Our live coverage of the California wildfires has ended. Go here or scroll through the posts below to read more about the fires.
Actress Sandra Bullock has made a $100,000 donation to The Humane Society of Ventura County, which is on the ground helping the non-human victims of the wildfires in Southern California.
“Our efforts for rescuing and caring for evacuated animals from the Hill and Woolsey fires had caught her attention and her team reached out to the shelter to show their support,” the organization wrote on Facebook.
The group said the donation will help provide care for animals — from horses and bulls to donkeys and ducks — evacuated from the fires.
“The HSVC pledges to care for these animals for as long as is needed or until their owners feel comfortable in safely reuniting their families,” the organization wrote.
Wildfires are ravaging through northern and southern California and as powerful winds sweep through the state.
Northern California’s Camp Fire and the Woolsey and Hill fires in Southern California have led officials to issue unhealthy air quality warnings throughout the San Francisco Bay area and affected populations in and around Los Angeles.
Here’s what you need to do to reduce your exposure risk:
Marco Gonzalez didn’t even think about shutting down his restaurant when the Agoura Hills community, near Los Angeles, was ordered to evacuate Friday morning.
The neighborhood began to evacuate as the Woolsey Fire approached, but Gonzalez stayed behind with a handful of staff at Tavern 101 Grill & Tap House, cooking meals for firefighters and first responders.
“What they’re doing is putting themselves in harm’s way and we have to do whatever we can to help,” he added.
He started preparing meals with a team of four on Friday, which has since grown. Now, Gonzalez said he even has customers coming in volunteering to help.
Gonzalez’s sister-in-law, Lyndsay McDougal Cannon, began a Venmo page for donations that raised more than $45,000 in less than three days.
“Marco is a good man, he has a fabulous family and the fact is he is teaching his kids in times of tragedy, you think about others. It’s amazing,” Cannon said.
Money the restaurant doesn’t use will go toward police departments and fire stations and a Woolsey Fire relief fund.
Nichole Jolly spent her 34th birthday evacuating and treating patients as the Camp Fire consumed Paradise, California.
Jolly, a nurse who worked in Paradise, barely escaped her burning car.
“I called him (her husband) and I said, ‘Nick, I’m going to die. I’m not going to make it out of here, there’s just flames everywhere, and I don’t know what to do.’ And he said, ‘Don’t die, run. If you’re going to die, die fighting. You have to run.’”
Jolly did run, and eventually made her way to a firetruck. The respite was short-lived; the firefighters called for air support, but were told it couldn’t reach them. Smoke was filling the air, and they were running out of oxygen.
Finally, a bulldozer cleared the path, allowing the firetruck and other vehicles a straight path to the hospital.
“This dozer just came out of nowhere and cleared a path and he saved all of us. He saved everybody’s lives. Those dozer operators are incredible. They deserve to be the heroes in this story,” Jolly told CNN.
She spent her birthday on Friday helping others at the hospital.
Watch it here:
The part of Butte County devastated by the Camp Fire hasn’t gotten a half-inch of rain on any calendar day for 210 days, Jonathan Pangburn, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The area is full of “critically dry fuel available for burning,” Pangburn said.
Here are some other statistics from CNN Weather:
A group of five private boats traveled 25 miles from Marina del Rey to Pirate’s Cove beach in Malibu carrying food, water, fuel, diapers and other supplies for residents who did not evacuate during the Woolsey Fire.
About 30 people met the boats at the beach and transferred supplies to jet skis, dinghies and surfboards.
Residents refused to leave because they were afraid they wouldn’t be able to re-enter to defend their property. They haven’t had access to supplies since the roads closed.
Several firefighters who responded to last week’s bar shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, went straight to fight the wildfires ripping through the state, said Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Frank Lima.
“They’ve been 48 to 72 hours on shift, doing what we do. We go there, we risk our lives. Our firefighters are out there. Meanwhile many of them have lost their own homes and have been displaced, but they’re still serving the community,” Lima told CNN on Monday.
Many of the firefighters carry an “anvil of worry on their backs” with their own families in danger, he said. Whenever natural disasters happen – hurricanes, earthquakes and fires – firefighters “stay there all the way to the end even though their wives and kids – the only things on their backs that they own are their clothes,” Lima said.
Watch it here:
Paradise Mayor Jody Jones lost her home when the Camp Fire swept through her town last week.
Jones was running an errand when the fire broke out.
“It took a long time to get out, and there was fire on both sides of the car. You could feel the heat coming in through the car. You could see the telephone poles burning and trees and structures and flames 30 feet in the air. It was scary.”
Jones is now living in her motor home.
“That is fine for now. We have a bed and we have a roof. We’re good, but that’s not good for the long term. So yes, we’ve started looking for a more permanent place to live,” she said.
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At least 370 structures were destroyed in the massive Woolsey Fire, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said Monday.
“I’d like to emphasize the estimated 57,000 structures are still here,” he said.
Asked about President Trump’s tweet blaming “gross mismanagement” for the devastating wildfires, Osby said he doesn’t want to “politicize our efforts right now.”
“I can just tell you that we are in extreme climate change right now. We don’t control the climate, we’re doing all we can to prevent incidents and mitigate incidents and save lives,” the fire chief said.
“I personally find that statement unsatisfactory and it’s very hurtful for all first responders who are putting their lives on the line to protect lives and property.”
Watch:
As firefighters continued to tackle the Woolsey Fire, two small fires broke out Monday in Southern California.
The first blaze, Lynn Fire, scorched 15 acres near the 101 Freeway and threatened structures, according to Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen. Firefighters were expected to contain the fire shortly, he said.
A second blaze, the Rocky Peak Fire, broke out around 10:05 a.m. ET near the 118 Freeway. The fire burned 20 acres.
Susan Miller and her daughter, Amber Toney, recorded a video of their harrowing escape as flames from the destructive Camp Fire tore through the town of Paradise.
“I’ll have nightmares for the rest of my life,” Miller, 59, told CNN. “This was a bucket list I never wanted.”
They feared their car windows would shatter and the tires would melt from the intense heat. The mother and daughter barely made it out of the inferno.
Now the family is reeling from the loss of their home and beloved community.
“How can God take a town away that’s called Paradise,” Toney said.
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CNN’s photo team has been collecting the most compelling photos of the fires tearing through California. Take a look:
President Trump is tweeting again about the California wildfires, and thanking the “very brave” firefighters.
Here’s what he tweeted Monday:
Why this matters: The President’s latest message comes days after his tweet blaming “gross mismanagement” for the devastating wildfires sparked backlash from top firefighters’ associations, politicians and celebrities.
In a series of tweets Saturday, Trump said the state’s deadly wildfires are a result of poor forest management and threatened to cut federal aid.
Trump’s first tweet drew the ire of the leaders of firefighters’ organizations, who accused the President of bringing politics into a devastating disaster.
The president of the California Professional Firefighters said the message is an attack on some of the people fighting the devastating fires.
“The President’s message attacking California and threatening to withhold aid to the victims of the cataclysmic fires is ill-informed, ill-timed and demeaning to those who are suffering as well as the men and women on the front lines,” Brian K. Rice said.
Malibu Mayor Rick Mullen has been in the thick of the firefight since Thursday.
As the Woolsey Fire swept through parts of Malibu, Mullen, an 18-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, worked alongside fellow firefighters to tackle the flames.
The initial firefight, he said, was intense.
“It’s calmer now all over than it was when the fire came through,” he told CNN on Monday. “So everyone is getting a little bit of a breather, but still a lot of people have been on the job for quite a while.”
Mullen described the Woolsey Fire as the largest fire he had ever seen in his life.
“There are people who are going to feel very relieved that their house made it and people who are devastated that their house didn’t make it. We’re all going to come together because Malibu is a team, and team Malibu will ride again,” he said.
Watch more:
Here are some of the latest statistics from the California fires:
In the last four days, more than 200,000 acres (or more than 310 square miles) have burned in California. That is slightly larger than all 5 boroughs of New York City.
Here are some of the latest statistics from the California fires:
Firefighters continue to tackle the destructive Camp Fire in Butte County, which has scorched 113,000 acres, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The blaze, which is 25% contained, has destroyed 6,453 homes and 260 commercial buildings
At least 29 people were killed in the blaze. If the death toll gets any worse, it will be the deadliest wildfire in California history.
The Woolsey Fire in Southern California has charred 91,572 acres and is 20% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The area is under a red flag warning until Tuesday afternoon, and gusty winds and low humidity will persist.
Here’s what we know about the fire so far:
Malibu resident Ari Soffer took this video of some of the damage:
At least 31 people were killed and more than 300,000 people have evacuated as three massive wildfires burn across California.
Below are ways you can assist those affected or get help if you’re in need.
Camp Fire: The largest of the three major blazes, the Camp Fire has scorched 111,000 acres across Northern California and is about 25% contained, according to the state firefighting agency Cal Fire. It has destroyed an estimated 6,700 buildings, most of which were homes.
Woolsey and Hill fires: In Southern California, the Woolsey Fire had spread to 85,500 acres and is about 15% contained. The nearby Hill Fire covered 4,531 acres and was 75% contained. Together, the fires are responsible for the destruction of 179 structures, but another 57,000 are threatened, fire officials said.
Mass evacuations: More than 300,000 people have been forced from their homes statewide. The majority of those residents are in Los Angeles County, where 170,000 were evacuated.
The map below shows these and the other active fires burning in California.
