Gov’t offers sympathies to victims of California wildfire; says no Filipinos reported hurt

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella– KING RODRIGUEZ/Presidential Photo

No Filipinos were reported hurt among the thousands of people displaced in the wildfires that blazed across northern California in the United States, a Palace official said Saturday.

The Philippine government has also offered its sympathies to those affected by the fires, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said.

“We express our sympathies to the families of victims whose lives and properties were lost during the raging northern California wildfires,” Abella said in a statement.

A series of wildfires have swept through the California’s Wine Country since October 8, leaving more than 30 people dead and thousands of people homeless. Over 73,000 acres of land and 1,500 structures were reportedly destroyed, and about 20,000 residents were evacuated.

Abella said the Consulate General in San Francisco is closely monitoring the situation of the nearly 18,000 Filipinos in the area.

“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.