California Wildfires: Officials Say Nearly 1,600 Homes Destroyed By Two Blazes; 6 Dead

Associated Press
Published: September 21,2015
Over the weekend, fire officials determined that a large blaze north of San Francisco destroyed another 162 homes, making it the fourth-worst wildfire in state history.
The Valley fire has now reduced 1,050 residences to ash, according to authorities. Factor in another large wildfire still burning in Northern California, the Butte fire, and the total number of houses destroyed nears 1,600. Together, the two fires have burned through 229 square miles, an area roughly the size of the city of Chicago.
Some firefighters are battling the infernos, working to save as many houses as they can, while their own homes burn down.
"I was out fighting the fire on the other end, and then my whole place burned down," Bob Eaton, a volunteer firefighter with the Cachagua Fire Protection District, told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. "My parents' house, right below me, it burned down. And my neighbors up on top, their place is burned down."
(PHOTOS: Wildfires Rage in California)
Here's a brief update on each of the three major fires burning in Northern California.

• Valley fire: 75,781 acres burned; 1,050 structures destroyed; 6,563 structures threatened; 75-percent contained; 3 killed
• Butte fire: 70,760 acres burned; 545 homes destroyed; 6,400 structures threatened; 74-percent contained; 2 killed
• Rough fire: 141,599 acres burned, 68-percent contained

Teams have completed about 80 percent of the damage assessment on homes affected by the Valley fire in Lake County, CalFire spokesman Daniel Berlant said. It's already the fourth-worst fire in state history in terms of total structures burned; a 1991 fire in Oakland Hills burned 2,900 structures and still ranks as the worst fire in state history in that category.
Another 545 homes have been destroyed by the Butte fire in the Sierra Nevada foothills, and despite its threat to thousands of structures, all evacuation orders were lifted Sunday.
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Six people have been confirmed dead in California's latest round of wildfires. In addition to the five killed by the Valley and Butte fires, officials recovered the body of a person in Monterey County on Sunday. No information has been released about the victim, according to the Los Angeles Times.
That wildfire, the Tassajara fire, has burned more than 1,000 acres of land and is 30-percent contained. It has destroyed 10 homes, CalFire confirmed. Despite a quick response to the fire, crews' attempts to save the 10 homes were unsuccessful.
"It just went so damn fast," Eaton said.
Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for Lake and Napa counties due to the effects of the fire.