DFA says Filipino among casualties in Northern California fire

October 17, 2017

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano expressed condolences to the family of a Filipino national presumed to have perished in the wildfire  engulfing North California’s wine country, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement Tuesday.

The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco reported to the DFA that the Filipino’s remains, which have yet to be positively identified, were recovered on October 14 in Napa Country.

“We offer our sincere sympathies and prayers to the family of our kababayan who perished in this horrific fire. I have instructed our Consulate General in San Francisco to offer all possible assistance to the family and to continue to closely monitor the welfare of other Filipinos in the affected areas,” said Secretary Cayetano.

According to Deputy Consul General Jaime Ramon Ascalon, the Consulate General in San Francisco has been in touch with the victim’s family and has offered assistance, especially in coordinating arrangements for the repatriation of the victim’s remains.

Approximately 100,000 people have been evacuated from the fires. More than 10,000 firefighters are currently battling 16 large wildfires that, in total, have burned over 214,000 acres (more than 86,600 hectares).

The fires have destroyed 5,700 structures and have claimed at least 40 lives.

There are an estimated 13,500 Filipinos living in the Napa, Sonoma, and Yuba counties, which are the areas most affected by the wildfires. An estimated 4,200 Filipinos live in the other affected counties of Lake, Marin and Mendocino. DMS