California Wildfire Latest: 32 Dead; Fires Merge; 200,000+ Acres Burned

At least 32 people are dead, hundreds more are still missing while almost 5,000 evacuees wait to be told they can return home to see if they still have a house. Massive wildfires continue to race through Northern California leaving a wake of ash and destruction with 191,437 acres burned across the state. Fire officials expect the death toll to continue to climb. Thousands of structures, including businesses and homes, have been lost, and thousands of residents remain evacuated as of Thursday. Those returning home have started looking for their lost pets and large animals.

The air has not been safe to breathe for days. Many schools have been closed and sports practices canceled through the end of the week. Some residents are wearing masks in cities more than two hours away from the fires due to the thick ash and smoke lingering in the air. The smoke affected visibility Thursday at San Francisco International Airport, resulting in many delays and cancellations, an airport spokesman said.

Thousands of people are still without power. 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. Although the investigations will likely take weeks, fire officials suspect downed power lines likely sparked many of the fires that broke out Sunday night and early Monday morning during the intense windstorms.

National Guard troops are aiding local law enforcement efforts to help prevent looting in hard-hit areas and towns that are now fully evacuated. Police have implemented a nightly curfew in some counties. Much of Northern California is under a red flag warning through Thursday evening, keeping residents and already taxed firefighters on edge.

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

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"Fire conditions remained active overnight as over 8,000 firefighters braced for gusty North winds as they battle 21 wildfires that have burned 191,437 acres," Cal Fire officials said.

The fires continue to burn Thursday in Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Yuba, Butte, Nevada, Calaveras and Mendocino counties. New fires broke out in Fresno County and Kenwood late Wednesday night. On Monday, California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Sonoma, Napa and Yuba counties because of the fires. And on Tuesday, President Donald Trump declared a major disaster exists in California and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires.

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Facebook has created a page for those in the affected areas to check in to let friends and family know they are safe. Airbnb hosts in San Francisco as well as parts of Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda and Mendocino counties are welcoming evacuees for free. Business owners and many in the Bay Area community have started collecting donations and raising funds to help those affected by the fires. (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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Cal Fire officials said as many as 32 people have died and almost 200 have been seriously injured in the fires. Ten victims have been reported in Mendocino County. Four people have died in Yuba County. Two victims died in Napa County. Eighteen people are confirmed dead in the Sonoma County fire area. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office has fielded 1,100 missing person reports, with at least 700 of those people now accounted for. In Napa County, where 83 missing person reports were initially received, sheriff's investigators are still trying to determine the whereabouts of 50 people.

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 in size and was 10 percent contained Thursday evening. Fire officials estimate the Atlas Fire, which has now spread to Solano County, has burned 43,762 acres and was 7 percent contained. The Carneros Partrick Fire in Napa County has charred about 10,817 acres and was 3 percent contained, while the Pocket Fire near Geyserville was 8,430 acres. The Nuns Fire in Sonoma County has merged with the Norrbom Fire. They have burned 17,498 acres and are 3 percent contained. The 473-acre Pressley Fire east of Rohnert Park was 1 percent contained Thursday evening, while the Adobe Fire near Kenwood was 7,555 acres and 1 percent contained.
• Sonoma County officials reported that Sutter Hospital and Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Santa Rosa are no longer operational. Patients remain evacuated. The hospitals have established number for loved ones who may be trying to located 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 has hit the city, Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey said in a briefing Thursday.
• Thirteen structures destroyed in Solano County, including two homes.
• At least four Napa Valley wineries have been destroyed or significantly damaged during harvest season.

Four fires raging in Butte and Yuba counties have burned 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 8,360 acres and is about 65 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.
• The La Porte (Wind Complex) Fire in Bangor has burned 6,109 acres and is 25 percent contained.
• The Cascade Fire (Wind Complex) in Yuba County, which started late Sunday morning, has burned 12,349 acres and is about 45 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 is 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 52 percent containment after destroying 880 acres.
• 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 32,100 acres as of Wednesday, according to Cal Fire. The fire is about 5 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. It is about 65 percent contained.

Elsewhere in the state, a brush fire that ripped through the Anaheim Hills area of Southern California on Monday has burned 8,000 acres and is 60 percent contained as of Thursday.

Photo: Stornetta Dairy burned to the ground in South Napa County. Al Francis Photos