California fires ‘most destructive’ in state history; 31 dead

Nov. 12 (UPI) — Nearly three dozen people have now died in connection to wildfires burning across the state of California, as crews fight Monday to get control of the flames.

Officials said two large fires in Northern and Southern California have led to the deaths of at least 31 people, burned thousands of homes and forced nearly 150,000 people to evacuate.

“This week, California has experienced the most destructive fires we have seen in its history,” California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Chief Scott Jalbert said.

The Camp Fire north of San Francisco has burned 113,000 acres and destroyed 6,453 homes and 260 commercial structures, Cal Fire said in an update Monday. The fire has killed 29 people and more than 200 are missing. At least five firefighters have been injured.

The town of Paradise has taken the brunt of the damage, with 23 dead. The fire was 25 percent contained.

More than 4,500 firefighters are working the fire with more than 500 fire trucks, 21 helicopters and numerous air tankers.

The Woolsey Fire in Southern California is 20 percent contained and has torched 91,572 acres from Los Angeles to Ventura counties, Cal Fire said. Two people trying to escape the fire died as their vehicle burned. An estimated 370 structures were destroyed.

There are more than 3,200 firefighters working the blaze, which officials say could kick back up again. The cities of Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Calabasas and Malibu are under evacuation orders and residents in Topanga Canyon have also been advised to leave.

“This is a wind-driven event and the winds are coming back,” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Chief John Benedict said, warning residents not to shelter in place. “Everybody needs to remain vigilant and please stay out of the areas that we’ve determined to be evacuation zones.”

Nearby, the Hill Fire in Ventura County has burned 4,531 acres and is 75 percent contained.

Frustrated residents lashed out at public officials in Woodland Hills, demanding to know when they could return home or why they weren’t told to evacuate sooner.

Bell Canyon resident Randy Piotroski evacuated at 11:15 p.m. Thursday when the fire was a quarter mile from his house.

“It was like a war zone,” Piotroski said. “Helicopters flying every which way, cars, people trying to get out all at once.”

President Donald Trump lamented what he considered poor forest management.

“With proper Forest Management, we can stop the devastation constantly going on in California. Get Smart,” Trump tweeted Sunday.

The fires are so large, smoke from their flames can be seen in downtown Detroit — about 2,100 miles to the northeast, the Detroit Free Press reported Monday. A northeastern jet stream is helping carry the smoke, which appears as thick clouds or haze in the Michigan city.

“You can see a peek of sun here and there–it’s not going to completely block out the sun or anything,” National Weather Service meteorologist Sara Pampreen said.

The smoke does not pose a health threat to people in the Great Lakes region, experts said.

_informq.push([’embed’]);