Deadly Wildfires Continue To Spread

With more than 560 wildfires now burning, California fire crews are stretched to their limits. NBC's Jennifer Bjorklund reports.

(NBC News) — Firefighting crews are losing ground against hundreds of wildfires now burning across California.

“Honestly our resources are stretched very far,” CAL Fire Unit Chief Shana Jones said Thursday.

Prisoner crews which normally work the front lines are unavailable. They’re the same low-risk prisoners who got coronavirus pandemic furloughs to ease overcrowding.

In the path of the flames, the only option is to get out of the way.

“The fire was loud, it whistled, it roared,” says evacuee Nancy Milliken, adding “It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been in.”

At least five people have been killed, including veteran pilot Mike Fournier, who lost his life when his water-dropping helicopter went down as he worked to control a blaze threatening the homes evacuees.

So far 60,000 have been forced to flee their homes, and 100,000 more are on standby.

One problem that comes with evacuation orders during a pandemic is that people are reluctant to go to shelters; they’d rather take their chances and stay behind.

That’s stretching resources even further.

“We have firefighters out there trying to do perimeter control that are being taken away from that effort in order to affect those rescues and make sure everybody is safe,” says fire chief Ian Larkin.

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