5% of Santa Rosa’s residences destroyed in firestorm; $1.2 billion in losses estimated
Some Santa Rosa residents may be allowed to return home Saturday or Sunday.
Officials said they were working to restore some normalcy to Santa Rosa, including turning power back on and working to reopen the Kaiser hospital near the edge of where flames burned earlier in the week.
The city has seen $1.2 billion in damage, and 5% of its residences were lost to flames, Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey said. More than 2,800 structures were lost, and more than a dozen people were killed.
On Saturday, the county will open a center where residents can replace their driver’s licenses, file insurance claims and get assistance for small business recovery.
But some dissatisfaction has become evident in Santa Rosa as the fire drags on. The county’s top prosecutor, Jill Ravitch, said her office had received some reports of looting as well as residents who have ignored police commands and violated the city’s curfew.
“These laws are in the books for a reason,” Ravitch said. “Stay away. Let the professionals do their jobs. Otherwise we’re going to have to do our jobs, and that’s going to potentially involve putting you in jail.”
Twitter: @laura_nelson
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