California Wine Country Fires Engulf Historic Structures, Arts Center
- October 09, 2017 23:01
Fifteen wildfires raged through Northern California beginning Sunday night, destroying homes, schools, businesses, hotels, and multiple wineries in Napa and Sonoma Counties and the vicinity. Ten people were reported dead and dozens were missing as of Monday evening.
While the massive and fast-moving fires are still active, with zero containment reported by Monday night, efforts are focused on saving lives. California governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency.
Of the more than 1,500 structures thought to have burned, Santa Rosa's Luther Burbank Center for the Arts sustained “minimal damage, but classrooms and the center’s east end are destroyed,” according to a statement. The nearby Charles Schulz Museum was part of the evacuation zone, yet reportedly eluded damage.
Video footage shows that one of the most significant buildings in Santa Rosa, the 16-sided Round Barn, built in 1899, that served as the centerpiece of Fountaingrove Ranch, was enveloped in flames.
An estimated 50,000 acres were burned in Napa and Sonoma counties including a number of landmarks, vineyards and luxury resorts, among the mulitple deadly fires still raging north of the San Francisco Bay Area.