A northern California wildfire raging in the foothills of the Cascade range has claimed 31 lives, officials said on Monday

WION Dispatch: 4 million acres of land burnt till now in California

It's a "total loss," admitted Californian winemaker Dario Sattui, as he inspected the wildfire damage to his Castello di Amorosa winery in the Napa Valley wine region. On Sunday night, flames from the Glass fire destroyed wine-storage chamber, a fermentation room, a bottling facility and offices at Sattui's Castello di Amorosa winery, but its distinctive castle complex and tasting room remained unscathed.

California winery owner loses his "dream castle" to wildfires in Napa Valley

A northern California wildfire raging in the foothills of the Cascade range has claimed three lives, officials said on Monday, as a separate blaze prompted mass evacuations and spread turmoil to the famed wine-producing regions of Napa and Sonoma counties.

US: Northern California wildfires kill 3, force evacuation of thousands

A wind-driven wildfire erupted on Sunday (September 27) in the heart of northern California's Napa Valley wine country and spread across more than 1,000 acres (404 hectares), forcing the evacuation of several hundreds homes and a hospital, authorities said.

California wine country wildfire forces rapid evacuation

Three women and a gunman who held them hostage at a California veterans home were found dead late on Friday, bringing a tragic end to an all-day standoff with police at the sprawling facility, authorities said.

A state senator whose district includes the area, Bill Dodd, earlier told reporters that the gunman was a member of Pathway Home, a program for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and that the hostages were believed to be employees of the facility.

&quot;This is a tragic piece of news we hoped not to share with the public,&quot; California Highway Patrol spokesman Chris Childs told reporters outside the sprawling facility in Yountville, a picturesque town located in the heart of Napa Valley&#39;s wine country about 60 miles (97 km) north of San Francisco.

The siege came less than a month after a former student with an assault-style rifle killed 17 people at a Florida high school. That massacre touched off a student-led drive for new restrictions on gun sales to curb mass shootings that have occurred with frightening frequency in the United States over the past few years.

The Veterans Home of California, which houses about 1,000 disabled and aging military veterans, is the largest facility of its kind in the United States. The Pathway Home is housed in a separate building on the campus.

The entire complex, its staff and residents were placed under a security lockdown during the siege.

The gunman walked into the Pathway Home building carrying a rifle during a going-away party for one of the employees, according to Larry Kamer, the husband of one of the program&#39;s administrators who said he spoke to his wife by telephone during the standoff.

Three women and a gunman who held them hostage at a California veterans home were found dead late on Friday, bringing a tragic end to an all-day standoff with police at the sprawling facility, authorities said

Three women and a gunman who held them hostage at a California veterans home were found dead late on Friday, bringing a tragic end to an all-day standoff with police at the sprawling facility, authorities said. A state senator whose district includes the area, Bill Dodd, earlier told reporters that the gunman was a member of Pathway Home, a program for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and that the hostages were believed to be employees of the facility. "This is a tragic piece of news we hoped not to share with the public," California Highway Patrol spokesman Chris Childs told reporters outside the sprawling facility in Yountville, a picturesque town located in the heart of Napa Valley's wine country about 60 miles (97 km) north of San Francisco. The siege came less than a month after a former student with an assault-style rifle killed 17 people at a Florida high school. That massacre touched off a student-led drive for new restrictions on gun sales to curb mass shootings that have occurred with frightening frequency in the United States over the past few years. The Veterans Home of California, which houses about 1,000 disabled and aging military veterans, is the largest facility of its kind in the United States. The Pathway Home is housed in a separate building on the campus. The entire complex, its staff and residents were placed under a security lockdown during the siege. The gunman walked into the Pathway Home building carrying a rifle during a going-away party for one of the employees, according to Larry Kamer, the husband of one of the program's administrators who said he spoke to his wife by telephone during the standoff.

Gunman and three hostages found dead at California veterans home

A gunman who once served in the US&nbsp;military opened fire on Friday inside a California home for disabled and aging war veterans, where he took three hostages and was holding police at bay as negotiators sought to make contact with him for several hours, authorities said.

No injuries were reported at the sprawling facility in Yountville, a picturesque town located in the heart of Napa Valley&#39;s wine country about 60 miles north of San Francisco. But the building, its staff and approximately 1,000 residents were placed under a security lockdown.

State Senator Bill Dodd, who represents the area, told reporters that the gunman was a member of the Pathway Home, a program for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

The hostages were believed to be employees at the facility, the largest of its kind in the nation, who worked with the suspect in the Pathway program, he said.

A woman who encountered the gunman when he entered the facility talked to her husband, Larry Kamer, by phone. &quot;She&rsquo;s quite shaken up. She&rsquo;s in a locked down building,&rdquo; Kamer said, adding she was staying calm.

According to his wife&#39;s account, the gunman &quot;walked in with a rifle. She was face to face with him when he walked in,&rdquo; he said.

Hostage negotiators from three different agencies were trying to make contact with the suspect, the California Highway Patrol said.

&quot;Gunfire was exchanged. It&#39;s not known at this time how many rounds were exchanged, but I am happy to report that at this moment there have been no injuries,&quot; CHP spokesman Chris Childs told reporters.

The standoff comes less than a month after a former student with an assault-style rifle killed 17 people at a Florida high school. The massacre touched off a student-led drive for new restrictions on gun ownership to prevent the kind of mass shootings that have become epidemic in the United States.

A Napa County sheriff&#39;s deputy arrived at the scene within four minutes of the first reports of gunfire and exchanged shots with the suspect, Sheriff John Robertson said. Authorities know the gunman&#39;s identity, he said, but were not disclosing his name publicly.

A resident of the home, identified as Rod Allen by the local CBS television affiliate KPIX, said the gunman took the hostages after allowing some people at a party to leave. He fired about 30 shots, the resident said.

The California Department of Veterans Affairs could not be reached immediately for comment but in a Facebook post said it was following reports of gunfire at the home.

No injuries were reported at the sprawling facility in Yountville, a picturesque town located in the heart of Napa Valley, California

A gunman who once served in the US military opened fire on Friday inside a California home for disabled and aging war veterans, where he took three hostages and was holding police at bay as negotiators sought to make contact with him for several hours, authorities said. No injuries were reported at the sprawling facility in Yountville, a picturesque town located in the heart of Napa Valley's wine country about 60 miles north of San Francisco. But the building, its staff and approximately 1,000 residents were placed under a security lockdown. State Senator Bill Dodd, who represents the area, told reporters that the gunman was a member of the Pathway Home, a program for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The hostages were believed to be employees at the facility, the largest of its kind in the nation, who worked with the suspect in the Pathway program, he said. A woman who encountered the gunman when he entered the facility talked to her husband, Larry Kamer, by phone. "She’s quite shaken up. She’s in a locked down building,” Kamer said, adding she was staying calm. According to his wife's account, the gunman "walked in with a rifle. She was face to face with him when he walked in,” he said. Hostage negotiators from three different agencies were trying to make contact with the suspect, the California Highway Patrol said. "Gunfire was exchanged. It's not known at this time how many rounds were exchanged, but I am happy to report that at this moment there have been no injuries," CHP spokesman Chris Childs told reporters. The standoff comes less than a month after a former student with an assault-style rifle killed 17 people at a Florida high school. The massacre touched off a student-led drive for new restrictions on gun ownership to prevent the kind of mass shootings that have become epidemic in the United States. A Napa County sheriff's deputy arrived at the scene within four minutes of the first reports of gunfire and exchanged shots with the suspect, Sheriff John Robertson said. Authorities know the gunman's identity, he said, but were not disclosing his name publicly. A resident of the home, identified as Rod Allen by the local CBS television affiliate KPIX, said the gunman took the hostages after allowing some people at a party to leave. He fired about 30 shots, the resident said. The California Department of Veterans Affairs could not be reached immediately for comment but in a Facebook post said it was following reports of gunfire at the home.

Gunman holed up at California veterans home with 3 hostages 

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