Wildfires in wine country send thousands of homeowners fleeing

34K people were ordered to evacuate in Northern California, 3 have died and numerous structures were destroyed

California wildfires (Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
California wildfires (Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Three people have died, tens of thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate and numerous structures have burned as fast-moving wildfires continue to rip through Northern California wine country.

The deadly Zogg fire in Shasta County started on Sunday near Igo, a town about 150 miles north of Sacramento, according to the Los Angeles Times. By Monday night, it had doubled in size to 31,200 acres with none of it contained.

Around 34,000 people have been ordered to evacuate the area and another 14,000 have been warned they might have to evacuate, the Times reported.

The fire destroyed 146 structures and was threatening around 1,500 more.

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Meanwhile, the Shady fire is burning in Sonoma County and has torched a number of homes outside the county’s most populous city, Santa Rosa. The Tubbs fire burned 1,500 homes in the Coffey Park suburb in 2017.

Five of the six largest wildfires ever recorded in the state started in August and continue to burn, the Times reported. The Bobcat fire, which is not among the largest in the state but is among the largest in L.A. County history, has burned around 114,200 acres in and around the San Gabriel Mountains.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Napa, Sonoma, and Shasta counties on Monday. He also requested a disaster declaration from the federal government. That would open up aid to other counties in the state, including those in Southern California. [LAT]Dennis Lynch