latimes--2020-09-28--Latinos find a piece of Old West dream in 'Bonanza' country, fires be damned

Zenón and Marta Mayorga called their four adult children to the family home in Glassell Park the night of Sept. 18 .
Everyone settled in the living room , turned on the TV and prepared to see their dream house burn down .
Newscasts aired live shots of the wreckage wrought by the massive Bobcat fire .
Authorities had mandated evacuations the day before in Juniper Hills , an Antelope Valley community where the Mayorgas own a four-bedroom abode on 1.5 acres of juniper trees and hiking trails that they call el rancho .
A neighbor had texted Zenón that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more .
So the Mayorgas comforted themselves with chamomile-passionflower tea and memories of their desert paradise .
They remembered how Zenón bought it in 2009 because the stark vistas and high altitude had reminded the Mexican immigrant of his native Zacatecas .
How he had to convince his family — and especially Marta , a city girl from Guadalajara — that a beat-up structure with holes in the roof , missing windows and snakes everywhere was a sound investment .
And how all the parties , sleepovers and bonding that kith and kin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decade had proved him right .
“ When you ’ re younger , you ’ re like , ‘ Ugh , we ’ re going all the way up there ?
’ ” said April Mayorga-Aguirre , a 30-year-old marriage and family therapist .
“ But now , even in our full-blown careers , we try to go up there as much as possible.
” April and her family stayed up for the 11 o ’ clock news and saw the homes of their Juniper Hills friends in flames .
There were tears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ magnitude 4.5 earthquake brought even more nerves .
The family rushed up to their property the following morning .
Helicopters and planes zoomed above ; ashes and embers swirled all around .
The Mayorgas gunned through unpaved roads and steeled themselves for the worst .
Zenón , Marta , and April met me there last Saturday , on what was supposed to be April ’ s wedding date in Palm Springs until 2020 said otherwise .
Their house is desert rat lite : big screened porch in the front , massive water and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the back , random tchotshkes — but not too many — strewn about .
Marta busied herself in the kitchen as Zenón settled in his chair , the one that offers him sight lines all the way to China Lake on a clear day .
“ This year has taught us to live in the moment with gratitude , ” said April .
“ We hope to spend the holidays here , but who knows ?
” “ Because tomorrow , what you may have is gone , ” Zenón added .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re safe .
The rest , God will decide if we deserve it.
” Pardon my Southern California ignorance , but I never expected to find middle-class Mexicans in the rural high desert .
The Mexicans I know , when they want to buy land to raise horses or host rodeos like in the motherland , buy in Norco or Mira Loma .
Not in the heart of “ Bonanza ” country .
But a growing number of Latinos are moving to the back country of the Antelope Valley , drawn by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ society long cast as the Old West spirit and reserved mostly for Anglos .
“ It ’ s just like Mexico up here , ” 57-year-old Zenón said , gesturing outside , comfortable in his socks and Birkenstocks .
“ If you want to have chickens and goats , you can .
It ’ s that liberty.
” Then , he paraphrased a line from a Roy Rogers ballad , in equal parts English and Spanish .
“ Here , está abierto [ It ’ s open ] .
Allá , está muy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in L.A. ] .
I don ’ t want to fence myself in.
” Juniper Hills called to Zenón almost as soon as his family migrated to the United States in the 1970s , “ when there was almost nothing.
” His truck-driving brothers took their teenage brother on their routes through nearby Highway 138 or on visits to Boron , where people from his home village of El Salitre had settled to work in the borax mines .
The region stayed with Zenón as he married , raised a family , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unified School District , from which he plans to retire next spring after 41 years as an operational supervisor .
He had hopes of returning to Zacatecas , but “ you can ’ t make a go of it in Mexico anymore ” because of the drug wars that now plague the once-peaceful state .
Instead , the Mayorgas refinanced their home during the Great Recession and scrapped together a little nest egg in the process .
He convinced his wary wife to embrace his Juniper Hills plans .
They would be among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loud knock on the window woke up the couple on one of their first nights alone .
An elderly white couple wanted to know who they were .
“ Once we introduced ourselves , ” said Zenón , “ they told us to come to their house in the morning for breakfast .
And the following night , they threw a potluck to introduce us to everyone.
” Today , someone who likes to wave a Confederate and Trump 2020 flag on a pole occupies that house .
Zenón not only says hello @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a road together last year after a snowstorm .
“ He can fly his flag , and I can fly my own [ Mexican ] flag , ” Zenón said .
“ Because they ’ re looking out for us , and we ’ re looking out for them.
” More Latinos trickled up to Juniper Hills in the ensuing years , and the Mayorgas always made sure to welcome the newcomers the same way they were initially embraced .
“ At the end of the day , their [ white residents ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents ] want , ” Zenón said .
“ Our customs are a little different .
Our languages are different .
But we ’ re all God-fearing people up here.
” The Mayorgas are a reminder that in Southern California , destination still often remains destiny .
The Mexicans I know who live along the beach inevitably become beach bums .
Those who move to a gentrifying neighborhood turn into hipsters .
Those who buy a house in Irvine or Simi Valley always transform into insufferable suburbanites .
What death of the California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone else .
After about an hour at their place , Zenón and his family drove me to meet Alejandro and Rosie Landas , another Mexican family in Juniper Hills .
The 45-year-old union electrician grew up in Pacoima but bought a place up here four years ago “ because I ’ m a wilderness guy.
” He joked that he had to make Rosie “ a ranchera ” — a cowgirl — as he took us to the back of his five-acre estate .
The fire had blackened his neighbor ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasteland and the Landa backyard was a line of fire retardant that had tinted Joshua trees and lavender bushes crimson red .
He had spent the morning restoring power to the homes of two elderly widows .
“ They ’ re from the original generation of people here , ” Landa said .
“ Now , you have a whole pot of different people.
” The only real difference that the 49-year-old had encountered with the old guard was , of all thing , quails .
“ They ’ re cute — they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the avid hunter .
“ But some of the guys here will invite me to go get them , and I tell them , ‘ So you want me to kill them and pluck them and gut them , when I could buy four quails at Superior [ Grocers ] for seven bucks , and I don ’ t have to do anything ?
” Hoss Cartwright would ’ ve appreciated that .
( Just Google him , kids ) .

Zenón and Martha Mayorga called their four adult children to the family home in Glassell Park the night of Sept. 18. Everyone settled in the living room, turned on the TV and prepared to see their dream house burn down.
Newscasts aired live shots of the wreckage wrought by the massive Bobcat fire. Authorities had mandated evacuations the day before in Juniper Hills, an Antelope Valley community where the Mayorgas own a four-bedroom abode on 1.5 acres of juniper trees and hiking trails that they call el rancho.
A neighbor had texted Zenón that their nook of Juniper Hills was no more. So the Mayorgas comforted themselves with chamomile-passionflower tea and memories of their desert paradise.
They remembered how Zenón bought it in 2009 because the stark vistas and high altitude had reminded the Mexican immigrant of his native Zacatecas. How he had to convince his family — and especially Marta, a city girl from Guadalajara — that a beat-up structure with holes in the roof, missing windows and snakes everywhere was a sound investment.
Martha Mayorga, left, Zenón Mayorga and daughter April Mayorga-Aguirre at their home in Juniper Hills. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
And how all the parties, sleepovers and bonding that kith and kin experienced almost every weekend over the past decade had proved him right.
“When you’re younger, you’re like, ‘Ugh, we’re going all the way up there?’” said April Mayorga-Aguirre, a 30-year-old marriage and family therapist. “But now, even in our full-blown careers, we try to go up there as much as possible.”
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April and her family stayed up for the 11 o’clock news and saw the homes of their Juniper Hills friends in flames. There were tears, prayers. That night’s magnitude 4.5 earthquake brought even more nerves.
Standing next to bushes covered in red retardant and a fire line cut by bulldozers, Juniper Hills resident Alejandro Landa, right, shows neighbors April Mayorga-Aguirre and her father, Zenón Mayorga, how his house was saved from the Bobcat fire. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
The family rushed up to their property the following morning. Helicopters and planes zoomed overhead; ashes and embers swirled all around. The Mayorgas gunned through unpaved roads and steeled themselves for the worst.
El rancho was unscathed.
Zenón, Marta, and April met me there last Saturday, on what was supposed to be April’s wedding date in Palm Springs until 2020 said otherwise. Their house is desert rat lite: big screened porch in the front, massive water and propane tanks next to the outhouse in the back, random tchotchkes — but not too many — strewn about. Marta busied herself in the kitchen as Zenón settled in his chair, the one that offers him sight lines all the way to China Lake on a clear day.
Which wasn’t today.
“This year has taught us to live in the moment with gratitude,” said April. “We hope to spend the holidays here, but who knows?”
“Because tomorrow, what you may have is gone,” Zenón added. “We have our family. We’re safe. The rest, God will decide if we deserve it.”
Pardon my Southern California ignorance, but I never expected to find middle-class Mexicans in the rural high desert. The Mexicans I know, when they want to buy land to raise horses or host rodeos like in the motherland, buy in Norco or Mira Loma.
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Not in the heart of “Bonanza” country.
But a growing number of Latinos are moving to the back country of the Antelope Valley, drawn by the rugged terrain and individualistic ethos that American society long cast as the Old West spirit and reserved mostly for Anglos.
“It’s just like Mexico up here,” 57-year-old Zenón said, gesturing outside, comfortable in his socks and Birkenstocks. “If you want to have chickens and goats, you can. It’s that liberty.”
Then, he paraphrased a line from a Roy Rogers ballad, in equal parts English and Spanish. “Here, está abierto [It’s open]. Allá, está muy amontonado [It’s too crowded in L.A.]. I don’t want to fence myself in.”
**
Zenón Mayorga, right, Martha Mayorga and their daughter, April Mayorga-Aguirre, left, in the living room of their house in Juniper Hills. Zenón bought the house in 2009 because the area reminded him of his native Mexico. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Juniper Hills called to Zenón almost as soon as his family migrated to the United States in the 1970s, “when there was almost nothing.”
His truck-driving brothers took their teenage brother on their routes through nearby Highway 138 or on visits to Boron, where people from his home village of El Salitre had settled to work in the borax mines.
The region stayed with Zenón as he married, raised a family, and got a job with the Los Angeles Unified School District, from which he plans to retire next spring after 41 years as an operational supervisor. He had hopes of returning to Zacatecas, but “you can’t make a go of it in Mexico anymore” because of the drug wars that now plague the once-peaceful state.
Instead, the Mayorgas refinanced their home during the Great Recession and scraped together a little nest egg in the process. He persuaded his wary wife to embrace his Juniper Hills plans.
They would be among the first Latinos to settle there.
A loud knock on the window woke up the couple on one of their first nights alone. An elderly white couple wanted to know who they were.
“Once we introduced ourselves,” said Zenón, “they told us to come to their house in the morning for breakfast. And the following night, they threw a potluck to introduce us to everyone.”
Zenón Mayorga checks a fire hydrant at his home in Juniper Hills. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Today, someone who likes to wave a Confederate and Trump 2020 flag on a pole occupies that house. Zenón not only says hello to him, the two even cleared a road together last year after a snowstorm.
“He can fly his flag, and I can fly my own [Mexican] flag,” Zenón said. “Because they’re looking out for us, and we’re looking out for them.”
More Latinos trickled up to Juniper Hills in the ensuing years, and the Mayorgas always made sure to welcome the newcomers the same way they were initially embraced.
“At the end of the day, their [white residents’] life is the same we [Latino residents] want,” Zenón said. “Our customs are a little different. Our languages are different. But we’re all God-fearing people up here.”
The Mayorgas are a reminder that in Southern California, destination still often remains destiny. The Mexicans I know who live along the beach inevitably become beach bums. Those who move to a gentrifying neighborhood turn into hipsters. Those who buy a house in Irvine or Simi Valley always transform into insufferable suburbanites.
What death of the California dream? Mexicans fall into it like everyone else.
After about an hour at their place, Zenón and his family drove me to meet Alejandro and Rosie Landa, another Mexican family in Juniper Hills.
The 45-year-old union electrician grew up in Pacoima but bought a place up here four years ago “because I’m a wilderness guy.” He joked that he had to make Rosie “a ranchera” — a cowgirl — as he took us to the back of his five-acre estate.
The fire had blackened his neighbor’s property. The demarcation line between that wasteland and the Landas’ backyard was a line of fire retardant that had tinted Joshua trees and lavender bushes crimson red.
He had spent the morning restoring power to the homes of two elderly widows. “They’re from the original generation of people here,” Landa said. “Now, you have a whole pot of different people.”
The only real difference he had encountered with the old guard was, of all things, quails.
“They’re cute — they’re like pets,” said the avid hunter. “But some of the guys here will invite me to go get them, and I tell them, ‘So you want me to kill them and pluck them and gut them, when I could buy four quails at Superior [Grocers] for seven bucks, and I don’t have to do anything?”
Hoss Cartwright would’ve appreciated that. (Just Google him, kids.)


latimes--2020-09-28--Extreme fire danger in Southern California amid new heat wave

Extreme fire danger is likely for parts of Southern California this week as a new firestorm besieged parts of Northern California .
The National Weather Service issued a for the Los Angeles and Ventura county mountains and the Santa Clarita Valley , noting the conditions could last for several days .
The warning includes the potential for “ rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior if ignition occurs , ” as well as the threat of smoke plumes and heat-related illnesses .
But it ’ s the combination of variables that is the greatest concern as a new heat wave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forecast calls for gusty Santa Ana winds up to 40 mph , humidity levels in the teens and single digits , and temperatures in the valleys as high as 100 degrees by Wednesday , and in the 90s in some coastal areas .
A heat advisory will be in effect from 10 a.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Thursday throughout much of the region , and the National Weather Service is urging residents to take extra precautions when spending time outside .
“ Drink plenty of fluids , stay in an air-conditioned room , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up on relatives and neighbors , ” officials said .
The forecast comes on the heels of a record-setting summer , when high temperatures seared their way into the in California .
In August , Death Valley saw some of the hottest days ever recorded on Earth .
Woodland Hills climbed to 121 degrees on Sept. 6 — an all-time high for Los Angeles County .
“ We are expecting some hot temperatures this week , ” said Mike Wofford , a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard .
“ You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but especially tomorrow , and Wednesday and Thursday , which will probably be the hottest days.
” “ September can often be our warmest time of year , ” he said , noting that Sunday was the of the hottest day in downtown L.A. : 113 degrees .
But the weather can still spell disaster .
In Northern California , residents of Napa and Sonoma counties were urgently evacuated Sunday evening when powerful Diablo winds ignited another .
Evacuation orders were also issued in Butte and Shasta counties , where the fast-moving Zogg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will remain in effect for much of the through at least 8 p.m. Monday .
Wildfires burning throughout the state are also contributing to poor air quality .
A smoke advisory has been extended through Monday in Los Angeles County , where the South Coast Air Quality Management District said the nearby Bobcat fire in the Angeles National Forest is still producing smoke .
Fire crews turned a corner on the massive blaze after weeks of slow-going progress , but containment numbers dropped 3 % Monday — from 65 % to 62 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Increased activity is anticipated within containment lines near Mt .
Wilson and Mt .
Lewis as the wind speeds increase and relative humidity decreases , ” the U.S. Forest Service said .
The fire , which ignited Sept. 6 and has repeatedly threatened Mt .
Wilson , has burned more than 114,000 acres and destroyed dozens of structures , most of them in the Antelope Valley .

Zenon Mayorga walks among bushes and Joshua trees covered in fire retardant in Juniper Hills on Saturday after the Bobcat fire burned a number of homes in the area.
Extreme fire danger is likely for parts of Southern California this week as a new firestorm besieged parts of Northern California.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and the Santa Clarita Valley, noting the conditions could last for several days.
The warning includes the potential for “rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior if ignition occurs,” as well as the threat of smoke plumes and heat-related illnesses.
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But it’s the combination of variables that is the greatest concern as a new heat wave bears down on the region: The forecast calls for gusty Santa Ana winds up to 40 mph, humidity levels in the teens and single digits, and temperatures in the valleys as high as 100 degrees by Wednesday, and in the 90s in some coastal areas.
It’s what’s known as “fire weather.”
A heat advisory will be in effect from 10 a.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Thursday throughout much of the region, and the National Weather Service is urging residents to take extra precautions when spending time outside.
“Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun and check up on relatives and neighbors,” officials said.
The forecast comes on the heels of a record-setting summer, when high temperatures seared their way into the hottest August on record in California.
In August, Death Valley saw some of the hottest days ever recorded on Earth. Woodland Hills climbed to 121 degrees on Sept. 6 — an all-time high for Los Angeles County.
“We are expecting some hot temperatures this week,” said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “You’ll notice it warmer today, but especially tomorrow, and Wednesday and Thursday, which will probably be the hottest days.”
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Wofford said a late September heat wave isn’t unusual.
“September can often be our warmest time of year,” he said, noting that Sunday was the 10-year anniversary of the hottest day in downtown L.A.: 113 degrees.
But the weather can still spell disaster. In Northern California, residents of Napa and Sonoma counties were evacuated Sunday evening when powerful Diablo winds ignited another series of wildfires .
Evacuation orders were also issued in Butte and Shasta counties, where the fast-moving Zogg fire is now growing.
Red-flag warnings will remain in effect for much of the northern portion of the state through at least 8 p.m. Monday.
In Los Angeles County, a new brush fire, the Martindale fire, broke out Monday afternoon in Bouquet Canyon, about 15 miles northeast of Santa Clarita. Buffeted by strong winds and fed by thick, very dry brush, the blaze spread to 300 acres in about an hour, prompting evacuations of about a dozen homes south of Bouquet Reservoir.
Wildfires burning throughout the state are also contributing to poor air quality. A smoke advisory has been extended through Monday in Los Angeles County, where the South Coast Air Quality Management District said the nearby Bobcat fire in the Angeles National Forest is still producing smoke.
Fire crews turned a corner on the massive blaze after weeks of slow-going progress, but containment numbers dropped 3 percentage points on Monday — from 65% to 62% — as the winds picked up.
“Increased activity is anticipated within containment lines near Mt. Wilson and Mt. Lewis as the wind speeds increase and relative humidity decreases,” the U.S. Forest Service said.
The fire, which ignited Sept. 6 and has repeatedly threatened Mt. Wilson, has burned more than 114,000 acres and destroyed dozens of structures, most of them in the Antelope Valley.


latimes--2020-09-28--3 found dead in latest California wildfires as wine country remains under siege

The toll from California ’ s latest round of wildfires worsened Monday with three deaths reported in Shasta County and numerous structures lost in wine country , where tens of thousands have been forced to flee their homes .
The number of structures damaged or destroyed was unclear Monday , “ but there was significant loss ” in some areas , according to Santa Rosa Fire Chief Tony Gossner .
Almost 34,000 people have been ordered to evacuate , officials said , while more than 14,000 others have been warned that they , too , may have to leave .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ died in another fast-moving wildfire that ignited Sunday afternoon near the rural community of Igo , about nine miles southwest of Redding , Sheriff Eric Magrini said .
The blaze , named the Zogg fire , had swelled to 15,000 acres by Monday afternoon and remains 0 % contained .
Magrini said authorities are still working to identify the three victims and notify their families .
He urged residents to heed orders to evacuate , noting that with this fast-moving blaze , “ we ’ re not issuing warnings.
” “ When you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Magrini said .
“ Immediately.
” Deputies have evacuated 466 homes in the communities of Igo and Ono , displacing about 1,250 people , he said .
In Sonoma County , a number of homes began to burn early Monday in the suburban eastern neighborhoods of Santa Rosa .
The city of 177,000 residents , Sonoma County ’ s most populous , was devastated nearly three years ago by the Tubbs fire , which was also driven by strong winds and destroyed about 1,500 homes in the 1980s-built northwestern Coffey Park neighborhood .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Diablo winds coming from the north and east , which showered embers onto the city , the Shady fire on Monday engulfed houses in the area of Mountain Hawk Drive , which is lined with two-story tract homes in the Skyhawk development , built in the late 1990s and early 2000s .
Chief Ben Nicholls with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said crews had contended with “ explosive fire growth ” that saw the flames “ burn approximately four miles during the course of about six hours overnight.
” Officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders when they ’ re issued .
Sonoma County Sheriff ’ s Sgt .
Juan Valencia said some people refused to leave and later had to be rescued from their homes .
“ Unfortunately , we did have some people that stayed behind , ” he said during a briefing Monday .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom also emphasized the point , saying “ the dynamics of climate change , the dynamics as it relates to the lack of forest management over the last century , have created ... real concern as it relates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ferocious ways .
“ We really , really can not say it enough : Please heed local law enforcement , ” he said Monday .
“ Please listen to them when they raise that alarm bell.
” Large swaths of Santa Rosa remain under mandatory evacuation orders .
Districts in the city ’ s northeast were ordered to evacuate , including the neighborhoods of Skyhawk , Melita , Stonebridge and Pythian .
Evacuations also were ordered Monday for the Summerfield and Spring Lake areas , according to the Santa Rosa Police Department .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of older people were evacuated from the Oakmont Gardens assisted-living community .
Elsewhere in the city , cars jammed narrow roads as residents heeded evacuation orders .
Two other fires were also burning upwind of the blaze encroaching on Santa Rosa , both of them flanking the town of St. Helena in Napa County : the Boysen fire to the west and the Glass fire to the north .
The Glass fire burned rapidly Sunday through Napa Valley ’ s famed Silverado Trail , known for its wineries .
One building lost was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boswell Winery , which marked its 40th anniversary last year .
Cal Fire has since grouped the Glass , Boysen and Shady fires together as the Glass incident .
That combined conflagration had burned 11,000 acres as of Monday , with no containment , according to Cal Fire .
It was threatening 8,543 structures .
Ash could be seen falling from the sky throughout the region .
In Napa County , mandatory evacuation zones were expanded to cover the hills on both sides of the northern Napa Valley , flanking the towns of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as parts of the east side of the Silverado Trail .
A mandatory evacuation zone included the western portion of St. Helena , an area that includes single-family houses and a campus of the Culinary Institute of America , a renowned culinary college .
“ Individuals who are seeking shelter are reminded to bring a face covering , practice good hygiene habits and adhere to physical distancing , ” Napa County officials wrote in an evacuation update , underscoring the continued threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic .
A round of evacuations was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ covering Trione-Annadel State Park and the area to the south , as well as north of Bennett Valley Road , west of Savannah Trail and east and south of the Santa Rosa city limits .
The three now-unified Glass incident fires were burning in an area that had not experienced a major burn in the last century , Matt Roberts , a doctoral student in atmospheric science at the University of Nevada at Reno , said in a tweet .
Monday morning brought a too-familiar sight in Sonoma County : The sun turned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sky .
The capricious nature of the fire was evident in the Skyview neighborhood , which had been hit by heavy embers the night before .
With sweeping views of the nearby hills , most of the community ’ s million-dollar homes remained intact .
But a stretch near the top of a hill was dotted with some that had burned to ash .
Firefighters worked to douse one green stucco house that was still aflame .
Its second story had collapsed into its three-car garage .
As he stood in front of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighborhood of cul-de-sacs and mature oaks nestled against the hills of Trione-Annadel State Park — Mat Tamba watched a fresh plume of smoke rising over a ridge .
“ That ’ s the new something I just saw , ” he said , worried .
His son , Tyler , 9 , daughter , Matison , 4 , and wife , Noelle , had evacuated to his in-laws ’ house Sunday night , but he returned Monday morning to gather more things — toiletries , a Minnie Mouse stuffed doll .
Tamba recalled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his in-laws lost their home in a nearby neighborhood .
On Sunday night , when propane tanks began to explode nearby , he knew the situation was serious .
“ That ’ s the sign it ’ s getting to the houses , ” he said .
Around the corner , Marilyn Heller had already taken the advice of the Santa Rosa Fire Department and put the propane tanks from her grill on the sidewalk in front of her driveway .
Like Tamba , Heller , 72 , was packing up her car @ @ @ @ @ @ @ husband , Robert , have lived in their ranch-style house since 1974 .
Now , everything sentimental — including hand-me-downs from her grandmother and aunt — was packed up in dozens of boxes .
As Heller kicked at burned leaves and embers in the gutter , she said she and her husband had discussed staying Sunday night until they saw flames .
Her son , a former Marine , had purchased them special heat-resistant straws in case they needed to jump in the pool to survive .
But she didn ’ t “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Fire Department.
” Not far away , Ben Lilia , 30 , was hosing down his yard and had a sprinkler going on the grass .
He said he didn ’ t intend to leave until he saw flames .
He owns a water truck , originally purchased to fill pools , but it has seen more fire action in recent years .
“ I don ’ t think it will reach this far , ” he said of the current fire , noting that the wind had given way to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hum of the generator he purchased last year after planned electricity cutoffs left him in the dark .
Despite the risks , Lilia said this is a neighborhood he loves .
“ It ’ s a good place besides the power outages and the fires , ” he said .
Angwin resident James Burville evacuated his home at 5 a.m. Sunday after a power outage .
He went to his church in Calistoga — only to awaken the next morning to find that area being evacuated .
After spending more than three hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County Evacuation Center , he is now hoping for a room and some rest .
Although the Tubbs fire came within 10 miles of his home , he said this experience felt worse .
“ I may lose all my belongings , ” he said , “ and because we had no power , I missed taking my most important things with me.
” Burville had already been thinking about moving closer to his immediate family in Oregon , but the current situation , he said , made him want to move sooner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her family was lucky to live in a small pocket of Santa Rosa that survived the 2017 Tubbs fire , the 2019 Kincade fire and the wildfires last month .
But , she said , fear and bad memories remain .
“ The Tubbs trauma is real , ” Cornwall said .
“ When you have seen fire move fast before , you know to get the hell out before traffic backs up and fire is licking at your cars.
” With a full house — three school-age kids , distance learning because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her mother and father , who were evacuated from Napa — the situation is bordering on overwhelming , she said .
Ash has blanketed the area , and her family has air filters running in every room .
“ My teens are now sending me homes on Zillow out of the area , ” she said .
“ We are all in some form of therapy .
My 6-year-old needs me to hold her when she smells smoke.
” As a fifth-generation Sonoma County resident , Cornwall says she feels deeply rooted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the idea of leaving .
But after seeing more than 20 of her friends lose their homes to fire — and so many others forced to evacuate — she is growing weary of living in a hypervigilant state .
“ I don ’ t think I can overstate the exhaustion from it all , ” Cornwall said .
“ And we are the incredibly lucky ones who haven ’ t lost our home.
” Three years ago , Jeff and Birgit Sengstack had to flee their home near Santa Rosa in the middle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rain .
Their home of 18 years was ablaze two minutes after they pulled out of their driveway .
They spent three years rebuilding and finally moved back in July .
On Sunday , fire returned .
From his porch , Jeff Sengstack said he could see flames shooting hundreds of feet into the sky .
“ We were totally stressed out last night , ” said Sengstack , 71 , who is now semiretired .
“ It was pretty much chest-tightening , headaches , worried about getting ready to leave , making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s hilltop home was one evacuation zone away from a neighborhood that had received an evacuation advisory .
The fire was four miles away .
“ You have to be confident , ” Sengstack said .
“ It is unpredictable , but the winds are relatively calm right now .
They are now posting fire crews all along the neighborhoods in Santa Rosa , and it appears to be generally paying off.
” Wildfires are nothing new in wine country .
The region has seen several significant blazes in recent years — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and this year ’ s LNU Lightning Complex fire , which has burned more than 363,000 acres in Sonoma , Lake , Napa , Yolo and Solano counties .
That fire , the fourth-largest in recorded state history , has been blamed for five deaths .
It was 98 % contained as of Monday .
“ My heart also aches for everyone who ’ s been displaced , who ’ s been injured , who ’ s been evacuated , who ’ s lost property , ” U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson ( D-St. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s just one more year of the same thing , and it ’ s getting a little old.
” Because of the Diablo winds , much of Northern California is under a red flag warning , meaning the National Weather Service is highly confident there will be dangerous fire weather conditions .
Such windy conditions can easily loft embers into the air , where they travel and land downwind , igniting new spot fires .
The warning is in effect until 9 p.m. Monday , with forecasters predicting critically low humidity and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 mph at high elevations .
The Bay Area is also under a heat advisory until 7 p.m. Monday .
Such weather conditions also present a challenge for crews working to wrangle existing fires .
In Butte County , where the deadly North Complex fire is still burning , the Sheriff ’ s Office issued an evacuation order Sunday night for Pulga , Concow , Big Bend and Yankee Hill , as well as an evacuation warning for the town of Paradise , which was mostly destroyed in the 2018 Camp fire that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of more than 18,000 structures .
Shawnee Rickson , who has lived in Paradise her entire life , said her family ’ s home was one of the few left standing after the Camp fire swept through the town .
“ Fires are now the scariest thing , ” she said , noting that her family always keeps a “ fire box ” with important documents and pictures ready in case of evacuation .
“ Unfortunately , it ’ s a normal thing that we are getting used to , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to what ’ s already been a historic and devastating fire season in California .
So far this year , over 8,100 wildfires have ignited statewide — burning more than 3.7 million acres , killing 26 people and consuming over 7,000 structures .
Five of the six largest wildfires ever recorded in California have started since August and are still burning , according to Cal Fire .
Times staff writers Maura Dolan , Alex Wigglesworth and Kent Nishimura contributed to this report .

Luke Money, Anita Chabria, Hayley Smith, Rong-Gong Lin II, Matthew Ormseth

The toll from California’s latest round of wildfires worsened Monday with three deaths reported in Shasta County and numerous structures lost in wine country, where tens of thousands have been forced to flee their homes.
The number of structures damaged or destroyed was unclear late Monday, “but there was significant loss” in some areas, according to Santa Rosa Fire Chief Tony Gossner. Almost 34,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, officials said, while more than 14,000 others have been warned that they, too, may have to leave.
In Shasta County, three people have died in another fast-moving wildfire that ignited Sunday afternoon near the rural community of Igo, about nine miles southwest of Redding, Sheriff Eric Magrini said.
The blaze, named the Zogg fire, doubled in size Monday night to 31,200 acres with no containment. It has destroyed 146 structures and is threatening 1,500 more. Magrini said authorities were still working to identify the three victims and notify their families. He urged residents to heed orders to evacuate, noting that with this fast-moving blaze, “we’re not issuing warnings.”
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× Another series of wildfires stormed California’s wine country overnight as flames destroyed numerous homes and other buildings in Napa and Sonoma counties and forced thousands to flee.
“When you hear those orders, evacuate,” he said. “Immediately.”
Deputies have evacuated 466 homes in the communities of Igo and Ono, displacing about 1,250 people, the sheriff said. Authorities have set up a temporary evacuation point at the Holiday Market, 3315 Placer St., Redding.
In Sonoma County, a number of homes began to burn early Monday in the suburban eastern neighborhoods of Santa Rosa. The city of 177,000 residents, Sonoma County’s most populous, was devastated nearly three years ago by the Tubbs fire, which was also driven by strong winds, and destroyed about 1,500 homes in the 1980s-built northwestern Coffey Park neighborhood.
1 / 28 The Glass fire in Napa County burns on a mountainside Sept. 28 with the Beckstoffer Vineyards in the foreground in St. Helena, Calif. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 28 Smoke billows behind a row of vines in a St. Helena, Calif., vineyard Sept. 28. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 28 An air tanker drops retardant on the Glass fire burning Sept. 27 above Davis Estates winery in Calistoga, Calif. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 4 / 28 Flames from the Glass fire consume the Black Rock Inn in St. Helena, Calif., on Sept. 27. (Noah Berger/Associated Press) 5 / 28 The Shady fire burns structures Sept. 28 in Santa Rosa, Calif. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 28 Santa Rosa firefighters monitor the Shady fire Sept. 27 as it makes its way toward homes along Mountain Hawk Drive in the city. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 28 The Shady fire burns homes Sept. 28 in the Skyhawk community in Santa Rosa, Calif. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 28 Wildlife is seen running into an engulfed Skyhawk Park on Sept. 28. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 28 An American flag flaps in the wind as the Shady fire burns structures Sept. 28 in Santa Rosa, Calif. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 28 Firefighters work to contain the Glass fire along Sanitarium Road in Napa County on Sept. 27. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 28 Fire burns along Sanitarium Road in Napa County on Sept. 27. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 28 A firefighter works along Sanitarium Road. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 28 Trees burn along Sanitarium Road in Napa County. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 28 A firefighter hoists a hose over one shoulder, dousing fire Sept. 17 in Napa County. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 28 The night sky glows red and orange from the Glass fire in Napa County on Sept. 27. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 28 Fire glows in the night Sept. 27 in Napa County. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 28 Headlights light up the smoke from the Glass fire. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 28 The Glass fire burns a distinctive building at the Chateau Boswell Winery on Sept. 27, several miles northwest of St. Helena in Napa County. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 28 The Glass fire burns along the Silverado Trail in Napa County near the Chateau Boswell Winery on Sept. 27. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 28 The Glass fire burns along the Silverado Trail. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 28 Firefighters from the Sacramento Fire Department take part in an operation near a property along Crystal Springs Road in Napa County. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 28 The Bell Canyon reservoir glows orange as firefighters work to contain the the fire Sept. 27 at the Viader Vineyards & Winery. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 28 Fire roars near the Viader Vineyards & Winery. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 28 Goats are evacuated from the Glass fire on Sept. 27. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 28 A tanker flies amid smoke from the Glass fire. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 28 Smoke obscures the trees behind a vineyard along the Silverado Trail. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 28 Tim Gutierrez of the Sonoma County Fire Protection District hoses down hot spots. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 28 Smoke obscures trees behind a Napa County vineyard on Sept. 27. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
The Shady fire on Monday, whipped by powerful, hot and dry Diablo winds coming from the north and east that showered embers onto the city, engulfed houses in the area of Mountain Hawk Drive. The roadway, lined with two-story tract homes, is in the Skyhawk development, built in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
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Chief Ben Nicholls with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said crews had contended with “explosive fire growth” that saw the flames “burn approximately four miles during the course of about six hours overnight.”
Officials are stressing the importance of following evacuation orders when they’re issued. Sonoma County Sheriff’s Sgt. Juan Valencia said some people refused to leave and later had to be rescued from their homes.
“Unfortunately, we did have some people that stayed behind,” he said during a briefing Monday.
Smoke rises over a vineyard as the Glass fire burns Monday in Calistoga. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Gov. Gavin Newsom also emphasized the point, saying “the dynamics of climate change, the dynamics as it relates to the lack of forest management over the last century, have created ... real concern as it relates to the spread of these wildfires in ferocious ways.
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The governor declared a state of emergency in Napa, Sonoma and Shasta counties late Monday and requested a disaster declaration from the federal government, which would bring increased aid to Los Angeles, Fresno, Madera, Mendocino, San Bernardino, San Diego and Siskiyou counties.
“We really, really cannot say it enough: Please heed local law enforcement,” Newsom said Monday. “Please listen to them when they raise that alarm bell.”
Brody Carrington uses a pickaxe on a burned piece of wood as his mom, Elza Carrington, covers a smoldering patch with dirt at a home in the Skyhawk community of Santa Rosa. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Large swaths of Santa Rosa remain under mandatory evacuation orders. Districts in the city’s northeast were ordered to evacuate, including the neighborhoods of Skyhawk, Melita, Stonebridge and Pythian. Evacuations also were ordered Monday for the Summerfield and Spring Lake areas, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department.
With flames in the distance, busloads of older people were evacuated from the Oakmont Gardens assisted-living community. Elsewhere in the city, cars jammed narrow roads as residents heeded evacuation orders.
Two other fires were also burning upwind of the blaze encroaching on Santa Rosa, both of them flanking the town of St. Helena in Napa County: the Boysen fire to the west and the Glass fire to the north.
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The Glass fire burned rapidly Sunday through Napa Valley’s famed Silverado Trail, known for its wineries. One building lost was the distinctive stone structure at the Chateau Boswell Winery, which marked its 40th anniversary last year.
Cal Fire has since grouped the Glass, Boysen and Shady fires together as the Glass incident. That combined conflagration had burned nearly 37,000 acres as of Monday evening, with no containment, according to Cal Fire. It was threatening 8,543 structures. Ash could be seen falling from the sky throughout the region.
In Napa County, mandatory evacuation zones were expanded to cover the hills on both sides of the northern Napa Valley, flanking the towns of St. Helena and Calistoga, as well as parts of the east side of the Silverado Trail. The entire city of Calistoga, a community of about 5,000 people northwest of Napa, was ordered to evacuate Monday evening. Residents were directed to a shelter at CrossWalk Community Church, 2590 1st St., Napa.
The mandatory evacuation zone included the western portion of St. Helena, an area that includes single-family houses and a campus of the Culinary Institute of America, a renowned culinary college.
Charred wine bottles amid rubble at Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga on Monday. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
“Individuals who are seeking shelter are reminded to bring a face covering, practice good hygiene habits and adhere to physical distancing,” Napa County officials wrote in an evacuation update, underscoring the continued threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A round of evacuations was ordered in Sonoma County on Monday, covering Trione-Annadel State Park and the area to the south, as well as north of Bennett Valley Road, west of Savannah Trail and east and south of the Santa Rosa city limits.
The three now-unified Glass incident fires were burning in an area that had not experienced a major burn in the last century, Matt Roberts, a doctoral student in atmospheric science at the University of Nevada at Reno, said in a tweet.
Monday morning brought a too-familiar sight in Sonoma County: The sun turned into a smoke-shrouded red disk in the sky.
The capricious nature of the fire was evident in the Skyview neighborhood, which had been hit by heavy embers the night before.
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With sweeping views of the nearby hills, most of the community’s million-dollar homes remained intact. But a stretch near the top of a hill was dotted with some that had burned to ash.
Firefighters worked to douse one green stucco house that was still aflame. Its second story had collapsed into its three-car garage.
As he stood in front of his house in Spring Lake — a neighborhood of cul-de-sacs and mature oaks nestled against the hills of Trione-Annadel State Park — Mat Tamba watched a fresh plume of smoke rising over a ridge.
“That’s the new something I just saw,” he said, worried.
Homes and other structures damaged in the Shady fire are obscured by smoke in the Skyhawk community of Santa Rosa. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
His son, Tyler, 9, daughter, Matison, 4, and wife, Noelle, had evacuated to his in-laws’ house Sunday night, but he returned Monday morning to gather more things — toiletries, a Minnie Mouse stuffed doll.
Tamba recalled how during the 2017 Tubbs fire, his in-laws lost their home in a nearby neighborhood. On Sunday night, when propane tanks began to explode nearby, he knew the situation was serious.
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“That’s the sign it’s getting to the houses,” he said.
Around the corner, Marilyn Heller had already taken the advice of the Santa Rosa Fire Department and put the propane tanks from her grill on the sidewalk in front of her driveway. Like Tamba, Heller, 72, was packing up her car to get out.
She and her husband, Robert, have lived in their ranch-style house since 1974. Now, everything sentimental — including hand-me-downs from her grandmother and aunt — was packed up in dozens of boxes.
A water gun is melted to a table near devastated homes in Skyhawk. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
As Heller kicked at burned leaves and embers in the gutter, she said she and her husband had discussed staying Sunday night until they saw flames. Her son, a former Marine, had purchased them special heat-resistant straws in case they needed to jump in the pool to survive. But she didn’t “want to be in the way of the Fire Department.”
Not far away, Ben Illia, 30, was hosing down his yard and had a sprinkler going on the grass. He said he didn’t intend to leave until he saw flames. He owns a water truck, originally purchased to fill pools, but it has seen more fire action in recent years.
“I don’t think it will reach this far,” he said, noting that the wind had given way to a heavy stillness, broken only by the hum of the generator he purchased last year after planned electricity cutoffs left him in the dark.
Despite the risks, Illia said this is a neighborhood he loves.
“It’s a good place besides the power outages and the fires,” he said.
Angwin resident James Burville evacuated his home at 5 a.m. Sunday after a power outage.
He went to his church in Calistoga — only to awaken the next morning to find that area being evacuated. After spending more than three hours in a registration line at the Napa County Evacuation Center, he is now hoping for a room and some rest.
Although the Tubbs fire came within 10 miles of his home, he said this experience felt worse.
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“I may lose all my belongings,” he said, “and because we had no power, I missed taking my most important things with me.”
Burville had already been thinking about moving closer to his immediate family in Oregon, but the current situation, he said, made him want to move sooner.
Rincon Valley resident Randi Cornwall said her family was lucky to live in a small pocket of Santa Rosa that survived the 2017 Tubbs fire, the 2019 Kincade fire and the wildfires last month. But, she said, fear and bad memories remain.
“The Tubbs trauma is real,” Cornwall said. “When you have seen fire move fast before, you know to get the hell out before traffic backs up and fire is licking at your cars.”
With a full house — three school-age kids, distance learning because of the pandemic, as well as her mother and father, who were evacuated from Napa — the situation is bordering on overwhelming, she said. Ash has blanketed the area, and her family has air filters running in every room.
“My teens are now sending me homes on Zillow out of the area,” she said. “We are all in some form of therapy. My 6-year-old needs me to hold her when she smells smoke.”
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As a fifth-generation Sonoma County resident, Cornwall says she feels deeply rooted in her community, and she struggles with the idea of leaving. But after seeing more than 20 of her friends lose their homes to fire — and so many others forced to evacuate — she is growing weary of living in a hypervigilant state.
“I don’t think I can overstate the exhaustion from it all,” Cornwall said. “And we are the incredibly lucky ones who haven’t lost our home.”
Smoke hangs in the air over the Skyhawk community in Santa Rosa after the Shady fire. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Three years ago, Jeff and Birgit Sengstack had to flee their home near Santa Rosa in the middle of the night as embers fell like rain. Their home of 18 years was ablaze two minutes after they pulled out of their driveway.
They spent three years rebuilding and finally moved back in July.
On Sunday, fire returned. From his porch, Jeff Sengstack said he could see flames shooting hundreds of feet into the sky.
“We were totally stressed out last night,” said Sengstack, 71, who is now semiretired. “It was pretty much chest-tightening, headaches, worried about getting ready to leave, making preparations.”
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On Monday, the couple’s hilltop home was one evacuation zone away from a neighborhood that had received an evacuation advisory. The fire was four miles away.
“You have to be confident,” Sengstack said. “It is unpredictable, but the winds are relatively calm right now. They are now posting fire crews all along the neighborhoods in Santa Rosa, and it appears to be generally paying off.”
Wildfires are nothing new in wine country. The region has seen several significant blazes in recent years — including the Tubbs fire, Kincade fire and this year’s LNU Lightning Complex fire, which has burned more than 363,000 acres in Sonoma, Lake, Napa, Yolo and Solano counties.
That fire, the fourth-largest in recorded state history, has been blamed for five deaths. It was 98% contained as of Monday.
“My heart also aches for everyone who’s been displaced, who’s been injured, who’s been evacuated, who’s lost property,” U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) said Monday. “It’s just one more year of the same thing, and it’s getting a little old.”
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Because of the Diablo winds, much of Northern California is under a red flag warning, meaning the National Weather Service is highly confident there will be dangerous fire weather conditions.
California Extreme fire danger in Southern California amid new heat wave The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the Los Angeles and Ventura county mountains and the Santa Clarita Valley.
Such windy conditions can easily loft embers into the air, where they travel and land downwind, igniting new spot fires.
The warning is in effect until 9 p.m. Monday, with forecasters predicting critically low humidity and wind gusts that could reach up to 50 mph at high elevations. The Bay Area is also under a heat advisory until 7 p.m. Monday.
Such weather conditions also present a challenge for crews working to wrangle existing fires.
In Butte County, where the deadly North Complex fire is still burning, the Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order Sunday night for Pulga, Concow, Big Bend and Yankee Hill, as well as an evacuation warning for the town of Paradise, which was mostly destroyed in the 2018 Camp fire that resulted in 85 deaths and the loss of more than 18,000 structures.
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Shawnee Rickson, who has lived in Paradise her entire life, said her family’s home was one of the few left standing after the Camp fire swept through the town.
“Fires are now the scariest thing,” she said, noting that her family always keeps a “fire box” with important documents and pictures ready in case of evacuation.
“Unfortunately, it’s a normal thing that we are getting used to,” she said.
The latest rash of wildfires adds to what’s already been a historic and devastating fire season in California. So far this year, over 8,100 wildfires have ignited statewide — burning more than 3.7 million acres, killing 26 people and consuming over 7,000 structures.
Five of the six largest wildfires ever recorded in California have started since August and are still burning, according to Cal Fire.
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Times staff writers Maura Dolan, Alex Wigglesworth and Kent Nishimura contributed to this report.


latimes--2020-09-28--Paradise again threatened as deadly fires push toward towns gutted by 2018 inferno

Two years after being decimated by the worst blaze in California history , the town of Paradise was again under threat , this time from the deadly North Complex fire .
Butte County sheriff ’ s officials issued an for Pulga and Concow and an evacuation warning for the town of Paradise , which was mostly destroyed in the 2018 Camp fire that resulted in 85 deaths and the loss of more than 18,000 structures .
Winds were gusting more than 70 mph Sunday night , creating the same dangerous conditions that sparked the 2018 Paradise firestorm .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more structures had burned .
The North Complex fire ranks among the biggest and most deadly fires the state has seen , killing 15 people .
Only four California fires have .
At more than 305,000 acres , the fire is the fifth-largest recorded in the state .
It has also destroyed the sixth-highest number of structures of any fire — 1,784 , according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection .
It destroyed the town of Berry Creek , where most of the deaths occurred .
Authorities released the name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ body of Linda Longenbach , a 71-year-old Berry Creek resident , was located on Handkirk Lane on Sept. 10 , according to the Butte County Sheriff ’ s Office .
Both she and another previously identified victim — 68-year-old Paul Winer of Berry Creek — were found in the roadway .
One of them was inside a vehicle , and the other was approximately 10 feet away from an ATV , authorities said , though they didn ’ t specify who was where .
Authorities had previously identified the other fire victims as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zurz , 76 ; Mark Delagardie , 61 ; Kin Lee , 64 ; Jacob Albright , 74 ; Randy Harrell , 67 ; John Butler , 79 ; Sandra Butler , 75 ; Jorge Hernandez-Juarez , 26 ; Philip Rubel , 68 ; Khawar Bhatti , 58 ; Millicent Catarancuic , 77 ; and Josiah Williams , 16 .
In Shasta County , strong winds were also reported Monday , threatening to further fuel a fast-moving wildfire that ignited Sunday afternoon near the rural community of Igo , about nine miles southwest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 acres to 400 acres in about a half-hour , according to Cal Fire , prompting evacuation orders and sending up a massive plume of smoke .
Named the Zogg fire , it had swelled to 15,000 acres by Monday morning .

A November 2018 photo of Paradise High School. The Northern California town is once again under an evacuation warning from the North Complex fire.
Two years after being decimated by the worst blaze in California history, the town of Paradise was again under threat, this time from the deadly North Complex fire.
Butte County sheriff’s officials issued an evacuation order for Pulga and Concow and an evacuation warning for the town of Paradise, which was mostly destroyed in the 2018 Camp fire that resulted in 85 deaths and the loss of more than 18,000 structures.
Winds were gusting more than 70 mph Sunday night, creating the same dangerous conditions that sparked the 2018 Paradise firestorm. It was unclear as of Monday morning whether any more structures had burned.
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The North Complex fire ranks among the biggest and most deadly fires the state has seen, killing 15 people. Only four California fires have killed more people .
At more than 305,000 acres, the fire is the fifth-largest recorded in the state. It has also destroyed the sixth-highest number of structures of any fire — 1,784, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
It destroyed the town of Berry Creek, where most of the deaths occurred.
Authorities released the name of the 15th victim Friday.
The body of Linda Longenbach, a 71-year-old Berry Creek resident, was located on Handkirk Lane on Sept. 10, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
Both she and another previously identified victim — 68-year-old Paul Winer of Berry Creek — were found in the roadway.
One of them was inside a vehicle, and the other was approximately 10 feet away from an ATV, authorities said, though they didn’t specify who was where.
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Authorities had previously identified the other fire victims as: Larry Holder, 61; Suzan Zurz, 76; Mark Delagardie, 61; Kin Lee, 64; Jacob Albright, 74; Randy Harrell, 67; John Butler, 79; Sandra Butler, 75; Jorge Hernandez-Juarez, 26; Philip Rubel, 68; Khawar Bhatti, 58; Millicent Catarancuic, 77; and Josiah Williams, 16.
In Shasta County, strong winds were also reported Monday, threatening to further fuel a fast-moving wildfire that ignited Sunday afternoon near the rural community of Igo, about nine miles southwest of Redding. The blaze grew from 50 acres to 400 acres in about a half-hour, according to Cal Fire, prompting evacuation orders and sending up a massive plume of smoke.
Named the Zogg fire, it had swelled to 15,000 acres by Monday morning.


latimes--2020-09-28--Earthquake: 2 small quakes reported Sunday near Fremont, Calif.

A magnitude 3.4 earthquake was reported Sunday evening at 10:16 p.m. two miles from Fremont , Calif. , according to the U.S. Geological Survey .
An earlier quake of the same magnitude occurred in the area at 3:54 p.m .
Both temblors were two miles from Milpitas , Calif. , four miles from San Jose and eight miles from Santa Clara .
Prior to the 3:54 p.m. shaker , there had been no earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby in the last 10 days .
An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes of 3.0 to 4.0 occur each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a recent three-year data sample .
The first earthquake occurred at a depth of 3 miles and the second at 2.8 miles .
When you feel a quake , consider reporting it to the USGS .
Even if you didn ’ t feel either of these small earthquakes , you never know when the Big One is going to strike .
Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit .
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot , a computer application that monitors the latest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times editor reviewed the post before it was published .
If you ’ re interested in learning more about the system , visit our list of frequently asked questions .

The magnitude 3.4 earthquakes rattled near Fremont, Calif., on Sunday at 3:54 and 10:16 p.m.
A magnitude 3.4 earthquake was reported Sunday evening at 10:16 p.m. two miles from Fremont, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. An earlier quake of the same magnitude occurred in the area at 3:54 p.m.
Both temblors were two miles from Milpitas, Calif., four miles from San Jose and eight miles from Santa Clara. Prior to the 3:54 p.m. shaker, there had been no earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby in the last 10 days.
An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes of 3.0 to 4.0 occur each year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample.
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The first earthquake occurred at a depth of 3 miles and the second at 2.8 miles. When you feel a quake, consider reporting it to the USGS.
Even if you didn’t feel either of these small earthquakes, you never know when the Big One is going to strike. Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit.
This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.


latimes--2020-09-28--Photos: Napa and Sonoma counties under assault from Glass and Shady fires

California ’ s wine county is once again facing threats from wildfires .
The Glass fire broke out early Sunday @ @ @ @ @ Deer Park .
Despite a strong firefighting response , the fire expanded steadily through the @ @ @ @ @ least 2,500 acres .
Authorities are calling the Spring Mountain fire the Boysen fire .
@ @ @ @ @ Sonoma County is the Shady fire , which is prompting evacuation warnings above Kenwood , @ @ @ @ @ The fires were driven by strong , gusty winds , which were expected to last @ @ @ @ @ National Weather Service said strong winds , warm temperatures and low humidity would continue through @ @ @ @

Firefighters from the Sacramento Fire Department take part in an operation near a property along Crystal Springs Road. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
California’s wine county is once again facing threats from wildfires.
The Glass fire broke out early Sunday west of Highway 29 near Deer Park. Despite a strong firefighting response, the fire expanded steadily through the day, growing to at least 2,500 acres.
Authorities are calling the fire in the Spring Mountain region the Boysen fire. Slightly to the west in Sonoma County is the Shady fire, which was prompting evacuation warnings above Kenwood, along Los Alamos Road.
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The fires were driven by strong, gusty winds, which were expected to last through late Monday. The National Weather Service said strong winds, warm temperatures and low humidity would continue through 9 p.m. Monday.
Shady fire in Sonoma County
An emergency responder evacuates a resident of the Oakmont Gardens senior home as the Shady fire approaches in Santa Rosa. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Brody Carrington, 12, and Emmilia Carrington, 15, look for smoldering patches from the Shady fire near their home in the Skyhawk community in Santa Rosa. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
The Shady fire burns structures early Monday in Santa Rosa, Calif. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Wildlife runs in the engulfed Skyhawk Park on Monday as firefighters battle the Shady fire. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
The Shady fire burns homes Monday in the Skyhawk community of Santa Rosa. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
An American flag flaps in the wind as the Shady fire burns. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
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Glass fire in Napa County
Flames from the Glass fire consume the Black Rock Inn in St. Helena, Calif. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Charred wine bottles sit amid rubble at Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Resident Osvaldo Ramirez walks away from his burned vehicle in St. Helena. (Josh Edelson / AFP / Getty Images)
The Glass fire burns along the Silverado Trail in Napa County near the Chateau Boswell Winery on Sunday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters work to contain the Glass fire along Sanitarium Road in Napa County on Sunday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters from the Sacramento Fire Department take part in an operation near a property along Crystal Springs Road in Napa County. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
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A firefighting aircraft makes drops over hot spots Sunday at the Viader Vineyards & Winery in Deer Park, Calif. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Jessica Sanders helps corral goats Sunday to evacuate them as firefighters work to contain the nearby Glass fire in St. Helena. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)


latimes--2020-09-28--Record temperatures lure 'heat tourists' to Death Valley National Park

Once he saw that temperatures in Death Valley National Park had hit 130 degrees Fahrenheit , Dan Markham , 40 , knew he had to go .
The southern Utah local made the drive last month and found himself in the company of dozens of other park visitors hoping to get a picture alongside a thermometer listing one of the hottest recorded temperatures on Earth .
According to Markham , visitors from Nevada , Washington , and California sat in their cars , air conditioners blasting , and waited as the thermometer toggled between 129 and 130 .
Markham stayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be stuck at 129 and then all of a sudden it would go up to 130 and everyone would run out of their cars to take a picture , ” Markham said .
Those who missed it — and “ were like , ah man , 129 again ” — headed back to the shelter of their automobiles to wait for another photo opportunity .
This year will go down as the fourth hottest summer in Death Valley history after the park recorded “ some of the hottest days ever recorded on earth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But intense heat hasn ’ t stopped visitors from coming .
In fact , some are drawn by the prospect of baking in a record swelter — what park officials have dubbed “ heat tourism.
” The crowd ’ s motivation seems anchored in the idea that “ this would be a fun adventure , ” according to Markham .
“ To see what that feels like and be able to say , ‘ I did this weird thing , and I got a picture.
’ ” Someone next to him posed with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Bucket List : Be in the world ’ s hottest temperature.
” And by some measures , they were .
On Aug. 16 , the thermometer at Furnace Creek topped charts at 130 degrees Fahrenheit .
This clocked in as the hottest temperature on record in the park since 1913 , and likely the hottest in the world since 1931 , pending official verification .
This summer averaged 102.7 degrees Fahrenheit from June to August .
The top three hottest summers all occurred within the last five years , demonstrating a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” according to the park .
In the midst of rising temperatures , the park ’ s annual visitation has more than doubled in the last 10 years , with a record 1,740,945 people in 2019 .
Park officials don ’ t discourage visitors from coming ; they just request everyone proceed with caution .
“ These are public lands , and if we can provide safety and enjoyment , people can come and visit , ” said Jennette Jurado , public information officer at the park .
To maintain that safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ norms .
Residents rise early to walk dogs and exercise between 4 and 6 a.m. , striving to beat the heat .
When motorists are making some steep ascents , road signs encourage them to turn off their air conditioning .
Keeping it on in these temperatures creates a risk of engines overheating .
And a few have , resulting in two vehicle fires this summer and multiple cars breaking down .
Additionally , homes in the valley now have naturally occurring “ extremely hot ” tap water due to rising ground temperatures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off their hot water heaters and using them instead as “ reservoirs to cool water down.
” If done successfully , they can have room-temperature water come out of the hot faucet , and hot water come out of the cold .
Markham , who is a YouTuber , also played 18 holes of golf that day in the heat as part of a personal goal and to create a video .
His conclusion , after noticing his exercise watch mark his highest heart rates yet and losing five pounds over the course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t seem set up to be in 125-degree temperatures for a long amount of time.
” Even so , he said that the next time temperatures got that high , he would come back and hoped to bring his whole family .
Park officials don ’ t recommend recreation after 10 a.m. in summertime .
There is real danger in such heat .
The park has seen two fatalities this summer , one in July and one in September .
In both cases , heat is considered a likely contributing factor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day before one hiker died on Sept. 6 , the high was recorded at 123 degrees .
“ Those are really hard days to be a park ranger , ” says Jurado .
The park has no precedent of closing due to extreme weather .
Instead , they offer recommendations on how to visit the environment safely .
To those hoping to experience it all for themselves , Jurado recommends to “ be here at dawn and see the park from your car .
”

Once he saw that temperatures in Death Valley National Park had hit 130 degrees Fahrenheit, Dan Markham, 40, knew he had to go.
The southern Utah local made the drive last month and found himself in the company of dozens of other park visitors hoping to get a picture alongside a thermometer listing one of the hottest recorded temperatures on Earth.
According to Markham, visitors from Nevada, Washington and California sat in their cars, air conditioners blasting, and waited as the thermometer toggled between 129 and 130. Markham stayed for two hours.
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“It would be stuck at 129 and then all of a sudden it would go up to 130 and everyone would run out of their cars to take a picture,” Markham said.
Those who missed it — and “were like, ah man, 129 again” — headed back to the shelter of their automobiles to wait for another photo opportunity.
Dan Markham poses in front of the thermometer at Furnace Creek. (Dan Markham)
This year will go down as the fourth-hottest summer in Death Valley history after the park recorded “some of the hottest days ever recorded on Earth,” according to the park. But intense heat hasn’t stopped visitors from coming. In fact, some are drawn by the prospect of baking in a record swelter — what park officials have dubbed “heat tourism.”
The crowd’s motivation seems anchored in the idea that “this would be a fun adventure,” Markham said. “To see what that feels like and be able to say, ‘I did this weird thing, and I got a picture.’”
Someone next to him posed with a large red bucket and a sign: “Bucket List: Be in the world’s hottest temperature.”
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And by some measures, they were. On Aug. 16, the thermometer at Furnace Creek topped charts at 130 degrees Fahrenheit. This clocked in as the hottest temperature on record in the park since 1913, and likely the hottest in the world since 1931, pending official verification.
This summer averaged 102.7 degrees Fahrenheit from June to August. The top three hottest summers all occurred within the last five years, demonstrating a “continued record of a changing climate,” according to the park.
In the midst of rising temperatures, the park’s annual visitation has more than doubled in the last 10 years, with a record 1,740,945 people in 2019.
Park officials don’t discourage visitors from coming; they just request everyone proceed with caution. “These are public lands, and if we can provide safety and enjoyment, people can come and visit,” said Jennette Jurado, public information officer at the park.
To maintain that safety, the community is adapting to new norms.
Residents rise early to walk dogs and exercise between 4 and 6 a.m., striving to beat the heat.
When motorists are making some steep ascents, road signs encourage them to turn off their air conditioning. Keeping it on in these temperatures creates a risk of engines overheating. And a few have, resulting in two vehicle fires this summer and multiple cars breaking down.
Additionally, homes in the valley now have naturally occurring “extremely hot” tap water due to rising ground temperatures. To adapt, residents are turning off their hot water heaters and using them instead as “reservoirs to cool water down.” If done successfully, they can have room-temperature water come out of the hot faucet, and hot water come out of the cold.
Markham, who is a YouTuber, also played 18 holes of golf that day in the heat as part of a personal goal and to create a video.
His conclusion, after noticing his exercise watch mark his highest heart rates yet and losing 5 pounds over the course of the day: “Humans just don’t seem set up to be in 125-degree temperatures for a long amount of time.”
Even so, he said that the next time temperatures got that high, he would come back and hoped to bring his whole family.
Park officials don’t recommend recreation after 10 a.m. in summertime. There is real danger in such heat. The park has seen two fatalities this summer, one in July and one in September. In both cases, heat is considered a likely contributing factor to the cause of death. The day before one hiker died on Sept. 6, the high was recorded at 123 degrees. “Those are really hard days to be a park ranger,” Jurado said.
The park has no precedent of closing because of extreme weather. Instead, officials offer recommendations on how to visit the environment safely.
To those hoping to experience it all for themselves, Jurado recommends to “be here at dawn and see the park from your car.”


latimes--2020-09-29--As flames tear through wine country, residents flash back to 2017

In the hills above Highway 12 , Emmilia Carrington hoisted a trash can full of water into her neighbor ’ s backyard and tipped it over , turning smoldering ash into a rush of steam that curled up over her black rain boots .
Nearby , the 15-year-old ’ s brother Brody , three years younger , picked up a shovel and dumped dust over live embers , as he ’ d learned to do in Boy Scouts .
Their mother , Eliza , smothered flames with garden stones .
The family evacuated late Sunday , as flames from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but had returned Monday morning , after Eliza sweet-talked her way past law enforcement .
“ Oh my God !
” she said Monday afternoon , surveying the hot spots surrounding her home .
While ash snowed down across the Sonoma County town of Santa Rosa , the fire — which by Monday evening had burned more than 36,000 acres , prompting tens of thousands of evacuations — was dredging up memories of the deadly Tubbs and Nuns fires that devastated wine country in 2017 .
Towering oak trees lining Highway 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orange lava , and a herd of bewildered deer pranced between trees , trying to avoid the flames .
Overnight , residents at Oakmont Village , a senior-living community , filed slowly out of the front door and loaded onto city buses , which evacuated them beneath a salmon sky .
Along a beloved stretch of vineyards and tasting rooms , the Glass Mountain Inn charred overnight , as did the distinctive stone structure at the famed Chateau Boswell Winery , where flames singed the skins of plump bunches of grapes .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , noting that the fate of a handful of others was still unknown Monday evening .
Some were hesitant to flee .
Monday morning , Ben Illia stood in the front yard of the gray ranch house where he had grown up watering down the landscape with a hose .
Nearby , a sprinkler sprayed an arc over the grass .
Behind him , the hills of Trione-Annadel State Park smoldered , disturbing columns of black smoke rising here and there as embers sparked new burns .
But Illia was unconcerned .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had no plans to leave unless “ I see flames coming over the hill , ” he said .
Others were more cautious .
Rincon Valley resident Randi Cornwall said her family was lucky to live in a small pocket of Santa Rosa that survived the 2017 Tubbs fire , and the wildfires last month .
But , she said , fear and bad memories remain .
“ The Tubbs trauma is real , ” Cornwall said .
“ When you have seen fire move fast before , you know to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and fire is licking at your cars.
” During the Tubbs fire , officials delayed warnings out of fear that a mass evacuation would cause panic and clog narrow roads that firefighters needed to access .
Evacuation orders only went to a fraction of residents , leaving entire communities in the dark about their danger .
Ultimately , 22 people died .
This time , public warnings and orders to leave began within half an hour of the realization that embers had kicked off a new blaze headed toward Santa Rosa .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of town became gridlocked midway through the night , traffic had started flowing again within two hours .
“ This isn ’ t our first rodeo , ” Santa Rosa Mayor Tom Schwedhelm said during a news conference , crediting seasoned residents and emergency planners for an unpanicked evacuation .
Even still , officials said , sheriff ’ s deputies had to rescue some residents who hadn ’ t evacuated Sunday night , as howling Diablo winds sent flames leaping across Highway 12 .
Some of the people who were rescued had injuries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to offer more details .
California ’ s fire season struck hard and early this year , in part because August was the hottest on record statewide .
A freakish lightning storm last month also sparked numerous blazes , although not the Glass fire threatening Santa Rosa and surrounding communities .
That fire started Sunday morning near St. Helena .
The cause is yet unknown .
On Monday morning on a cul-de-sac not far from the Sonoma County Fairgrounds , which often serves as an evacuation center , Mat Tamba stood in front @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , the flames were too close to shelter at the fairground .
Tamba , who had evacuated the night before but returned for toiletries and a Minnie Mouse stuffed animal for his daughter , watched as a plume floated over the ridge .
He flashed back to the Tubbs fire , which burned his in-laws ’ home to the ground and thought about the dreaded popping sound he ’ d heard again last night and instantly recognized as propane tanks exploding in the distance .
“ That ’ s when it becomes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along the sidewalk , neighbors had pulled propane tanks from their barbecue grills and moved them to the street — a lesson learned from the Tubbs fire .
Around the corner , Marilyn Heller blew away a thick coat of ash blanketing the hood of her Porsche Cayenne .
The 72-year-old was packing up a few last things from inside her beloved ranch-style home , which she ’ s lived in since 1974 , when she and her husband purchased it for $ 39,000 .
Trained in the dangers in these hills , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentimental value , including hand-me-downs from her grandmother and aunt , and had filled 40 boxes .
After previous fires , Heller said , her son , a former Marine , had bought her a device that she described as a special , heat-resistant straw , which she could use to breathe underwater if she needed to hop into the pool to survive .
For anyone surveying the surrounding hills , the capriciousness of the falling embers was all too evident .
They spared many of the million-dollar houses in a neighborhood known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of homes nearby .
Midday Monday , firefighters were trying to put out a stubborn blaze at a green-stucco home , already destroyed by flames , and later in the day , as the fire marched on , the entire city of Calistoga was ordered to evacuate .
With many weeks of potentially dangerous fire conditions still ahead — the Tubbs fire started in early October and burned through the entire month — 2020 has already shattered records as a historically devastating fire season in the state .
So far this year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which are currently burning , have charred through more than 3.7 million acres across the state , killing 29 people and burning some 7,000 structures .
In Butte County , the still-burning North Complex fire , which has killed 15 people , destroyed much of the town of Berry Creek and burned 306,000 acres , prompted evacuation warnings on Monday in the town of Paradise , which was destroyed in the Camp fire in 2018 .
In Shasta County , the newly ignited Zogg fire claimed more California lives on Monday , killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it tore through hundreds of acres in less than an hour .
By Monday night , that had brought this statewide death toll for this fire season to 29 people .
Late in the day , the Zogg fire had grown to 15,000 acres .
In the foothills above Santa Clarita , a quick-moving brush fire started Monday afternoon , burning 200 acres within minutes .
Back in Santa Rosa on Monday afternoon , Jeff Sengstack stood outside his home on a hill just outside the evacuation advisory zone .
For now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But he knew how devastatingly fast flames could travel here .
Three years ago , Sengstack and his wife , Birgit , fled their home in the middle of the night as ruby embers rained down .
Two minutes after they pulled out of the driveway , the home they had lived in for 18 years was engulfed in flames .
It took them three years to rebuild and they finally returned home in July .
So on Sunday , as Sengstack watched from his porch as flames shot hundreds of feet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deeply stressed .
His head pulsed .
The wind had thundered around 1 a.m. Monday , but eventually calmed and Sengstack managed to get a bit of sleep .
If they ultimately need to evacuate , they ’ ll head to a friend ’ s home in Belvedere .
They won ’ t take much with them , he said , as they lost almost everything of value in the fire three years ago .
Sengstack hoped that the winds would stay calm and he and his wife could stay put in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he calls it .

Anita Chabria, Paige St. John, Maura Dolan, Marisa Gerber

Brody Carrington, 12, and Emmilia Carrington, 15, look for smoldering patches and douse them in water near their home in the Skyhawk community of Santa Rosa.
In the hills above Highway 12, Emmilia Carrington hoisted a trash can full of water into her neighbor’s backyard and tipped it over, turning smoldering ash into a rush of steam that curled up over her black rain boots.
Nearby, the 15-year-old’s brother Brody, three years younger, picked up a shovel and dumped dust over live embers, as he’d learned to do in Boy Scouts. Their mother, Eliza, smothered flames with garden stones.
The family evacuated late Sunday, as flames from the fast-spreading Glass fire licked over a ridge, but had returned Monday morning after Eliza sweet-talked her way past law enforcement.
“Oh my God!” she said Monday afternoon, surveying the hot spots surrounding her home.
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It felt like terrible déjà vu.
While ash snowed down across the Sonoma County town of Santa Rosa, the fire — which by Monday evening had burned more than 36,000 acres, prompting tens of thousands of evacuations — was dredging up memories of the deadly Tubbs and Nuns fires that devastated wine country in 2017.
Towering oak trees lining Highway 12 burned from the inside out, oozing orange lava, and a herd of bewildered deer pranced between trees, trying to avoid the flames. Overnight, residents at Oakmont Village, a senior-living community, filed slowly out the front door and loaded onto city buses, which evacuated them beneath a salmon sky.
Flames from the Glass fire consume Chateau Boswell Winery in St. Helena. (Noah Berger/Associated Press)
Along a beloved stretch of vineyards and tasting rooms, the Glass Mountain Inn charred overnight, as did the distinctive stone structure at the famed Chateau Boswell Winery, where flames singed the skins of plump bunches of grapes. At least eight wineries were damaged, officials said, noting that the fate of a handful of others was still unknown Monday evening.
Some were hesitant to flee. Monday morning, Ben Illia stood in the front yard of the gray ranch house where he had grown up watering down the landscape with a hose. Nearby, a sprinkler sprayed an arc over the grass.
Behind him, the hills of Trione-Annadel State Park smoldered, disturbing columns of black smoke rising here and there as embers sparked new burns. But Illia was unconcerned. A veteran of the Tubbs fire, he had no plans to leave unless “I see flames coming over the hill,” he said.
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Others were more cautious. Rincon Valley resident Randi Cornwall said her family was lucky to live in a small pocket of Santa Rosa that survived the 2017 Tubbs fire, the 2019 Kincade fire and the wildfires last month. But, she said, fear and bad memories remain.
“The Tubbs trauma is real,” Cornwall said. “When you have seen fire move fast before, you know to get the hell out before traffic backs up and fire is licking at your cars.”
Burnt out homes and structures are obscured by smoke in the Skyhawk community, where the Shady fire tore through in Santa Rosa. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
During the Tubbs fire, officials delayed warnings out of fear that a mass evacuation would cause panic and clog narrow roads that firefighters needed to access. Evacuation orders only went to a fraction of residents, leaving entire communities in the dark about their danger. Ultimately, 22 people died.
This time, public warnings and orders to leave began within half an hour of the realization that embers had kicked off a new blaze headed toward Santa Rosa. And although the main road on the fireside of town became gridlocked midway through the night, traffic had started flowing again within two hours.
“This isn’t our first rodeo,” Santa Rosa Mayor Tom Schwedhelm said during a news conference, crediting seasoned residents and emergency planners for an unpanicked evacuation.
Even still, officials said, sheriff’s deputies had to rescue some residents who hadn’t evacuated Sunday night, as howling Diablo winds sent flames leaping across Highway 12. Some of the people who were rescued had injuries, officials said, but they declined to offer more details.
California’s fire season struck hard and early this year, in part because August was the hottest on record statewide.
A freakish lightning storm last month also sparked numerous blazes, although not the Glass fire threatening Santa Rosa and surrounding communities. That fire started Sunday morning near St. Helena. The cause is yet unknown.
On Monday morning on a cul-de-sac not far from the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, which often serves as an evacuation center, Mat Tamba stood in front of his home. This time, however, the flames were too close to shelter at the fairground.
Tamba, who had evacuated the night before but returned for toiletries and a Minnie Mouse stuffed animal for his daughter, watched as a plume floated over the ridge. He flashed back to the Tubbs fire, which burned his in-laws’ home to the ground and thought about the dreaded popping sound he’d heard again last night and instantly recognized as propane tanks exploding in the distance.
“That’s when it becomes eerie,” he said.
All along the sidewalk, neighbors had pulled propane tanks from their barbecue grills and moved them to the street — a lesson learned from the Tubbs fire.
Around the corner, Marilyn Heller blew away a thick coat of ash blanketing the hood of her Porsche Cayenne. The 72-year-old was packing up a few last things from inside her beloved ranch-style home, which she’s lived in since 1974, when she and her husband purchased it for $39,000.
Trained in the dangers in these hills, she had already packed up everything of sentimental value, including hand-me-downs from her grandmother and aunt, and had filled 40 boxes. After previous fires, Heller said, her son, a former Marine, had bought her a device that she described as a special, heat-resistant straw, which she could use to breathe underwater if she needed to hop into the pool to survive.
Smoke hangs in the air over the Skyhawk community in Santa Rosa. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
For anyone surveying the surrounding hills, the capriciousness of the falling embers was all too evident. They spared many of the million-dollar houses in a neighborhood known as Skyview, but charred a stretch of homes nearby. Midday Monday, firefighters were trying to put out a stubborn blaze at a green-stucco home, already destroyed by flames, and later in the day, as the fire marched on, the entire city of Calistoga was ordered to evacuate.
With many weeks of potentially dangerous fire conditions still ahead — the Tubbs fire started in early October and burned through the entire month — 2020 has already shattered records as a historically devastating fire season in the state. So far this year, flames from 8,100 wildfires, 35 of which are currently burning, have charred through more than 3.7 million acres across the state, killing 29 people and burning some 7,000 structures.
In Butte County, the still-burning North Complex fire, which has killed 15 people, destroyed much of the town of Berry Creek and burned 306,000 acres, prompted evacuation warnings on Monday in the town of Paradise, which was destroyed in the Camp fire in 2018.
In Shasta County, the newly ignited Zogg fire claimed more California lives on Monday, killing three people and prompting massive evacuations as it tore through hundreds of acres in less than an hour. By Monday night, that had brought this statewide death toll for this fire season to 29 people.
Late in the day, the Zogg fire had grown to 15,000 acres. In the foothills above Santa Clarita, a quick-moving brush fire started Monday afternoon, burning 200 acres within minutes.
Back in Santa Rosa on Monday afternoon, Jeff Sengstack stood outside his home on a hill just outside the evacuation advisory zone.
For now, the fire was still four miles away.
2018 photo of Birgit and Jeff Sengstack in front of the ruins of their home that burned down. (Maura Dolan / Los Angeles Times)
But he knew how devastatingly fast flames could travel here. Three years ago, Sengstack and his wife, Birgit, fled their home in the middle of the night as ruby embers rained down. Two minutes after they pulled out of the driveway, the home they had lived in for 18 years was engulfed in flames.
It took them three years to rebuild and they finally returned home in July. So on Sunday, as Sengstack watched from his porch as flames shot hundreds of feet into the night sky, he felt deeply stressed. His head pulsed.
“Chest-tightening,” said Sengstack, 71, who choked back tears.
The wind had thundered around 1 a.m. Monday, but eventually calmed and Sengstack managed to get a bit of sleep. If they ultimately need to evacuate, they’ll head to a friend’s home in Belvedere. They won’t take much with them, he said, as they lost almost everything of value in the fire three years ago.
Sengstack hoped that the winds would stay calm and he and his wife could stay put in their new home — his simple modern farmhouse, he calls it.