NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – As fires continue to burn around the region, on Friday Napa County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Relucio declared a local health emergency throughout the county due to the hazardous waste and materials created by the 2017 Napa Fire Complex.
Relucio also has ordered the removal of the hazardous materials.
Officials said the declaration of a local health emergency establishes access to necessary resources to remove materials that create an imminent threat to public health and safety.
The Napa County Board of Supervisors must review and ratify this declaration within seven days.
On Friday night Cal Fire said the Atlas fire, or the Southern LNU Complex, had burned 48,228 acres in Napa and Solano counties since Sunday night and is 45-percent contained. More than 1,700 firefighters are assigned to the incident.
Evacuations remain in place in Napa and Solano counties due to the fire, which has so far destroyed 234 structures and is threatening 5,000 more, Cal Fire said.
Burning within Napa and Sonoma counties is the 92,370-acre Central LNU Complex, which includes the Tubbs fire, at 35,270 aces and 44-percent containment; the Nuns fire, 46,104 acres and 10-percent containment; and the Pocket fire, 10,996 acres and 5-percent contained.
On Friday, the Napa County Sheriff’s Office said the death toll in the county due fires has risen to four.
On Thursday morning, two bodies were found at a residence in the 2300 block of Atlas Peak Road. The home belonged to 89-year-old Dr. George Chaney and 79-year-old Edward Stone. Chaney has been positively identified, and Stone is believed to be the second victim, authorities said.
Earlier this week, officials confirmed the deaths of a Napa couple, 100-year-old Charles Rippey and his wife, Sara, 98, in the Atlas fire.
The Napa County Sheriff’s Office said it is continuing the search for possible victims in the fires.
On Friday, Congressman Mike Thompson – who represents Napa County as well as southern Lake County – said Napa and Sonoma County residents who suffered damage or losses from the fires can now register for disaster assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a result of the presidential disaster declaration issued on Tuesday.
To apply for assistance visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4344.
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Napa County declares local health emergency; authorities confirm more dead
- Elizabeth Larson
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