Wildfires close 2 hospitals in Northern California

Ayla Ellison -

Firefighters are battling more than a dozen wildfires across Northern California that forced more than 20,000 people to evacuate the region.

The fires, most of which ignited Sunday evening, were burning more than 119,000 acres as of Monday night, according to CNN. The devastation was severe in Santa Rosa, Calif., where two hospitals were forced to shut down.

Sutter Santa Rosa (Calif.) Regional Hospital and Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa (Calif.) Medical Center were forced to evacuate Monday morning due to the fires. Seventy patients were transferred from Sutter Santa Rosa and 130 patients were moved from Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa to several other area hospitals.

Kaiser said its hospital in Santa Rosa was closed Monday and all prescheduled procedures and appointments for Tuesday are cancelled. Kaiser's pharmacies in Napa, Calif., and Santa Rosa are also closed.

Sutter Santa Rosa also shut down Monday. "Due to road closures, Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital is inaccessible at this time. We're coordinating our efforts with local emergency officials, and we'll continue to share more information as it becomes available," said Sutter Health President and CEO Sarah Krevans Monday evening in a message to employees. The hospital remains inaccessible and all surgeries scheduled through Tuesday have been cancelled.

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