California Wildfires: 42 Now Dead; Weather Helps 10,000 Firefighters; New NorCal And SoCal Fires

Aided by cooler temperatures and overnight humidity, firefighters are making progress in their battle against several large wildfires that continue to burn in California, the state's main firefighting agency reported Wednesday. Tragically, the death toll attributed to the current Northern California firestorm rose again, to 42, following the discovery Tuesday of another victim in the burn zone of the Tubbs Fire in Sonoma County, Cal Fire said. Nearly 10,000 firefighters remain assigned to the fires.

Three new fires broke out Tuesday, one in Northern California and two in Southern California. The Fallon Fire burned more than 100 acres in the Bay Area and temporarily forced people from their homes. The Wilson Fire down south, near the Mount Wilson Observatory and Communications Towers, forced the evacuation of the observatory. A new fire on Camp Pendleton in San Diego County burned through more than 1,000 acres.

Watch: California Wildfire Victims Seek Help After Losing Homes

Already Wednesday, SoCal was hit with another pair of small brush fires. The fires near the 57 freeway caused some traffic nightmares for morning commuters, but there are no immediate reports of structural damage or injuries.

In the Bay Area, evacuation orders were lifted Tuesday for approximately 12,000 people, according to Cal Fire reports.

"While many on the evacuation orders have been lifted in Northern California, over 22,000 people remain out of their homes due to the fires," Daniel Berlant of Cal Fire said in a Wednesday morning fire summary report.

Courtesy of Cal Fire, here are the main fires crews are fighting as of Tuesday, Oct. 17:

**CAL FIRE Incidents**

CENTRAL LNU COMPLEX (3 fires)
In unified command with Santa Rosa Fire Department & Sonoma County Sheriff
CAL FIRE Incident Management Team assigned
23 civilian fatalities & 1 private water tender operator

Tubbs Fire, Sonoma and Napa Counties
Between Calistoga and Santa Rosa
36,432 acres, 91% contained
Significant number of structures destroyed

Pocket Fire, Sonoma County
North of Geyserville
12,430 acres, 63% contained

Nuns Fire, Sonoma County
East of Hwy 12 from east Santa Rosa to east of Sonoma
54,423 acres, 80% contained
The Oakmont Fire burned into the Nuns Fire overnight.

SOUTHERN LNU COMPLEX (1 fire)
CAL FIRE Incident Management Team assigned

Atlas Fire, Napa & Solano Counties
South of Lake Berryessa and northeast of Napa
· 51,064 acres, 83% contained
· 6 civilian fatalities
· Significant structures destroyed

MENDOCINO-LAKE COMPLEX (2 fires)
CAL FIRE Incident Management Team assigned

Redwood Valley, Mendocino County
North of Hwy 20 in Potter Valley and Redwood Valley
· 35,800 acres, 75% contained
8 civilian fatalities
Significant structures destroyed

Sulphur Fire, Lake County
Clearlake Oaks
2,207 acres, 92% contained

WIND COMPLEX (3 fires)
CAL FIRE Incident Management Team assigned

Cascade Fire, Yuba County
Loma Rica area
9,989 acres, 98% contained
4 civilian fatalities
Significant structure destroyed

Lobo Fire, Nevada County
Rough and Ready area
821 acres, 99% contained
Multiple structures destroyed

LaPorte Fire, Butte County
Bangor area
6,151 acres, 98% contained

OTHER FIRES

Fallon Fire, Alameda County NEW
Fallon Road, 3 miles east of Dublin
116 acres, 70% contained

**Unified Command Incidents**

Bear Fire, Santa Cruz County
Bear Creek Canyon Road, northeast of Boulder Creek
270 acres, 10% contained

**Federal Incidents**

Wilson Fire, Los Angeles County NEW
Mount Wilson, Mount Wilson Observatory
30 acres, 25% contained

Buffalo Fire, San Diego County NEW
Camp Pendleton
1,088 acres, 50% contained

See Also:

• SEE: Embers Fly As Men Flee Terrifying Yuba County Wildfires

IMAGE: J. Petrocelli of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue walks through the burned out remains of a home while searching the Coffey Park area Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif. / CREDIT: Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press