Rain Showers On The Way; Death Toll Climbs To 42
SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) -- Firefighters continued to gain the upper hand on the deadliest outbreak of wildfires in California history Wednesday with containment numbers soaring higher and more help was on the way.
A storm front was heading to the fire area, carrying with it showers that will further help douse the flames.
The National Weather Service said light rain should begin to fall on the Sonoma coast by Thursday afternoon and then spread rain across most of the North Bay by early evening.
The storm front was forecasted to then move south of the Golden Gate Bridge by late Thursday and bring scattered amounts of light rain to the rest of the Bay Area Thursday evening and as far south as Monterey County by later Thursday night.
While the showers will help slow the fires, they will also clear out the Bay Area skies that have been choked with smoke from the blazes.
The Tubbs Fire which brought death and destruction to Sonoma and Napa counties was 91 percent contained by Wednesday morning, having charred 36,432 acres, Cal Fire officials said.
The blaze continues to smolder with minimal fire activity and interior burning on the northeast corner.
The Atlas Fire which ravaged Napa County, particularly neighborhoods near the Silverado County Club was 83 percent contained and had scorched 51,064 acres. The fire that started off Atlas Peak Road south of Lake Berryessa has destroyed 421 structures, damaged 66 others and was still threatening 986 homes.
The 54,423-acre Nuns Fire was 80 percent contained and has burned 34,398 acres in Sonoma County and 20,025 in Napa County.
Meanwhile, the Pocket Fire off of Pocket Ranch and Ridge roads in the Geyserville area has burned 12,430 acres and was 63 percent contained as of Wednesday morning.
While the firefighters concentrated on controlling the fires, search teams continued their efforts to locate the dead and missing.
The Sonoma County wildfire death toll rose to 23 when a man was found in the Fountaingrove area Tuesday afternoon, a sheriff's spokesman said.
"We don't expect the death toll to go much higher," Sonoma County sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Crum said.
There are 42 known fire deaths from the Northern California wildfires that sparked Oct. 8. There also are 53 missing people in Sonoma County, and 24 of them are homeless people who were living outside the fire zones in the county.
Sheriff's deputies were making sweeps of burn areas so people returning to their homes do not find the body of a loved one, Crum said.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of evacuees were returning to their homes, although more than 30,000 remained evacuated as of Tuesday morning. That number was down considerably from Saturday when an estimated 100,000 people had been forced out of their homes.
To aid those evacuees, the California Psychological Association has sent out an "urgent request" by email to a distribution list of about 13,000 licensed psychologists seeking volunteers to help with individuals suffering from emotional trauma.
Jo Linder-Crow, the association's chief executive, said Tuesday the email was sent to licensed mental health providers across California. It warned of "a tremendous acute and longterm impact" caused by the deadly wildfires.
