NPR

In Northern California, Exhausted Firefighters Push Themselves 'To The Limits'

Officials say they have made some progress in containing the Northern California wildfires, but crews have been working for days on steep terrain with little rest and more work ahead.
The orange glow of one of California's many wildfires can be seen Friday from a hilltop in Geyserville, Calif. / Marcio Jose Sanchez / Shutterstock.com

Some 9,000 firefighters who are working long hours with little or no rest continue to battle historically destructive Northern California wildfires that have claimed at least 35 lives, wiped out whole neighborhoods and damaged vineyards and farms in the heart of the state's wine country.

"We're pretty exhausted. It's pretty steep terrain," Sonoma wildland firefighter Steven Moore says at a makeshift staging area next to the Tubbs Fire, which is still raging just a few miles outside the tourist city of Calistoga.

Moore says he has hardly slept this week. "We've been dealing with trying to save the structures. The winds aren't helping. All we can do is get to the

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