RICHMOND, Va. -- California's most damaging wildfire burning in the northern portion of the state would envelop the Richmond Metro area if it was burning in our area.
Robert Lawrence, the former COO of the Richmond Ambulance Authority, shared on Facebook a map of the Camp Fire superimposed on Central Virginia.
"The fire if you overlay it on the metro area would consume the whole of the Richmond metro area," he explained. "It would stretch from Short Pump out to Mechanicsville and from Ashland to the south of Midlothian."
What California's Camp Fire would look like in Central Virginia
The Camp Fire has already killed 81 people and destroyed more than 13,500 homes. And with hundreds of residents still unaccounted for, authorities fear the death toll could rise.
Approximately 153,000 acres have burned and the fire is about 80 percent contained.
Lawrence moved from Richmond to become Chief Operating Officer for the 911 ambulance service Paramedics Plus in Alameda County about seven months ago.
Smoke from the wildfire is contaminating the air quality where he lives about 150 miles west.
"We aren’t immune to it in terms of smoke. The weather pattern at the moment is pushing all of the smoke into the San Francisco Bay," Lawrence described.
Lawrence's team is currently helping the first responders who some lost everything in the fire.
"We are in the process of sending clothes and supplies up to our first responder brethren. They continue to do what they do, which is help the public," he stated.
A series of storms set to bring some relief to firefighters in Northern California has thousands of people afraid that flash flooding and mudslides could crush what’s left of the towns charred by the devastating Camp Fire.
Camp Fire
Almost 1 million people are under flash flood watch in that part of California, where 4 to 6 inches of rain are expected to fall through Friday. Rain began in Paradise about 11 a.m. Wednesday, dropping nearly a half inch within a few hours. A break was expected before it resumes by evening.
Nearly two weeks after the Golden State’s deadliest and most destructive fire began, the potential downpours could put an end to the fire season or at least ease the fire risk while also bringing new dangers.
“Rapidly rising water could flood roads, hampering search efforts and putting displaced residents camping outdoors in peril,” CNN meteorologist Gene Norman said.
With the heavy rain on the way, search teams were racing to find human remains, evacuees debated fleeing again and firefighters rushed to remove downed trees and unneeded equipment.
The CNN Wire contributed to this article.
