WATCH: Fire Engulfs Sonoma Deputies Evacuating People From Burning Homes

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — As tens of thousands residents of northern California's wine country remain evacuated from their homes Friday, five days after the deadly Tubbs and Atlas fires ignited and raced through Sonoma and Napa counties, leaving at least 23 people dead in the two counties alone and hundreds more missing, Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano held a briefing Friday to illustrate why it was still not safe for evacuees to return home.

"I think it really tells the story of how dangerous and difficult the event was," said Giordano, of footage the sheriff's office released Friday revealing the harrowing rescues and evacuations conducted by a team of at least 15 deputies in the first four hours of the firestorm as it swept into the region late Sunday night, Oct. 8, and early Monday morning, Oct. 9.

"I gotta get people to believe, to understand, that this is a dangerous event," said Giordano. "A lot of people don’t understand what the issue is and why they can’t get back into their home. I really want to impress on people to please stay out of the evacuated areas, stay out of the burned zones. It is still an extremely dangerous event and they are expecting wind tonight. A lot of preparations are going into keeping people safe." [WARNING: Video contains profanity and may not be suitable for younger audiences.]

• California Wildfires Latest: 35 Lives Lost; Firefighters Gain Ground; 221,754 Acres Burned
• Walls Of Flame: Terrifying Video Shows California Deputy Driving Through Inferno

Just prior to the briefing, the sheriff's office issued mandatory evacuation orders for residents in the northern Sonoma County community of Alexander Valley to ensure their safety as one of three large wildfires appeared to heading in their direction.

Friday, Giordano confirmed 19 fatalities in the Tubbs Fire, with more than 200 people still on a missing persons list. In neighboring Napa County where more than 50 people were still missing late this week, Sheriff Napa County Sheriff John Robertson on Friday confirmed at least four fatalities in the Atlas Fire. Thus far, many of the victims were among the elderly.

Search-and-rescue teams were working in both counties Friday in their efforts to find those still unaccounted for.

The fires remain under investigation. Fueled by very strong winds and critically dry trees and vegetation, the wildfires moved so quickly there was not much time to give warning, fire and law enforcement officials have said.

"Understand the severity of what this fire can do," Giordano said. "[This footage] is very real, very honest, very transparent."

Northern California Wildfires:

• Sonoma County Wildfires: 19 Fatalities Confirmed; Over 2,300 Firefighters Assigned To Tubbs, Nuns, Pocket Fires
• Napa County Wildfires: 4 Fatalities Confirmed; Nearly 1,900 Firefighters Assigned To Atlas, Partrick Fires
• Atlas Fire Destroys Solano County Structures
• Sonoma County Wildfires: Sheriff Identifies 10 Santa Rosa Fire Victims
• Devastation: 2 Die In Napa Complex Fire, 9 In Sonoma Co. Fires
• 11 Dead As Fires Devastate Sonoma, Napa Counties

Image via "Sonoma County Sheriff deputy's Fire Response 10/8/17" YouTube