Heavy wildfires resulted in deaths of seven people in the Sonoma County with the number of the disaster’s victims in California having reached 10, local sheriff Robert Giordano said.
On Monday, media reported about two victims in the Napa County and one more – in the county of Mendocino, Sputnik reported.
"The Sheriff’s Office confirms seven fire-related deaths from the Sonoma Co. fires. Our condolences to their friends and families," the sheriff of Sonoma wrote on his Twitter page.
According to media reports, more than 20,000 people have been evacuated in California over the wildfires that are raging in eight counties of the state. California’s Governor Jerry Brown declared the state of emergency in the areas hit by the disaster.
Following several days of hot temperatures, combined with Sunday night's sudden easterly high winds, at least 14 wildfires are currently burning out of control in the northern areas of the San Francisco/Bay Area region of northern California, filling the air with dense smoke and prompting residents to flood 9-1-1 emergency service phone lines to report the flames.
Two large hospitals in Santa Rosa, the largest city in the northern Bay Area, have been evacuated and several nearby neighborhoods — including prominent hotel chain structures — have burned to the ground.
Firefighters currently overwhelmed with the battle are focusing on rescue and evacuation, leaving for now the fight to put out the blazes until residents and key infrastructure are secured.
