Steady winds with gusts up to 45 mph with nearly non-existent humidity are expected to descend on the areas north of San Francisco where at least 23 people have died and at least 3,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed.<\/b>
\nSONOMA, Calif. (CBSNewYork\/AP) \u2014 Wildfires raging through California\u2019s wine country are growing in size and number, fueled by the return of high winds.
Steady winds with gusts up to 45 mph with nearly non-existent humidity are expected to descend on the areas north of San Francisco where at least 23 people have died and at least 3,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed.
\u201cIt\u2019s going to continue to get worse before it gets better,\u201d state fire Chief Ken Pimlott said Wednesday.
Entire cities had evacuated in anticipation of the next wave, their streets empty, the only motion coming from ashes falling like snowflakes.
The fires spanned more than 265 square miles as they entered their fourth day, many of them completely out of control. Modern, strategic attacks that have kept destruction and death tolls low in recent years just haven\u2019t worked against their ferocity.
\u201cWe are literally looking at explosive vegetation,\u201d Pimlott said. \u201cMake no mistake,\u201d he later added, \u201cthis is a serious, critical, catastrophic event.\u201d
The ash rained down on the Sonoma Valley, covering windshields, as winds began picking up toward the potentially disastrous forecast speed of 30 mph. Countless emergency vehicles sped toward the flames, sirens blaring, as evacuees sped away. Residents manhandled canvas bags into cars jammed with possessions or filled their gas tanks.
State fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said 22 wildfires were burning Wednesday, up from 17 the day before. As the fires grow, officials voiced concern that separate blazes would merge into even larger infernos.
\u201cWe have had big fires in the past. This is one of the biggest, most serious, and it\u2019s not over,\u201d Gov. Jerry Brown said at a news conference Wednesday, alongside the state\u2019s top emergency officials.
They said 8,000 firefighters and other personnel were battling the blazes and more resources were pouring in from Arizona, Nevada, Washington and Oregon.
Flames have raced across the wine-growing region and the scenic coastal area of Mendocino farther north, leveling whole neighborhoods and leaving only brick chimneys and charred appliances to mark where homes once stood.
In Boyes Hot Springs, residents had watched the ridges over the west side of town for days to gauge how close the billowing smoke and orange flames of the wildfires had come. On Wednesday, the ridges were obscured by the growing clouds of smoke.
With fires advancing from several sides in Sonoma Valley, law enforcement officers on loan from other areas of Northern California barred residents of evacuated communities from returning to see how the homes and businesses had fared. Manned roadblocks were set up between Sonoma and devastated areas of Santa Rosa.
Alejandro Rodriguez had been evacuated from one tiny Sonoma Valley town, only to have deputies come to the neighborhood to where he had relocated and tell residents there to pack up and go.
\u201cI want to see my house, see if anything\u2019s left,\u201d Rodriguez said, gesturing at officers at one roadblock. \u201cThey won\u2019t tell us nothing.\u201d
Sonoma County Sheriff Robert Giordano said hundreds of people were still reported missing. But officials believe many of those people will be found. Chaotic evacuations and poor communications over the past few days have made locating friends and family difficult.
Authorities have confirmed two more deaths, bringing the total to 23. The sheriff expects the death toll to climb.
\u201cThe devastation is enormous,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can\u2019t even get into most areas.\u201d
Helicopters and air tankers were assisting thousands of firefighters trying to beat back the flames. Until now, the efforts have focused on \u201clife safety\u201d rather than extinguishing the blazes, partly because the flames were shifting with winds and targeting new communities without warning.
Fires were \u201cburning faster than firefighters can run, in some situations,\u201d Emergency Operations Director Mark Ghilarducci said.
In Southern California, cooler weather and moist ocean air helped firefighters gain ground against a wildfire that has scorched nearly 14 square miles.
Orange County fire officials said the blaze was 60 percent contained and full containment was expected by Sunday, although another round of gusty winds and low humidity levels could arrive late Thursday.
(\u00a9 Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)<\/p>\n

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