Fires Take Toll on Napa

I’m Ed Smith, a Napa personal injury lawyer. Since Monday, October 9, 2017, multiple wildfires have been causing massive destruction in Napa, Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Solano counties. With more than 100 people currently missing, 20 confirmed dead, and fires still spreading, the cost of the fires in terms of injuries and death is currently unknown.

As for Napa County, so far, two elderly residents have been found dead and authorities have stated that they fear more individuals will be found to have been unable to escape the blaze.

Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to all that have lost loved ones and their homes to this terrible fire.

Evacuations and Response

Thousands of residents of Napa have been evacuated from their homes and are staying in evacuation centers while more than 450 firefighters that have been dispatched to Napa attempt to combat the fires in any way they can.

Officials have pleaded evacuees for patience, stressing that rescue efforts are ongoing in many parts of the county. At present, there exists no official tally of individuals who have been evacuated in Napa County nor is there a tally of structures that have been affected by the fire.

Napa County Fire Department Chief Barry Biermann told reporters that many evacuees want to return home at times when they don’t see smoke in the immediate area but that returning evacuees to their homes wouldn’t be safe until officials secured gas lines, utilities, and ensured that trees weren’t going to fall and cause further injuries and damages.

Continuing Challenges

As of Tuesday, October 10, fires are still burning in multiple parts of the county and continue to threaten both public and private structures. California Highway Patrol (CHP) has noted that they have seen a dramatic rise in vehicle accidents as heavy smoke has negatively impacted visibility for residents attempting to leave the area by car.

Part of the difficulty responders in Napa County currently face is the unpredictability of winds. When the fires started, strong winds exceeding 50 miles per hour caused the blaze to spread quickly through the dry late-summer grass. Emergency responders said that winds have died down since the fires began, but were expected to blow hard again on Wednesday night continuing into Thursday.

Additionally, because the fires are spread in so many different areas across the region, firefighters are not able to attend to every fire and have had to make decisions about how they can most effectively reduce the damage the fire will cause. Some areas, firefighters noted, they have had to let burn.

Public Response

Hundreds of volunteers from multiple organizations including the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and local churches have offered their help to evacuees. Volunteers have been helping evacuees locate family, providing them with essentials and food, organizing evacuation centers and handing out masks so that they can breathe properly in the smoky air.

Burn Injuries

With so many at risk of receiving burn injuries, people living in the area may want to know some of the information on our site including how to care for burn injuries, information on burn injury rehabilitation, and providing outpatient care to those with burn injuries.

More Articles by Napa Personal Injury Lawyer, Ed Smith ~

Napa Personal Injury Lawyer

I’m Ed Smith, a Napa personal injury lawyer. If a negligent party has caused you or a loved one serious injuries, please call me at (707) 564-1900 or (800) 404-5400 for free and friendly advice. I can also be reached online at AutoAccident.com.

For more than 35 years, Napa residents with wrongful death and personal injury claims have trusted me to help them and their families recover after accidents.

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Fires Take Toll on Napa