SFGATE: Battle on to halt march of Northern California fires that have killed 13, destroyed 2,000 structures

Battle on to halt march of Northern California fires that have killed 13, destroyed 2,000 structures
Published on October 10, 2017 at 07:39PM by By Peter Fimrite
Thousands of firefighters fought Tuesday to stop the aggressive march of wind-whipped wildfires that raged out of control in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties as the death toll rose to 15 and residents began to confront a devastated landscape that included at least 2,000 ruined homes and businesses, from restaurants to hotels to wineries. As fire crews focused on the southern ends of the blazes in an effort to keep them from sweeping into heavily populated areas such as the cities of Napa and Santa Rosa, the chaos triggered by the fires was underscored by a desperate effort to find missing people: As of Tuesday morning, 200 had been reported missing in Sonoma County alone, with 45 of those later found safe.

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