Fires Rip Through Northern California, Causing Massive Damage and Evacuations

Multiple fires ripped their way across several North Bay counties in California early Monday morning, leaving devastation in their paths. Hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed in the early hours of Monday morning, forcing thousands of people in the area to evacuate as the fires continued their push.

Driven by powerful winds and dry conditions, the fires have forced emergency services to shut down major roadways in the area and thousands of people to evacuate. The fires, which began around 10:00pm Sunday, have caused damage in four North Bay counties: Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino.

The smoke from the fires has spread has far south as the Bay Area. TPG himself is staying in San Francisco and was woken up to the smell of smoke. One TPG reader reported that he was staying at the Carneros Resort & Spa in Napa and was woken up at 2:00am by hotel staff banging on doors, ordering guests to evacuate. We reached out for further information but have yet to hear back.

Much of Santa Rosa was under evacuation order as of Monday morning.

"People are running red lights, there is chaos ensuing," said Ron Dodds, a Santa Rosa resident, to KTVU. "It's a scary time. It looks like Armageddon."

The two largest fires are Alas Peak, which is near the city of Napa, and Tubbs Fire, which is engulfing area from Calistoga to Santa Rosa in Sonoma County. The latter fire is spread across 20,000 acres, according to the Santa Rosa Fire Department.

The cause of the fires is still under investigation. At this point, there's no estimate on the extent of the damage or injuries.