Last night, the smell of smoke was so strong that I walked the perimeter of my house to see if there was a fire on my property. This morning, everything from my car to my window sills was covered in ash. It turns out that cause of the smoke and ash was nearly an hour’s drive away, where a string of massive fires has ripped across Napa, Sonoma, and Santa Rosa. At least 1,500 structures have been lost in the Northern California firestorm, which is already among worst in state’s history. So far, one death has been reported, and there have been a huge number of evacuations (including several close friends in the area). Here’s the latest from the LA Times and SF Chronicle.