TUBBS FIRE: Mandatory Evacuation Ordered For Calistoga Residents

SACRAMENTO (CBS13/AP) -- The latest on wildfires in California:

3:37 p.m.

On Thursday, residents in Butte County affected by the LaPorte or Cherokee fires can find out if their homes were destroyed by calling the notification hotline at (530) 538-6824.

3:21 p.m.

Residents of Calistoga are being ordered by the Napa County Sheriff's Department to evacuate as soon as possible, as conditions have worsened and the city is being threatened by the Tubbs Fire. Shelter is available at American Canyon High School (3000 Newell Dr., American Canyon). Directions: Exit Calistoga via SR 29 South or via the Silverado Trail South to Zinfandel Lane then head west to SR 29 South. Authorities hope evacuations will be complete by 5 p.m.

Directions: Exit Calistoga via SR 29 South or via the Silverado Trail South to Zinfandel Lane then head west to SR 29 South.

The sheriff's department urges evacuees to notify family members via phone or text when they leave.

Cal Fire's map below shows where the biggest fires are burning across the state. Click on the map icons for more information.

2:40 p.m.

The Oakland Raiders have had to adjust their practice schedule because of poor air quality resulting from the wildfires in the nearby wine country.

The Raiders took the practice field Wednesday in smoky conditions with even some ash falling from the sky. The Environmental Protection Agency said the air was "unhealthy" in Alameda, about 40 miles from the fires.

The Raiders shortened their practice by eliminating individual drills in an effort to limit the amount of time players spent outside.

Coach Jack Del Rio said earlier in the day that the team had people monitoring the air quality to determine whether it was safe to practice.

11:50 a.m.

Authorities say some of the most destructive wildfires in California's history have killed 21 people.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Chief Ken Pimlott gave an updated death toll Wednesday, calling the series of wildfires in wine country "a serious, critical, catastrophic event."

He says 8,000 firefighters are focusing on protecting lives and property as they battle the flames chewing through critically dry vegetation.

11:05 a.m.

Authorities in Yuba County have confirmed a second death in the Cascade Fire.

The Yuba County Sheriff's Office says they're investigating the discovery of a body at a home that was burned along the 12000 block of Douglas Way in the Loma Rica area.

Deputies discovered the body during a welfare check after a family friend reported someone missing after the Cascade Fire prompted evacuations.

The person's identity has not been released.

The death brings the confirmed death total for the recent California wildfires up to 18.

10:35 a.m.

Sonoma County officials say 670 people are still listed as missing from fires in California wine country.

But Sheriff Robert Giordano said Wednesday that many of those people may have been found but have not yet updated a registry of missing people.

Desperate family members and friends are turning to social media with pleas for help finding loved ones missing from the 22 fires in Northern California.

It's unclear if some of those people are actually OK.

Authorities pleaded with previously missing people to mark themselves as safe on the registry and alert authorities.

Napa County Supervisor Brad Wagenknecht says many people are staying with somebody else and haven't checked in.

10:04 a.m.

The Atlas Fire, which has been burning in Napa County, has now spread into Green Valley, Solano County officials say.

The fire is burning about three miles from the city limits, near Eastridge and Rancho Solano.

Crews are very concerned about gusty winds that are expected to pick up late Wednesday morning and last through the day.

Residents of Eastridge and Rancho Solano are being asked to pack a "Ready-to-Go" bag with essentials.

9:30 a.m.

A California fire official says at least 3,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed by wildfires burning in Northern California wine country.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant says fire activity increased significantly overnight, destroying more buildings and leading to new mandatory evacuations in several areas.

Berlant said Wednesday that 22 wildfires are burning in Northern California, up from 17 on Tuesday.

Officials in Napa County say almost half of the population of Calistoga, a town of 5,000 people, has been ordered to evacuate. New evacuation orders are also in place for Green Valley in Solano County.

After a day of cooler weather and calmer winds, officials say low moisture and dangerous gusty winds will return to the region Wednesday afternoon, complicating firefighters' efforts.

7:30 a.m.

A wildfire tearing through California's wine country continues to expand unabated, prompting authorities to order more evacuations.

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday it ordered mandatory evacuations for several areas of Sonoma Valley after a blaze grew to 44 square miles (113 square kilometers).

After a day of cooler weather and calmer winds, officials say dangerous gusty winds will return to the region Wednesday afternoon, complicating firefighters' efforts.

The blaze in Sonoma County is one of a series of fires that flared up north of San Francisco on Sunday night and continue to burn with little to no containment. Seventeen people have died in the blazes, 11 of them in Sonoma County.

The fires have also left at least 180 people injured and have destroyed more than 2,000 homes and businesses.

12:00 a.m.

Jose Garnica worked for more than two decades to build up his dream home that was reduced to ashes in a matter of minutes by the deadly firestorm striking Northern California.

Garnica's house was among more than 2,000 homes and business destroyed by the fires that have also killed 17 people.

He moved to the U.S. from Mexico more than 20 years ago, and after saving money from his steady job with a garbage company he fixed up his Santa Rosa house with new flooring and stainless steel appliances.

All of it burned early Monday when the fires broke out. But Garnica says he's still better off than when he came to America.

The fires have scorched large sections of the state's wine country.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.