Each autumn, the Napa Valley in northern California transforms into a gorgeous display of blazing reds, oranges, and golds as acres upon acres of leafy grapevines turn color for the season.
This year, those blazing colors burst into real flame.
Since Sunday, October 8th, the wine country region has been terrorized by a torrent of violent and relentless wildfires. As of this Friday the 13th, nine of these fires are still active. The largest of the infernos, the Tubbs fire, glares across Napa and Sonoma under only 10% containment, despite the greatest efforts made by CAL Fire Incident Management Teams to confine and douse the flames. Dry air and 70mph winds are fierce competitors to combat - especially following a long drought period. The current air quality has declined so drastically, the atmosphere overwhelmed by smoke and particle pollution, that the air is unsafe to breath in some areas. Over 128,000 acres of land have been razed. Thousands of families have evacuated their homes. Up to 900 people are reported missing, and at least 41 have been confirmed dead.
The sweet smell of ripening grapes has evaporated into smoke, and all around, the ashen air has turned the sky into a haunting, orange haze.
Gazing upon news images of charred ruins, I can barely recognize the Napa Valley that I knew as a young girl. Where are the trees? Where are the birds?Where are the rows upon rows of tangled vineyards? Where are the mountains, now obscured by a choking, ashy veil? Where are the houses?
Where are the people?
I fear for my friends, and I fear for their families. I fear for their friends, and I fear for people who I have never known - nor may ever know. From the other side of the country, it all feels like one giant, surreal nightmare.
There are so many stories to tell - acts of heroism, desperate survival tactics, heart-rending loss, and hundreds of brave volunteers:The current air quality has declined so drastically
One 77 year-old man somehow saved an entire wildlife preserve from the flames, rescuing not only the wild animals but potentially everyone in the surrounding region as well (imagine the added terror of frightened cape buffalo, rhinoceroses, and hyenas on the loose).
To escape the flames, Jan and John Pascoe spent six hours in their neighbors' pool and watched in horror as walls of fire enveloped the house and surrounding property.
On Friday, the house of the late Charles Schulz, creator of the beloved "Peanuts" cartoon, burned to the ground.
A lone statue of the Virgin Mary stands amidst the charred rubble of the entire Signorello Estate Winery.
Virtually every standing hospital, parish, and community center has been turned into an evacuation shelter, and each one is filled with eager volunteers. In Santa Rosa, hospital staff that have lost their entire homes continue to administer care to the growing influx of wounded patients.
And this is just the beginning.
Please, please pray for these people, and if you can, please help. There are so many lives at stake.
To all those affected by the northern California wildfires, know that we are thinking of you during this difficult time. We pray for your safety and for the safety of your loved ones.
We pray that soon, the blazing fires will once again exist only within the colors of the turning autumn leaves.