Jewish summer camp destroyed in California wildfires

“It is with tremendous shock and sadness that we share that the majority of the buildings at our beloved Camp Newman home have been destroyed.”

The camp moved to its current location in 1997 and it serves 1400 children each year.

Kosher wine producer Hagafen Cellars, in Napa Valley, sustained serious damage in the blazes, which have left at least 17 people dead and more than 100 missing across California.

Hagafen owner Ernie Weir said he is was uncertain about the full extent of the damage to his site.

“We did lose about an acre,” he told Forward, “and we lost our guest house, all of our agricultural equipment, and we lost the chicken house, and the chickens, a lot of things that were on the rear perimeter of our property. They are burned in some cases beyond recognition. It was devastating.”

Around two thousand buildings were burnt to the ground across the region with an estimated 79,000 acres catching fire.

Hot and dry winds fanned at least 17 blazes across north California and also forced 20,000 people to flee from Napa, Yuba and Sonoma along with other areas close to San Francisco.

Around 12 per cent of California’s wine grapes are grown in the region.