Five years after the firestorm — From The Press Democrat archives

For most of us, it feels like yesterday, that devastating night of Oct. 8, 2017, when the North Bay fires broke out.

The fires claimed 40 lives across Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties and about 6,200 homes. Sonoma County was hardest hit. Twenty-four lives were lost here and about 5,300 homes were destroyed.

With the five-year mark approaching, The Press Democrat staff combed through its archives to reflect on those horrifying events, memorialize those who were killed and remember how the county banded together to move forward after the tragedy.

The Tubbs Fire – hour by hour

In just over four hours, the Tubbs Fire, the most destructive and deadly in the firestorm, made a nightmarish 11.5-mile westward run from the outskirts of Calistoga, on the northern edge of the Napa Valley, to Coffey Park, a flatland neighborhood in northwest Santa Rosa.

It raced through ranches and rural communities, leveling million-dollar homes in Santa Rosa's hillside Fountaingrove development and tract neighborhoods in Larkfield-Wikiup.

At 2 a.m., the fierce winds, officially reported at 68 mph that night, but topping 100 mph in parts of the Mayacamas Mountains, propelled it across Highway 101. It was an unimaginable leap that spread flames into a commercial district on Cleveland Avenue and hundreds of tightly packed homes in Coffey Park.

Here’s how its deadly march from Calistoga to Santa Rosa unfolded.

The Nuns Fire — the largest and longest firefight

About the same time, a half-dozen major fires and an equal number of smaller ones had been sparked across the region by failed power equipment or trees toppling into electricity lines. The largest of those fires — and of the entire North Bay firestorm — would be called the Nuns Fire for its origin along Nuns Canyon Road, east of Glen Ellen.

Driven west by winds, it tore through Sonoma Valley, burning through parts of Kenwood and Glen Ellen, Oakmont and along Bennett Ridge. Though its most devastating run occurred in the first span of hours, the Nuns Fire, unlike the Tubbs, raged for many more days, including blowups that threatened the city of Sonoma and forced residents from Sonoma Valley into eastern Santa Rosa to flee anew.

When the fires were declared fully contained Oct. 31, the 56,556-acre Nuns Fire had destroyed more than 400 homes in Sonoma Valley and its outskirts, scorched thousands of acres of parkland, and claimed three lives in Sonoma and Napa counties.

Videos:

A heartbreaking nine-minute compilation by Press Democrat photojournalist Kent Porter documented the first hours of the firestorm through the early morning of Oct. 9.

An aerial video from Oct. 9, 2017, shows the destruction of Coffey Park. An additional video shows the devastation in Fountaingrove.

The city of Santa Rosa’s transit agency, City Bus, helped evacuate and rescue hundreds of people from the Tubbs’ path in Fountaingrove. Steve Roraus, a city bus bus driver, preserved the video footage that the cameras onboard his bus captured.

Recorded 911 calls

This story and time-lapse video captures the first hours of 911 calls coming into the county’s overwhelmed fire and medical emergency dispatch center, illustrating how the emergency escalated across Sonoma County.

Remembering the victims

The 40 lives lost in the North Bay fires spanned generations and geographic divides. Nearly all died in the initial firestorm that erupted Oct. 8. Their contributions to our community will not be forgotten.

Wildfire aftermath – lessons learned

The fires acted as a wake up call to so many across Northern California. In their aftermath, government leaders, community members and public safety officials sought to grapple with what went wrong and how to better prepare for the next disaster.