Death toll in California wildfires reaches 21

11 Oct, 2017 19:30

Authorities say 21 people have died so far in wildfires ravaging California’s wine country, described as some of the worst in the state’s history. Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Chief Ken Pimlott called the fires “a serious, critical, catastrophic event.” Some 8,000 firefighters are battling the flames. The conflagrations have left 180 people injured and destroyed more than 3,500 homes and businesses in the Yuba, Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties north of San Francisco.