California Wildfire Map 2017 Latest News Update: Thousands Left Homeless In Northern California
At least 8,400 homes and buildings have been destroyed after massive wildfires ravaged Northern California. According to state officials, this month's wildfires are some of the worst in state history with regards to the scope and scale of damage.
Much of the devastation can be found in Santa Rosa, where the Tubbs fire ripped through major residential areas between Oct. 8 and 9. As of Monday, fire crews reported that 94 percent of the blaze had been contained which at one point, stretched to over 36,000 acres.
Analysis of satellite images reveals that the Tubbs fire alone accounted for much of the structural destruction with at least 5,500 structures destroyed or severely damaged.
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Most of the damage occurred in three areas: Coffey Park, a densely populated area where 1,500 homes were destroyed, Fountaingrove with 1,800 structures destroyed including a new, $4-million firehouse, and Larkfield-Wikiup with 750 structures destroyed.
Documenting the devastation requires coordination across government agencies. State officials must not only identify these structures before evacuees can return home, but must assess the loss in property value as well.
Currently, the estimated total insured losses for the Northern California fires stood at $1.045 billion. This is according to the preliminary figures released by State Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones on Thursday. According to Cal Fire, at least 42 people have died since the fires broke out early this month.
National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings and fire weather watches across Southern California, stretching from San Diego to Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties. According to the service, temperatures hovering around 100 degrees on Monday and Tuesday could break records for some areas.
The fire warnings come as the state is currently enduring the weather phenomenon known as the Santa Ana winds. The winds, which bring hot, extremely dry, air from inland across the Southern California coast and Northern California are will bring the most dangerous fire weather conditions that Southwest California has seen in the past few years according to the NWS.
