#ButteFire [update] east of Jackson (Amador & Calaveras Counties) is now 70,760 acres and 49% contained. http://t.co/EF4lnPaeKR
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) September 17, 2015
Ana Malachowski, who was picking through the ruins of her brother's home in Middletown, which was hit hard by the Valley Fire, said she was "just numb."Malachowski said she and her neighbors tried to beat back the fire with garden hoses on Saturday before being forced to flee. Though her own house was still standing, "This whole town is a big family," she told Reuters. "You can't say, 'This family lost their home and this one didn't.'"Sporadic drizzle on Wednesday allowed firefighters to turn a corner on the Valley Fire."We've been on the offensive for the last few days now, but we're going to take advantage of what Mother Nature has given us and work harder to get more containment line in," Cal Fire spokesman Rich Cordova said, according to Reuters.#ValleyFire [update] in southern Lake County is now 73,700 acres & 35% contained. http://t.co/ggH21VbYzf
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) September 17, 2015
An apartment complex in Middletown, California with well over 100 units was destroyed by the Valley Fire. (Photo by Ken Porter/EPA)
Maria Sanchez surveys her home after it was destroyed over the weekend by the Valley Fire in Middletown, California. (Photo by John G. Mabanglo/EPA)
Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman (L) gets a hug from a resident whose home was saved by a strike team from Sonoma County. (Photo by Ken Porter/EPA)
A US flag hangs at the entrance to a home destroyed over the weekend by the Valley Fire in Middletown, California. (Photo by John G. Mabanglo/EPA)