California Wildfires Latest: 40 Fatalities; Firefighters Gain Ground; 221,754 Acres Burned

Firefighters are finally gaining ground on the 17 devastating wildfires raging in Northern California. The deadly fires have killed 40 people and left thousands homeless. Another 256 people are still missing. More than 3,500 homes and other structures have been destroyed, and more than 221,754 acres have burned. Thousands of people are still without power.

Residents returning home have started searching for their lost pets and large animals. Air quality remains poor and many flights at the San Francisco International Airport have been canceled or delayed due to heavy smoke blanketing the top of the Golden State. The red sunrises have been a stunning and terrible reminder of the devastation left in the wake of the fire storms.

Stories about people coming together to help each other are starting to emerge, and among the ashes are glimmers of hope that life will eventually return to normal. Stories of courage and bravery show us what people, even in the direst situations, are capable of when the world seems to be falling apart. Alameda County Sheriff's deputies on patrol to prevent looting discovered an American Flag still standing among the rubble. It somehow survived temperatures in excess of 1,200+ degrees; and a Bay Area reporter discovered a pen of goats happily playing and very much alive. The fire somehow spared the creatures.

A Santa Rosa student stranded in traffic as the flames began to catch up with her made the quick decision to grab her bike and save herself and her dog. Santa Rosa resident and celebrity chef Guy Fieri and his crew setup their kitchen to cook for evacuees and first responders.

Related Coverage:

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A plethora of fundraisers and donation drives have been established to help victims and support emergency crews. Airbnb's Disaster Response and Relief program is allowing hosts to offer a comfortable place for evacuees to stay.

Although the home of "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz was destroyed, his widow Jean Schulz, 78, was able to escape and the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa survived. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news from your California neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app. Also, be sure to follow your local Patch on Facebook!)

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Although the investigations will likely take weeks, fire officials suspect power lines downed during intense windstorms likely sparked many of the fires that broke out Sunday night and early Monday morning. National Guard troops continue to aid local law enforcement efforts to help prevent looting in hard-hit areas and towns that are now fully evacuated. There are 45 search and rescue teams and 30 detectives targeting searches in burned areas, Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano said. Facebook has created a page for those in the affected areas to check-in to let friends and family know they are safe.

• WATCH: Fire Engulfs Sonoma Deputies Evacuating People From Burning Homes

More than 8,000 firefighters, 640 police officers, and hundreds of relief workers from all over the state and as far away as Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, and the Carolinas have been deployed to help with the firefighting efforts. Crews and equipment from Australia are being brought in to assist, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire officials said they will redeploy strike teams to other fires as they get a handle on the Wind Complex and Nevada County fires. The California Highway Patrol has performed more than 40 helicopter rescues in Napa and Sonoma counties. The Salvation Army has served more than 40,000 meals to those affected by wildfires, and they will continue to provide meal service. There are 42 shelters currently open statewide.

"Hundreds of additional fire engines and firefighters have begun to arrive from several other states, not only to help relieve crews on the frontlines, but to be ready for the possibility of new wildfires that may ignite during the Red Flag Warnings," Cal Fire said in a statement.

Fires are burning in Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yuba, Butte, Nevada, Calaveras, Mendocino and Fresno counties. Earlier this week, California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Sonoma, Napa, and Yuba counties, and President Donald Trump has declared a major disaster exists in California and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires.

Cal Fire and local law enforcement officials say as many as 40 people have died and almost 200 have been seriously injured in the fires. Eight victims have been reported in Mendocino County, four people have died in Yuba County, four victims died in Napa County, and 22 people are confirmed dead in the Sonoma County fire area.

Here are the latest need-to-know facts:

• In the North Bay, the Tubbs Fire stretching from Calistoga to Santa Rosa has reportedly reached 34,770 acres and was 25 percent contained Friday. Fire officials estimate the Atlas Fire, which has now spread to Solano County, has burned 48,228 acres and was 27 percent contained. The Carneros Partrick Fire in Napa County has charred about 12,379 acres and was 18 percent contained, while the Pocket Fire near Geyserville was 9,996 acres and 5 percent contained. The Nuns Fire and Adobe fires near Geyserville, Kenwood and Glen Ellen in Sonoma County have merged, burning 44,831 acres with 5 percent containment Friday. The 473-acre Pressley Fire east of Rohnert Park was 10 percent contained Friday.
• Sonoma County officials reported that Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center, which was evacuated Monday along with Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital, would likely reopen soon. Patients remain evacuated; there was no word when Sutter Hospital may reopen. The hospitals have established numbers for loved ones who may be trying to locate patients evacuated to other facilities. The Kaiser number is 855-599-0033; the Sutter number is 866-961-2889.
• More than 2,834 homes and residential units, at least 410,000 square feet of commercial space, and the city of Santa Rosa's newest fire station off Fountain Grove Parkway were among the structures destroyed in the firestorm that hit the city, Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey said in a briefing Thursday.
• Thirteen structures were destroyed in Solano County, including two homes.
• At least four Napa Valley wineries have been destroyed or significantly damaged during harvest season.
• At one point, as many as 249,000 customers were initially blacked out by the wildfires burning across Napa and Sonoma counties, according to PG&E.

Four fires burning in Butte and Yuba counties have charred thousands of acres and hundreds of residents remain evacuated, Cal Fire officials said.

• The Cherokee Fire, which started in the area of Cherokee Road and Zonalea Lane in Oroville, has burned 8,417 acres and was about 70 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.
• The La Porte (Wind Complex) Fire in Bangor has burned 6,059 acres and was 25 percent contained.
• The Cascade Fire (Wind Complex) in Yuba County, which started late Sunday morning, has burned 10,120 acres and was about 55 percent contained; two people have died in that fire.
• The Honey Fire has burned about 150 acres in the area of Honey Run Road and Merlin Lane, southwest of Paradise, and was about 75 percent contained.

In Nevada County, the McCourtney and the Lobo fires ripped through the area, with a new Garden Fire breaking out in the area.

• The McCourtney Fire burned through 76 acres and was at 89 percent containment, CalFire said Tuesday afternoon.
• The Lobo Fire, meanwhile, was at 59 percent containment after destroying 829 acres. Many structures were destroyed.
• The Garden Fire burned 10 acres and containment was at 60 percent Tuesday afternoon, with forward progress stopped.

In Mendocino County, the Redwood Complex fires have consumed 34,100 acres as of Wednesday, according to Cal Fire. The fire is about 10 percent contained. Eight people have died, and many structures have burned.

In Fresno County, a new fire broke out Wednesday night: The Silver Fire, which started just before 4 p.m., is burning in the area of Elwood Road and Silver Lane. The fire has burned about 58 acres so far and is about 80 percent contained.

Elsewhere in the state, a brush fire that ripped through the Anaheim Hills area of Southern California on Monday has burned 9,217 acres and is 65 percent contained as of Friday.

AP contributed to this report.

Photo: A couple of guys watch the progress of fires in the hills north east of the City of Sonoma Thursday at sunset. Al Francis Photo