A very dangerous situation happened in California last week. More than 12 wildfires broke out in the state. Most of them began on October 8, in Northern California. They grew rapidly. The fires were made bigger by winds of up to 50 miles per hour and dry air in the area.
At least 20 people have been killed, the state government said. About 200 have been injured. At least 3,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed. About 50,000 people have been required to escape. Many left in a hurry, without time to take their personal things. "All the good stuff (东西) —I'm never going to see it again," Jeff Okrepkie said. He escaped from his Santa Rosa home. It was destroyed soon after he left.
The fires burned through parts of eight counties (郡，县). These include Sonoma and Napa. The areas are important to California's economy (经济). They are home to many of the state's vineyards (葡萄园) and wineries (酿酒厂). In 2016, California's wineries made more than $57 billion.
October is when wildfires usually produce the most ruins in California. But it is unusual for so many fires to start at once. Up to now, the government has not given a cause for any of the fires, many of which were still burning.
