Before And After California Fire: New Pictures Show Ravaged Landscape

GettyImages-859965772 — Damage from the Napa fire is seen on a destroyed goat dairy farm near Napa, California, Oct. 10, 2017. Getty Images

After days of nonstop infernos in Northern California, the flames left behind scorched earth and ravaged landscape throughout the state. Fires burned through more than 100,000 acres of land, destroying popular wineries, homes and businesses.

Most of the fires began Sunday evening, starting more than 15 raging infernos that spread thanks to high winds and ideal conditions. Initial images from the aftermath of some of the fires showed a doomsday landscape of ash and debris: The burned-out husks of cars and homes littered what once looked like paradise.

At least 17 people were killed in the fires as of Wednesday afternoon. Another 100 were injured, while some 200 missing persons called had been placed to authorities. At least 3,500 homes and other structures were destroyed in the fires, according to Cal Fire.

“This has been one of the deadliest weeks for fire that we’ve experienced in recent time,” said Daniel Berlant, assistant deputy director for Cal Fire, according to the Washington Post. “And a lot of that has to do with the fact that the fires ignited overnight. Many people were asleep when the fire started. Getting them evacuated was an extreme challenge for rescue crews.”

The fires continued to grow Wednesday in both Sonoma and Napa Counties as firefighters battled 22 large wildfires that burned across 170,000 acres. The Tubbs Fire was zero percent contained and spread across 28,000 acres of land. In Napa County, the Atlas Fire had grown to 26,000 acres and was only three percent contained, firefighters said.

“We are facing some pretty significant monsters,” Cal Fire incident commander Bret Couvea told firefighters and law enforcement in a meeting Wednesday morning, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A state of emergency was declared by Gov. Jerry Brown in Sonoma, Napa, Yuba, Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada, Solano and Orange Counties. Forecasts predicted strong winds Wednesday night, prompting fears that the fires could pick up again and spread even more rapidly. Cal Fire called the fire conditions “very active” and said additional evacuations would be mandated across the region.

“This is nowhere near over,” said Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano. “This is still very dangerous.”

GettyImages-859922268 — A neighborhood is left destroyed by fire near Cardinal Newman High School, Oct. 10, 2017, in Santa Rosa, California Getty Images

GettyImages-859966154 — Damage from the Napa fire is seen on a destroyed goat dairy farm in Carneros a town just outside of Napa, California, Oct. 10, 2017. Getty Images

GettyImages-859966142 — Damage from the Napa fire is seen in Carneros, a town just outside of Napa, California, Oct. 10, 2017. Getty Images

GettyImages-859926354 — A view of the remains of the buildings at Stornetta Dairy that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire, Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, California. Getty Images

GettyImages-859926324 — A view of the remains of the buildings at Stornetta Dairy that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire, Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, California. Getty Images

GettyImages-859891966 — A destroyed Journeys End Mobile Home Park is seen in Santa Rosa, California, Oct. 10, 2017. Getty Images

GettyImages-859923090 — A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017 in Napa, California. Getty Images

GettyImages-859923066 — A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire, Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, California. Getty Images

GettyImages-859922474 — A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire, Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, California. Getty Images

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