An elderly couple who had been together for more than 75 years have died in wildfires ravaging northern California. Charles Rippey – who was also known as Peach – had recently turned 100 and his wife Sara was 99-years-old. At least 11 people have been killed and 100 injured in the fires, which have also destroyed as many as 1,500 homes and businesses. Some of the largest of the 14 blazes burning over a
200-mile region were in Napa and Sonoma counties, where there are scores of wineries that attract tourists. Smoke from the fires billowed as far south as San Francisco, about 60 miles away. The elderly couple’s grandaughter, Ruby Gibney, told KTU-TV that their house in Napa “was quickly ravaged by the fire, and they were unable to get out in time and tragically died”. She added: “The only thing worse would have been if one survived without the other.” READ MORE
