With a fire raging in front of them, most people would drive the other way. But dash cam footage from a Sonoma County sheriff reveals that the responders to the Northern California fires did just the opposite in order to help those in need.
SEE ALSO: Terrifying photos show deadly wildfires rampaging across California, fed by wicked winds
The clip was recorded on Franz Valley Road, where the fires began encroaching on Sonoma County on Sunday night. As the Sheriff department notes on Facebook, the deputy shot the video to depict the conditions facing fire responders.
“We are proud of all who have risked harm to help each other out in times of peril,” wrote the Sonoma Sheriff Facebook page in the video’s caption.
At least 17 people in Northern California have died from the fires sweeping through Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Yuba counties, with hundreds more injured. CA Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency as more than 15 separate fires rage.
A winter with record rainfall in California, followed by five hot and dry summer months, provided the perfect fodder for a massive firestorm this fall. All the extra foliage that grew as a result of 2017’s wet weather served as the perfect fast-burning kindling once it was dried out by the summer heat. Plus, warm, high speed winds grew the fire and supercharged its travel from east to west. Here’s how the wildfire grew so massive so quickly.