The death toll from Northern California's relentless wildfires increased to 31 with a report from Sonoma County Sheriff Robert Giordano Thursday night of two more fatalities.
“We had series of statewide fires in 2003, 2007, 2008 that didn’t have anything close to this death count,” said Daniel Berlant, a deputy director with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Over 8,000 firefighters are battling the 21 wildfires that have burned 191,437 acres. At least 3,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed and an estimated 25,000 people forced to flee.
Among the structures decimated was the Santa Rosa home of "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz. His 78-year-old widow Jean Schultz escaped the house, which burned to the ground, her stepson said Thursday.
The Schulzes built the California split-level home in the 1970s and the cartoonist lived there until his death in 2000.
Schulz usually worked at an outside studio and most of his original artwork and memorabilia are at the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, which escaped the flames.
The biggest blaze, known as the Tubbs Fire, has destroyed 34,770 acres and is only 10% contained in Sonoma County and part of Napa County, the state's wine country. It is one of five fires burning in the two counties.
Overnight, according to CalFire, a new large wildfire broke out in Fresno County southeast of the Bay Area and fire officials warned that conditions were ripe for new outbreaks.
Red Flag Warnings, forecasting dangerous fire conditions, are already in effect for much of Northern California as well as a stretch from near Santa Barbara to north of Los Angeles in Southern California.
"Red Flag Warnings for gusty winds and low humidity remain in effect across the fire area and much of Northern California," CalFire said in a statement. "These winds will continue to challenge firefighters in their efforts towards containment and will increase the risk for new fires."
Forecasters warned that wind gusts could hit 60 mph in the higher elevations of the fire-ravaged areas, raising the danger that sparks will be blown into the parched areas and set off more fires among the dry brush and timber.
"A disturbance sweeping across northern California will cause an increase in northerly winds and gusts this evening through Sunday," the Sacramento office of the National Weather Service said in a statement. "The combination of wind and low relative humidities will create critical fire weather conditions for much of the forecast area. Temperatures will continue to increase with decreasing humidity through Monday before temperatures begin to cool heading into the middle of next week.
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