Evacuated Fire Victims Settling into Tent City

Credit: All photos by Al Francis, NapaSonomaPhotos.com

Written by Bea Karnes, Patch

Tens of thousands of residents evacuated from the Valley Fire have been told that it will be days before they’re able to get back into their homes--and that’s a best case scenario. The fire must no longer be a threat, roads have to be passable and power restored.

With hundreds of homes and businesses cremated, a lot of people need to make long term plans. Their lives will literally never be the same.

The Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga has been transformed into a tent city, with an army of volunteers helping evacuees and utilizing donations with military precision.

Take a look at the photos--just one week after 100 degree temperatures scorched the area, fall-like weather has arrived with people forced to layer on clothes.

The tent city has a decidedly rural feel to it--humans are sharing their space with horses, chickens and dogs.

The shelter is being run by the Red Cross.

Full fire coverage:

• Highway Through Hell: Video Shows Driver’s Escape from Valley Fire Inferno
• One Dead as Valley Fire Explodes to 61,000 Acres, 5 Percent Containment
• One Person Killed in Valley Fire; 50,000 Acres Burned; Hundreds of Homes Lost
• Exhaustion, Desperation, Humor at Calistoga Evacuation Center
• “Huge Destruction. Homes Destroyed Will Be in Hundreds”
• Valley Fire Roars Through 40,000 Acres in 12 Hours