(CNN) Several thousand more people were ordered Saturday to evacuate from the Northern California city of Santa Rosa as a new wildfire threatened the area, six days after deadly blazes started to devastate the region.

Police said evacuations were ordered Saturday morning for areas in northeastern Santa Rosa, a city of about 175,000 people roughly 50 miles northwest of San Francisco.

A large part of the city was evacuated earlier when wildfires began tearing through Northern California on October 8. Since then, at least 39 people have died, including 22 in Sonoma County , where Santa Rosa is located.

REPEAT: MANDATORY EVACUATION as of 4:45am All areas & roads north and south off of HWY 12 between Adobe Canyon Rd & Calistoga Rd #NunsFire pic.twitter.com/haMTwc8Unk

The exact number of new evacuations wasn't immediately available, but California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Amy Head said several thousand people in that part of Santa Rosa are being told to leave their homes.

The blaze threatening Santa Rosa was a new fire that erupted Friday along state Highway 12 between two other wildfires that have been burning for days.

Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey told CNN Saturday that firefighters "have a handle" on the fire.

"The fire that you're seeing today is in wildland areas," he said. "It's threatening the city but it's not blowing through the city like we saw the other night. ... There's no cause for alarm but there is cause for some vigilance and preparedness."

Several thousand people were evacuated when winds picked up Friday night, he said. But the winds had dissipated by Saturday.

"It's a difficult situation," he said. "It's not one for folks in Santa Rosa to be alarmed right now."

Fires ravaged parts of Santa Rosa earlier this week, reducing neighborhoods to ash and twisted metal.

The wind-driven fires have been fast and ruthless, shifting without much notice and destroying thousands of structures. They spread so fast on the first night, many residents and first responders were caught off guard.

The outbreak of wildfires has become one of the deadliest in the state history, according to Cal Fire. More than 200 people have been reported missing since the fires began.

Deputies dodge flames

Newly released body camera footage shows a Sonoma County deputy racing to help residents flee the fire on the first night, surrounded by flying embers.

"Sir, you gotta go," the deputy shouts.

The deputy drives through neighborhoods with trees engulfed in flames as clouds of hot ash hit the windshield of his patrol car.

"I gotta get out of here," the deputy says. "I'm in a bad spot."

The deputy was among 15 law enforcement officers going door-to-door in Sonoma County urging people to evacuate Sunday and Monday, CNN affiliate KPIX reported.

"The video really tells the story of how dangerous and how difficult the event was," Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano said Friday. "It is not over. Stay away from the houses and understand the severity of what this fire can do."

😔 Day 6 A post shared by Luis ✈️🌎🇲🇽 (@luiscon3) on Oct 14, 2017 at 8:41am PDT

Grim stories have emerged of desperate attempts to save people.

Many of the dead were so badly burned, their bodies were reduced to ash and bones. In some cases, authorities have used dental records, fingerprints, tattoos and serial numbers on hip implants to identify victims.

"We've been forced to work that direction because we may not have enough information to identify people because of the ... severity of the burn," Giordano said Thursday.

Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Aerial images showing parts of Sonoma and Napa County that have been hit by wildfires. Hide Caption 1 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Colby Clark, left, comforts her mother, Bonnie Trexler, after law enforcement escorted them to Trexler's home in Napa, California, to retrieve medicine and personal items on Wednesday, October 11. Trexler was one of the lucky few in her neighborhood whose home was spared. Deadly wildfires have been tearing through the state, destroying homes and businesses and prompting evacuation orders. Hide Caption 2 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Highway Patrol officers go door to door to ask Sonoma residents to evacuate their homes as a wildfire approaches on October 11. Hide Caption 3 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Homes are destroyed in the Coffey Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa on October 11. Hide Caption 4 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California The sign of a Firestone store malfunctions in Santa Rosa on Tuesday, October 10. Hide Caption 5 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Damaged winemaking vats and tanks stand in ashes and debris at the Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa. Hide Caption 6 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Smoke clouds the sun from wildfires burning in Santa Rosa and Napa Valley on October 10. Hide Caption 7 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Mary Caughey, center in blue, reacts after finding her wedding ring in the remains of her home in Kenwood on October 10. Hide Caption 8 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Puddles of melted metal trail away from a burned-out car near Napa on October 10. Hide Caption 9 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California A TV cameraman inches closer to a burning building at a winery in Napa Valley on Monday, October 9. Hide Caption 10 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California A firefighting plane helps battle a blaze just north of Tustin on October 9. Hide Caption 11 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California A historic barn burns in Santa Rosa on October 9. Hide Caption 12 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California The Santa Rosa Hilton Hotel burns to the ground on October 9. Hide Caption 13 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Jim Stites watches as part of his neighborhood burns in Fountaingrove on October 9. Hide Caption 14 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Fire burns from an open gas valve near the pool area of a Santa Rosa trailer park on October 9. Hide Caption 15 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California A man rushes to save his house as a wildfire moves through Glen Ellen on October 9. Hide Caption 16 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Kristine Pond searches what's left of her family's home in Santa Rosa on October 9. Hide Caption 17 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Police cars block State Route 241 as smoke rises above Orange on October 9. Hide Caption 18 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California A firefighter douses flames in Santa Rosa on October 9. Hide Caption 19 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California A woman moves horses in Orange as strong Santa Ana winds blow smoke from the Canyon 2 fire toward them on October 9. Hide Caption 20 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California A firefighter douses flames at a home in Anaheim on October 9. Hide Caption 21 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Traffic backs up as people flee Orange on October 9. Hide Caption 22 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Santa Rosa residents sift through the remains of a burned home on October 9. Hide Caption 23 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California The remains of fire-damaged homes and cars smolder at a Santa Rosa trailer park on October 9. Hide Caption 24 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California A tent structure built for the Safeway Open golf tournament burns in Napa on October 9. Hide Caption 25 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Fire consumes a barn in Glen Ellen on October 9. Hide Caption 26 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Smoke rises in the hills east of Napa on October 9. Hide Caption 27 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California A man passes a burning house in Napa on October 9. Hide Caption 28 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California The remains of fire-damaged homes are seen in Glen Ellen on October 9. Hide Caption 29 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California A wildfire burns behind the Sonoma Raceway on October 9. Hide Caption 30 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California A building burns in Napa on October 9. Hide Caption 31 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Flames overtake a building in the Napa wine region on October 9. Hide Caption 32 of 33 Photos: Wildfires blaze in California Two women hug as they watch houses burn in Santa Rosa on October 9. Hide Caption 33 of 33

Dangerous winds

A firefighting force of more than 10,000 has made progress battling the blazes, but strong winds Saturday could create new problems.

"We are very concerned about what can potentially happen over the weekend," the National Weather Service said.

Forecasters said winds of 30 to 40 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph, could challenge the firefighters' gains.

The 50,000-plus acre Atlas fire in Napa and Solano counties was 45% contained Saturday morning -- up from 3% two days earlier. The 46,000-plus acre Nuns fire in Sonoma County was 10% contained.

At least 16 wildfires have burned more than 214,000 acres throughout California, and if any new fires start, officials said they can spread rapidly. Already, about 100,000 people have been evacuated from the fires, which have destroyed an estimated 5,700 structures.

Gov. Jerry Brown and U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris toured areas in northern California hit by fires on Saturday.

At a news conference, Brown called the fires one of the greatest tragedies ever faced by Californians. Feinstein promised to seek additional funding for people affected by the fires.

Brown also announced the White House approved California's request for aid to residents of Butte, Lake, Mendocino and Yuba counties who suffered losses. The same aid was made available Friday to residents of Napa and Sonoma counties.

The state also secured funding to help Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Solano, Sonoma and Yuba counties remove debris and take emergency protective measures, Brown said in a statement.

Searching through rubble

Cadaver dogs and searchers have been going through what was left of a mobile home park in Santa Rosa, where 2,800 residences were destroyed earlier this week.

"We start with a bedroom because this fire occurred at night; we think a lot of people were in their bedrooms," Sonoma County Sheriff's Office spokesman Spencer Crum told CNN affiliate KOVR in Sacramento.

Crews search through debris this week in a Santa Rosa neighborhood destroyed by fire.

Crews inspected the debris, combing through wheelchairs, mattresses and pieces of metal trying to identify bodies.

"The searchers have a hard time. ... I mean, we're all humans. ... It's hard to come over here day after day after day," Crum said.

Woman dies while hiding in swimming pool

A couple stayed in the pool of their Santa Rosa hilltop rental house for hours as the fire raged around them. Once the fires finally passed, Armando Berriz climbed out but his wife, Carmen, didn't make it.

The couple had been celebrating their birthdays by the pool, playing games and swapping stories with relatives. When the flames surrounded the house at night, they took a car and tried to leave, but a tree fell, blocking the road.

When they couldn't go any farther, they exited the vehicle and made their way back up the ridge to the house. They jumped into the pool to escape the heat.

"It wasn't until close to dawn that my mom's breath didn't have the stamina to make it any more," their daughter, Monica Ocon, told CNN.