and businesses have burned in a widespread wildfire that is burning in Napa and Sonoma counties. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images
A firefighter pulls a hose in front of a burning house in the Napa wine region of California on Oct. 9, 2017, as multiple wind-driven fires continue to whip through the region.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
Fire consumes a home as an out of control wildfire moves through the area on Oct. 9, 2017 in Glen Ellen, California. Tens of thousands of acres and dozens of homes and businesses have burned in widespread wildfires that are burning in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
Fire consumes a barn as an out of control wildfire moves through the area on Oct. 9, 2017 in Glen Ellen, California. Tens of thousands of acres and dozens of homes and businesses have burned in widespread wildfires that are burning in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
The remains of fire damaged homes after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017 in Glen Ellen, California. Tens of thousands of acres and dozens of homes and businesses have burned in widespread wildfires that are burning in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
A resident rushes to save his home as an out of control wildfire moves through the area on Oct. 9, 2017 in Glen Ellen, California. Tens of thousands of acres and dozens of homes and businesses have burned in widespread wildfires that are burning in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Rich Pedroncelli, The Associated Press
Flames from a wildfire consume a a three car garage at a home Monday, Oct. 9, 2017, east of Napa, Calif. Wildfires whipped by powerful winds swept through Northern California early Monday, sending residents on a headlong flight to safety through smoke and flames as homes burned. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images
The Signorello Estate winery burns in the Napa wine region in California on Oct. 9, 2017, as multiple wind-driven fires continue to whip through the region.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
A resident rushes to save his home as an out of control wildfire moves through the area on Oct. 9, 2017 in Glen Ellen, California. Tens of thousands of acres and dozens of homes and businesses have burned in widespread wildfires that are burning in Napa and Sonoma counties.
Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images
A tent structure built for the 2017 Safeway Open burns on a golf course at the Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, California on Oct. 9, 2017, as multiple wind-driven fires continue to whip through the region.
Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images file
Firefighters assess the scene as a house burns in the Napa wine region of California on Oct. 9, 2017.
Rich Pedroncelli, The Associated Press
Flames from a wildfire burn Monday, Oct. 9, 2017, in Napa, Calif. The fire is one of several burning across Northern California's wine country.
Ben Margot, The Associated Press
Fire burns a Hilton hotel on Monday, Oct. 9, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif. Wildfires whipped by powerful winds swept through Northern California, sending residents on a headlong flight to safety through smoke and flames as homes burned.
Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images
Resident Louis Reavis views his burned classic Corvette at his home in Napa, California on Oct. 9, 2017, as multiple wind-driven fires continue to whip through the region.
Rich Pedroncelli, The Associated Press
Rivers of melted metal flow from a vehicle parked at a home, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, that was destroyed by a wildfire near Napa, Calif. Wildfires whipped by powerful winds swept through California wine country sending thousands fleeing as flames raged unchecked through high-end resorts, grocery stores and tree-lined neighborhoods.
This combination of photos shows the Coffey Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa, Calif. The bottom image taken Monday, Oct. 9, 2017, and provided by the California Highway Patrol Golden Gate Division, shows the damage after a wildfire swept through the area. The top undated image provided by Google Earth shows the area before the fire. (Google Earth (top), California Highway Patrol Golden Gate Division (bottom) via AP)
Jeff Chiu, The Associated Press
Mary Caughey, center in blue, reacts with her son Harrison, left, after finding her wedding ring in debris at her home destroyed by fires in Kenwood, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017.
David McNew, Getty Images
SANTA ROSA, CA - OCTOBER 10: A chicken that survived a firestorm in the area of Foxtail Court stands in its scorched cage, on October 10, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. In one of the worst wildfires in state history, at least 1,500 homes have burned and 11 people have died as more than 14 wildfires continue to spread in eight Northern California counties. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
David McNew, Getty Images
A neighborhood is destroyed by fire in the area of Foxtail Court, on Oct. 10, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. In one of the worst wildfires in state history, at least 1,500 homes have burned and 11 people have died as more than 14 wildfires continue to spread in eight Northern California counties.
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
Smoke billows from a neighborhood that was destroyed by a fast moving wild fire on Oct. 9, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. Ten people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 1,500 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties.
David McNew, Getty Images
A neighborhood is destroyed by fire in the area of Foxtail Court, on Oct. 10, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. In one of the worst wildfires in state history, at least 1,500 homes have burned and 11 people have died as more than 14 wildfires continue to spread in eight Northern California counties.
David McNew, Getty Images
A neighborhood is destroyed by fire in the area of Foxtail Court, on Oct. 10, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. In one of the worst wildfires in state history, at least 1,500 homes have burned and 11 people have died as more than 14 wildfires continue to spread in eight Northern California counties.
David McNew, Getty Images
A neighborhood is destroyed by fire in the area of Foxtail Court, on Oct. 10, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. In one of the worst wildfires in state history, at least 1,500 homes have burned and 11 people have died as more than 14 wildfires continue to spread in eight Northern California counties.
Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images
A McDonald's restaurant is seen after burning down in Santa Rosa, California, on Oct. 10, 2017.
More than 1,500 structures have burned and at least 10 deaths have been reported as a result of multiple wind-driven fires that continue to ravage the area.
Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images
TOPSHOT - People watch water-dropping helicopters amidst smoke from the Canyon Fire 2, Oct. 9, 2017 in Orange, California.
Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images
Flames shoot out from a window as the Signorello Estate winery burns in the Napa wine region of California on Oct. 9, 2017.
More than a dozen fast-moving wildfires tearing through through California's wine country have killed at least 10 people, destroying hundreds of homes, authorities said on October 9.
Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images
The remains of an Arby's restaurant is seen after burning down in Santa Rosa, California, on Oct. 10, 2017.
Firefighters encouraged by weakening winds were battling 17 large wildfires on Tuesday in California which have left at least 13 people dead, thousands homeless and ravaged the state's famed wine country.
Josh Edelson, AFP/Getty Images
TOPSHOT - A burned home smolders in Glen Ellen, California on Oct. 9, 2017.
Multiple wind-driven fires continue to ravage the area burning structures and causing widespread evacuations.
Most were from Santa Rosa, and all were older adults, with an average age of 75, the sheriff’s office said. The youngest, Michael John Dornbach, was 57; the oldest, Arthur Tasman Grant, was 95. In neighboring Napa County, an elderly couple who had just celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary were killed on Sunday. Another elderly couple in their 80s were also killed in Mendocino County.
Sonoma County spokesman Scott Alonso said it’s not yet clear why the victims were unable to escape the fire. But, he said: “Folks who are elderly have some mobility challenges and are wheelchair-bound. They may not have access to a car. We had calls right when the fires were going on . . . folks needed rides. They needed rides to get out of those mandatory evacuation zones.”
Of 1,485 missing-person reports in Sonoma County, 1,250 had been found safe by Friday afternoon, said Giordano, the sheriff. The whereabouts of the 235 missing were still unknown, although it is possible that a number of them were found but not yet reported to authorities. Others may be out of touch because of power outages and downed cell towers. In most cases, people were removed from a missing-persons list after authorities received calls from families saying they’ve been found.
State and county officials faced increasing scrutiny Thursday over how they alerted residents to the fast-moving fires.
In Sonoma County, law enforcement officials said they used a Reverse 911 system to call residents’ landlines to evacuate. The county also sent out alerts through a voluntary text-message system. As of June, however, just 10,500 of the county’s half-million residents had signed up for the alerts.
Alonso, the county spokesman, said officials chose to not send out a countywide alert to cellphones out of fear such a message would incite panic and clog roadways.
“We wanted to target specific neighborhoods that were under fire,” he said. “If an all-county emergency evacuation was issued, the roads would’ve been jammed [and] our emergency responders would’ve had difficulty getting to where they need to go to evacuate people.”
Meanwhile, in the blackened Coffey Park subdivision of Santa Rosa on Thursday, people sifted through the ashes of what used to be their homes or stood shocked to discover their houses had somehow survived.
“I’ve been through worse,” Sue Fellbaum said. She dug through the wreckage of the house where she had lived in for 28 years, raising two children, surviving breast cancer and losing a husband to brain cancer.
Paul DiStanislao, who has lived in the neighborhood for 27 years, stood in his driveway and marveled at the smoking ruin that was once a neighbor’s home.
Like so many here, he fled the neighborhood around 2 a.m. Monday after awaking to find it enveloped in an eerie red glow and a shower of hot embers.
Desperate to know what became of his house, he had found a way into his neighborhood, which had been cordoned off by the authorities. He was stunned to discover that the fire had stopped five houses short of his home.
The flames had somehow lodged someone’s garage door on top of a streetlight. The charred husk of a Harley-Davidson lay in the middle of a street, one of an endless stream of burned-out vehicles.
But a few feet from the fire line, at DiStanislao’s house, even the grass was spared.
“Why am I here?” he asked rhetorically. “Had it jumped the highway a little bit farther, my house would be gone.”
– – –
Bonos and Wootson reported from Santa Rosa, California; Wang reported from Washington. The Washington Post’s Kristine Phillips, Herman Wong, Josh du Lac, Abigail Hauslohner and Aaron C. Davis in Washington contributed to this report.
![The Supreme Court hears arguments Thursday over whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution in a case charging him with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. It’s a historic day for the court, with the justices having an opportunity to decide once and […]](https://www.denverpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Trump_Capitol_Riot_Listeners_Guide_45677.jpg?w=525 "The Supreme Court hears arguments Thursday over whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution in a case charging him with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. It’s a historic day for the court, with the justices having an opportunity to decide once and […]")
