Oct 15, 2017

A week of wildfires in California, by the numbers

Erica Pandey, author of @Work

Firefighters battle a blaze in Santa Rosa, California. Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP

The latest bout of deadly wildfires in California has been raging for a week, taking at least 40 lives and leveling entire neighborhoods. Here's a look at the scale of the devastation and the resources mobilized to contain the blazes.

The numbers, per the LA Times and CNN:

  • The death toll currently stands at 40, but authorities expect it to rise as rescue workers account for the missing.
  • More that 10,000 firefighters are fighting 15 blazes across Northern California.
  • The operations include 880 fire engines, 134 bulldozers, 224 hand crews, 138 water tenders and 14 helicopters conducting water drops.
  • More than 100,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes.
  • The fires have destroyed 214,000 acres of land and 5,700 homes and buildings.
  • On Saturday night, 35 to 45 mph winds hindered fire crews' efforts and exacerbated the fires.
  • The Tubbs and Atlas fires, two of the big blazes in Napa and Sonoma counties, have each been 50% contained. Another major fire, the Nuns, is 30% contained.

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