The Story:
Beginning Sunday, through Monday, and into Tuesday, October 8-10, approximately 20,000 people fled their homes in the ‘wine country’ region of California in the face of some of the state’s worst wildfires ever.
The Urgency:
Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in three counties: Napa, Sonoma, and Yuba.
The text of his declaration identifies the two most worrisome fires as the Tubbs fire, which began in Napa County, and the Atlas fire, which began in Napa as well and quickly spread into Sonoma County. The declaration also says there are “multiple other fires” now burning in the region.
FEMA has offered Fire Management Assistance grants to help California with the management and control of the Tubbs and Atlas fires.
The Thing to Know:
As of early afternoon Tuesday, the known death toll was at 15, and the number of missing persons reported in Sonoma County alone was 200.
