In October 2017, California experienced the worst and deadliest wildfires in the state’s history. 14 Wildfires burned across eight counties simultaneously. On the first night of the fires in Sonoma and Napa Counties, residents were brutally awakened. Tashi Kennedy describes what she woke up to at 2:30 AM, “We looked outside only to find utter chaos. Smoke, heavy winds, people fleeing the neighborhood yelling ‘fire.'”
Local landmarks, wineries, and entire neighborhoods were hastily burned down to the ground as the Tubbs, Atlas, Nuns, and many other wildfires rapidly burned out of control. 3,500 homes and business were destroyed and 31 (and counting) lives were lost. From historical landmarks to family homes, these images show the destruction and devastation from the 2017 California wildfires.
It Started In Calistoga And Quickly Leveled Fountaingrove
The Tubbs Fire got its name when it started near Tubbs lane in Calistoga on Sunday evening of October 8, 2017. By 1 AM Monday morning, the fire had spread into the Mark West area of Santa Rosa, and quickly caught the neighborhood of Fountaingrove on fire while residents slept in their homes.
At 1:30 AM people began to wake up to high winds and flames surrounding their homes as others nearby burned down. Neighbors screamed “fire!”, honked their horns and knocked on doors, doing anything they could to alert their neighbors. Born and raised in Fountaingrove, resident Lindsay Moylan recalls, “Our neighbor woke us up and the fire was there, we had to leave immediately. There was no time. I only had a few minutes to get my kitty. I grabbed her and we all left. It was insane. The winds were so strong and the fire was moving rapidly. We’re lucky to be alive.” She lost her home that her father had built and their family had lived in for 32 years.
Unfortunately, that was just the beginning.
