23 dead in devastating Northern California fires

SONOMA, MENDOCINO, YUBA, NAPA – Fires throughout Northern California continue to cause devastation and the death toll is rising.

As of Wednesday, 23 lives have been lost in relation to these fires.

That includes eleven people from Sonoma County, six in Mendocino, two in Yuba and 2 in Napa.

So far, 170,000 acres have been scorched, burning an estimated 3,500 structures, many of those homes.

Thousands of people have been displaced in the wake of the fires, and hundreds have been reported missing.

A federal disaster was officially declared yesterday to give access to emergency funding.

Many of these areas faced red flag warnings and gusty winds Wednesday making working conditions for firefighters more difficult.