As another series of wildfires spread rapidly through California, more than 20 million people in the state are under red flag warnings Friday, reports Fortune.
The Camp Fire in the northern part of the state has burned through 20,000 acres, while the Woolsey Fire in Los Angeles and Ventura counties quadrupled in size overnight. Meanwhile, the Hill Fire, located just down the road from the Thousand Oaks bar where 12 people were killed earlier this week in a mass shooting, has topped 10,000 acres.
Camp Fire
Fire officials have issued evacuation orders for homes in areas of Chico, Calif., which has a population of roughly 93,000 people. (Chico is about 90 miles north of Sacramento.) 35 mph winds are hampering efforts to contain the blaze, which has already destroyed the town of Paradise, burning more than 1,000 homes and the town hospital. All totaled, 40,000 people have been evacuated from the path of the wildfire so far.
15,000 homes are at risk, according to CalFire – a number that could increase dramatically with the next update. While there have been injuries from the fire, there’s no official tally of how many civilians and firefighters were hurt or possibly killed.
Here’s the latest on each of the California wildfires (with videos).
Having burned off all of the back country, what’s left to burn are the populated areas. We’re contemplating a place to move to; looks like California is off our list.