'We just don't have words': At least 3 dead as California wildfires explode in wine country, forcing thousands to flee

https://news.yahoo.com/dangerous-rate-speed-two-california-140626496.html

Susan Miller and Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY
,USA TODAY•September 29, 2020

Thousands of fire-sapped California residents were forced to flee a pair of new blazes on Monday that have killed at least three people, torched nearly 70,000 acres and prompted a state of emergency in three counties.

The breakneck Zogg Fire had burned through 31,200 acres near Redding in Northern California, while the Glass Fire had charred more than 36,200 acres in the Napa and Sonoma wine country north of San Francisco, according to Cal Fire. Both fires were at 0% containment as of Monday night.

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The fire season in California has taken a huge toll. Since the beginning of the year, there have been more than 8,100 wildfires that have burned more than 3.7 million acres, according to Cal Fire. Since Aug. 15 – when California’s fire activity elevated – 29 people have died, and more than 7,000 structures have been destroyed.

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People with respiratory ailments are especially susceptible to that harmful air, said John Watson, a research professor of air quality science at the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada.

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