Hundreds of homes, business lost to NorCal wildfires

A firefighter lights a backfire while battling the Butte fire near San Andreas, California, on Saturday. Huck and her family lost their home when the Valley Fire burned over Cobb Mountain yesterday. In comparison, the city of Los Angeles is 503 square miles. It is the largest wildfire in the state after burning 203 square miles of forest land. Potter and his companion Denille Fletcher (not pictured) were evacuated from Boggs by sheriff deputies before the Valley Fire destroyed the tent in which they lived.

Middletown resident Karen Vines was at the evacuation center in Calistoga.

Coarsegold, which is home to approximately 1,840 people, is located on the route from Fresno to Yosemite National Park.

Berlant told AFP that CAL FIRE has so far spent more than $212 million, just since July 1, and that approximately 5,000 firefighters are now assigned to major wildfires. The fire exploded to 50,000 acres as of Sunday evening, Cal Fire officials said. Stephen Lam/Getty Images Melted garbage containers damaged by the Valley Fire sit near homes on September 13, 2015 in Middletown, California. Ghilarducci reportedly said Sunday that fire and emergency services operations were “stretched” and California has requested help from the states of Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Colorado and Washington.

“Every time they made progress, the fire would burn right past them”, he said, adding that stiff winds were carrying hot embers beyond the leading edge of the flames, sparking additional blazes that quickly enlarged the fire zone.

Meanwhile, new evacuation orders were issued Saturday for the largest wildfire in the state, threatening to sweep through an ancient grove of Giant Sequoia trees.

No deaths have been reported.

Four firefighters who were part of a helicopter crew were injured Saturday.

Thousands of residents in the area were required to evacuate on Friday, and the blaze threatened more than 6,000 structures, officials said.

The blaze with zero containment raced through several towns overnight after exploding in size within hours.

At least one person has been killed in a California wildfire, The Associated Press reports. Cal Fire PIO Daniel Berlant said he hopes for the best but cautioned against any ideas of a quick result. Several residents in Middletown say they also have no running water.

Residents streamed from Middletown and had to dodge smoldering telephone poles, downed power lines and fallen trees as they drove through billowing smoke. Also burned was an apartment complex in the town.

“Losing everything you own and having to replace everything is a scary thought”, she said.

Governor Jerry Brown previously declared an emergency in rural Amador and Calaveras counties, where the Butte Fire began last Wednesday. The devastation comes after a separate wildfire to the southeast destroyed no less than 81 houses. Schools in the counties were scheduled to be closed Monday.

The “Valley Fire, ” which started Saturday afternoon, spread to more than 40,000 acres within 17 hours, burning hundreds of homes to the ground in Napa and Lake counties.