SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Oct. 13, 2017 (Gephardt Daily/UPI) — A dozen Salt Lake City firefighters are headed into harm’s way after volunteering to fight the wildfires in Northern California.
In addition, the SLCFD is sending two engines to the fires, which, as of Friday, had claimed 33 lives, with many more missing and feared dead.
Mayor Jackie Biskupski congratulated the volunteers Friday evening with a tweet:
A statewide summary Friday afternoon said more than 220,000 acres have burned since the fires started last weekend. More than 8,000 firefighters, many from other states, were trying to extinguish flames across the region’s wine country.
More than 3,500 homes and other structures have been destroyed in the area — nearly 3,000 homes and 400,000 square feet of commercial space in Santa Rosa alone. Mayor Chris Coursey said he expects those figures to increase, and noted that the city’s new firehouse was leveled.
Officials said at least 17 people have died in Sonoma County, nine in Mendocino County, four in Yuba County and two in Napa County. Sonoma County officials listed more than 1,100 missing persons. Although about 600 were located, about 400 remain missing, Sheriff Rob Giordano said on Thursday.
The wildfires are among the deadliest in California’s history.
