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08:04, 11-Oct-2017
Death toll in US California wildfires rises to 17
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As of late Tuesday evening local time, the death toll has risen to 17 in the California wildfires after an additional two casualties were reported in Sonoma County, located near the US city of San Francisco, bringing the county's total number to 11.
The death toll also includes two in Napa County, three in Mendocino County and one in Yuba County.
The blazes, first erupting on Sunday night, have also injured at least 180 people, and left over 150 people unaccounted for in northern California.
The local KRON4 TV station showed thousands of structures, including business facilities, hospitals and homes, were burned to the ground.
More than 3,000 people remain in shelters as 17 wildfires have burned through 115,000 acres (465 square kilometers) of land across California.
A firefighter pulls a hose in front of a burning house in the Napa wine region
of California on October 9, 2017, as multiple wind-driven fires continue to whip
through the region. / AFP Photo
A firefighter pulls a hose in front of a burning house in the Napa wine region of California on October 9, 2017, as multiple wind-driven fires continue to whip through the region. / AFP Photo
Tens of thousands of households are without power in Sonoma County, one of the hardest hit in the most damaging wildfires in the modern history of California.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company is working to restore power to 50,260 customers impacted by the wildfires in the county.
About 28,000 customers have no access to gas service in Santa Rosa, Windsor, Yountville, Napa, and Kenwood, said Shirlee Zane, chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.
The deadly fires in the North Bay of California have caused serious damage to the state, and thousands of people were forced to be evacuated, with a large number of homes and commercial facilities, including hospitals and even parks, completely destroyed.
(With input from Xinhua)