Property toll from Northern California wildfire grows to 585 homes

[Little Tich]

Source: Yahoo! News / Reuters

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. (Reuters) - Property losses from a deadly Northern California wildfire, the most destructive this year in the western United States, climbed on Tuesday to at least 585 homes and hundreds of other structures that have gone up in flames.

The latest tally, up from Monday's estimate of 400 homes razed, came as firefighters gained some ground against the blaze, which erupted on Saturday and raced through several communities in the hills north of Napa County's wine-producing region.

Thousands of residents were forced to flee, many without warning as neighborhoods burned around them. One elderly shut-in was later discovered to have perished in her home, and authorities have not ruled out finding additional victims.

Ana Malachowski, 33, was back in the devastated village of Middletown on Tuesday, picking through ruins of her brother's home as he tried to direct her by cell phone to spots in the rubble where jewelry and other items might be salvaged.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/woman-killed-400-homes-destroyed-california-wildfire-025845982.html

[handmade34]

1. devastating...

I would wish that every Climate science denier had their home in that loss

we tend to be a very short sighted species and only can have empathy when it happens to us… the fires are tragic… I just was working in that area a couple of weeks ago and the ruins are so overwhelming

[onecaliberal]

2. ^^That^^

[appalachiablue]

3. Destruction and decline USA, what a tragedy!

[Sunlei]

4. people without transportation at hand need help from neighbors or the firefighters sent to wildfires

[PufPuf23]

5. Excellelent video of Valley Fire, fire update.

#t=0

On Monday the spread of the 67,000-acre Valley fire 62 miles north of San Francisco was slowed by temperatures in the low 60s, relative humidity above 80 percent, and 0.01? of rain that fell in the late afternoon, according to data from a weather station south of the fire in Calistoga.

CAL FIRE reported Tuesday morning that their latest damage assessment shows that 585 homes and hundreds of other structures have been destroyed. The surveys are continuing and the numbers will likely change in the coming days. Approximately 9,000 structures are threatened. Evacuations are still in place, affecting 23,000 people.

In addition to the homes that burned in Middletown and Cobb, a geothermal plant that produces electricity, The Geysers, was damaged. Five of the 14 plants were affected, including power lines and wooden cooling towers.

Air tankers have not worked the fire since Saturday, grounded by poor visibility caused by smoke and clouds. Tuesday’s weather is expected to make it possible to use them again. The forecast calls for a 35 percent cloud cover, a high temperature of 73 degrees, relative humidity in the 40s, and winds out of the west at 8 to 13 mph.

more and many pictures at link: http://wildfiretoday.com/2015/09/13/valley-fire-in-california-burns-40000-acres-in-less-than-24-hours/