Firefighters in Northern California are battling 21 fires that have so far claimed 35 lives and scorched more than 220,000 acres.
Crews have been working more than 80 hours with few breaks and little sleep to tackle many of the blazes broke out early this week
As first responders are working around the clock, so are people trying to protect their properties.
In Capell Valley, a small farming community just East of Napa along Highway 128 – The community has been under mandatory evacuation orders since Monday but many didn’t leave, instead they stayed behind to protect their properties.
Darryl and Karen Pridmore’s home was surrounded by flames on Tuesday in what they are calling a firestorm, when heavy winds picked up and a blaze jumped a road onto their property.
Despite warnings by Sheriff’s deputies and fire officials to evacuate, Darryl Pridmore, a volunteer firefighter of 30 years, began a battle to save his own home. He said he turned on his sprinklers and armed himself with a garden hose.
Pridmore won the battle to save his home, but his neighbors home was destroyed. The family said they heard an explosion coming from a propane tank, and their neighbor’s home was reduced to rubble.