Over 1,000 Homes Destroyed In California Wildfires

Two separate wildfires burning for the last two weeks have together destroyed over 1,000 homes in Northern California, reports the Arkansas Online. Authorities from Cal Fire, who are assessing the damage caused by this year’s drought-induced wildfires, say the count of homes destroyed by the wildfires have exceeded 1,000 this year. The figure managed to cross the 1,000 mark after they added as many as 252 homes located in the Sierra Nevada foothills, all of which were destroyed by two wildfires burning for the past two weeks. The flames are, in fact, threatening several other structures, and have not been brought under control yet, the report adds.

According to Daniel Berlant of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, a total of 511 homes were initially reported destroyed by the wildfires that raged through Amador and Calaveras counties through the week. Then came reports of another 252 homes that were destroyed as of Friday night. This took the total number of destroyed houses to over 760. With the addition of the 252 homes destroyed in the Sierra Nevada foothills, the total tally of destroyed homes stands at 1,015.

This number is likely to increase in the days to come, as authorities from Cal Fire continue to assess the damage. They are, in fact, yet to reach several homes located in rural areas. It will only be after a complete evaluation that the true scale of damage caused by this year’s wildfires become evident.

The two fires that have burning in the region have, so far, destroyed over 110 square miles of land. They have also claimed the lives of at least two people. As of today, the fire is 67 percent contained — but it still threatens over 6,400 structures that lie in its path.

Reports are also coming of another wildfire in Lake County, located 170 miles away from these two blazes. That fire has already destroyed over 500 homes and has resulted in the deaths of at least three people. Over 19,000 people were told to evacuate the area threatened by the Lake County wildfires, and the order still remains.

The hardest hit by the wildfire were residents of Middletown, who were allowed by officials to return home by Saturday afternoon.

2015 is turning out to be the worst year in the last few decades when it comes to wildfires, CNN reports. Over 9 million acres of land have been consumed by wildfires this year alone. The figure for the same period in 2014 was close to 3 million. The main trigger for these wildfires is the exceptionally long, 4-year drought that has dried up lots of timber in the forests of the state.

The data regarding the current wildfires across the U.S. can be accessed on the Cal Fire website here.

[Photo by Stephen Brashear / Getty Images]