California Fires Bring Death Toll to 40 as Flames Die Down

Over 10,000 U.S. firefighters continue to battle the raging flames of California’s ongoing wildfire as the death toll reaches 40.

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The 40 confirmed fatalities, including 22 in Sonoma County, make it California’s deadliest-ever fire event, surpassing the 29 deaths from the Griffith Park fire of 1933 in Los Angeles.

After battling more than 16 wildfires which have continued to tear through Northern California over the last week, the torrent of flames are expected to die down Sunday.

Officials say they are making good progress on two fires, Tubbs and Atlas, which are more than 50 percent contained at this point.

Preliminary reports from meteorologists warning of incoming dry winds and high temperatures in around the central Napa Valley region led to 3,000 more evacuations. However, Saturday’s blustery weather surprised many and had calmed down by the afternoon.

Weakening winds overnight should help but high temperatures and dry conditions were expected to remain through the weekend, forecasters said.

”This is still very much in play. The danger is still very present,” said U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, a Democrat from California who accompanied Brown.

More than 10,000 firefighters supported by air tankers and helicopters battled 16 major wildfires in areas north of San Francisco that have consumed nearly 214,000 acres (86,000 hectares), or roughly 334 square miles, an area larger than New York City.

"The emergency is not over," said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, at a press conference Friday. "We are seeing some great progress in some of the areas the fires have impacted ... We’re still at it, full tilt."

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With 235 people still missing on Saturday in Sonoma County alone and rubble from thousands of incinerated dwellings yet to be searched, authorities expect the death toll to climb.

“This is truly one of the greatest tragedies that California has ever faced. The devastation is just unbelievable. It is a horror that no one could have imagined,” California Governor Jerry Brown said on a visit to a devastated city.

Over 800 fire engines, 134 bulldozers, 224 hand crews and 138 water tenders have been enlisted in the effort to control the fires, Dave Teter from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told the Los Angeles Times.

Since Oct. 8, 22 explosive fires have ripped across a swathe of the Golden State north of the Bay Area, spanning nine counties and scorching around 170,000 acres.