Uphill battle for firefighters working to tame relentless Glass Fire

NAPA, Calif. (KTVU) -  The fight against the Glass Fire's eastern flank took place uncomfortably close to Angwin, a population of about 3,400 and already under mandatory evacuation. 

It's largely an intense and relentless aerial battle pitting aircraft, including Air National Guard helicopters, against a fire that still could make its way to Angwin should conditions make it possible. 

Angwin is higher and a little further up the road from Deer Park which was destroyed by the fire coming upslope towards Angwin from below.

Evacuee John Abbott who lives in Angwin has already been staying in the valley for the last three days.

 "Monday, afternoon, about noon, it went to a mandatory evacuation. There were sheriff's deputies. There were CDF trucks on the road blasting the sirens on intercoms announcing the situation and they came door to door," he said. 

Many cars were left behind, huddled in shopping areas and school parking lots,  to hopefully avoid incineration. 

"It's a really hearty community and these people are there to stay and they live there because they like it there and they're willing to put up with inconveniences and things but you've got to give them some kind of a situation they can handle," said Abbott.

On the valley floor, St. Helena, a population of roughly 6,100, was without electricity until Wednesday due to fire damage to power equipment. The city remains under an evacuation warning and almost no businesses are open. 

"We would love to have some business, but it's not safe for our employees and some of our employees are evacuated," said St. Helena business owner 
Larry Heit. 

It's just one more burden in a half-decade full of burdens. 

"We'll get through this and we just want our friends to be safe but, you know, it's just disheartening," said Heit. 

Calistoga, which was already a ghost town under partial evacuation, saw its mandatory leave orders widen.

If it weren't for mutual aid, the fight against these wildfires would be hopeless. 

 "Why aren't we deploying more planes to get on these things early so they won't become these catastrophes? It seems like we're light on airplanes and I've heard reports that we are," said Abbott.

With so many massive wildfires, climate change seems to have overwhelmed all existing resources signaling the need for more— and soon.