The Philippines on Saturday expressed its sympathy to the families of victims affected by the raging wildfires in Northern California, which destroyed an estimated 5,700 structures destroyed and killed at least 34 people.
“We express our sympathies to the families of victims whose lives and properties were lost during the raging Northern California wildfires,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement read over state radio dzRB.
Abella assured that none of the almost 18,000 Filipinos residing in the Wine Country and surrounding counties “have been reported as among the casualties” of the wildfire.
“Nonetheless, we continue to reach out to the Filipino communities in the affected areas, particularly in the Napa and Sonoma counties, to ascertain the condition of our ‘kababayans’,” he added.
The wildfires, which began on Oct. 8, have swept through California’s Wine Country, leaving more than 30 deaths and thousands of people homeless.
Over 73,000 acres of land and 1,500 structures were destroyed, and an estimated 20,000 residents were evacuated, according to the country’s Consulate General in San Francisco, which is closely monitoring the situation.
