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Kincade Fire in Sonoma County Threatens to Grow as Winds Pick Up PG&E to Shut Off Power for Nearly 1 Million Customers as Californians Flee Fires
(about 1 hour later)
HEALDSBURG, Calif. — Rising smoke in late October is a familiar sight for Cristian Calvillo, who on Friday afternoon was nearing the 24-hour mark as a Red Cross volunteer at an evacuation center in Sonoma County, Calif. HEALDSBURG, Calif. — Officials said Saturday that they would be shutting off power for almost a million customers in Northern California amid fears that the Kincade Fire would spread because of intensifying winds. They also issued a mandatory evacuation order for about 50,000 residents in Sonoma County.
Mr. Calvillo, 19, and his family had to evacuate during the Wine Country fires in 2017, which inspired him to prepare to help others during another disaster. The power shut-off by PG&E, an attempt to avoid more fires, would be the largest for a wildfire prevention measure in California history. The utility said shut-offs to 940,000 homes and businesses — which could affect millions of people — would begin on Saturday afternoon and last as long as two days.
Now smoke is once again choking the region, where the Kincade Fire has consumed 25,455 acres, with residents and firefighters bracing for winds forecast to reach 80 miles per hour on Saturday night. The utility Pacific Gas and Electric has announced plans to cut power to as many as 850,000 customers to try to prevent more fires, beginning on Saturday afternoon and lasting as long as two days. Cal Fire officials said on Saturday that by preparing for the “worst-case scenario,” they were hoping to avoid the devastation that the Tubbs Fire wrought in the region in 2017, killing 22 people and destroying 5,600 buildings.
“It’s scary,” Mr. Calvillo said. “It’s not too long ago, what happened, and now they’re back in the same situation moving out of their houses. Some people will lose their houses.” “This is a life-threatening situation and a danger to our entire town,” said Dominic Foppoli, the mayor of the Town of Windsor, which is about 60 miles north of San Francisco and whose nearly 28,000 residents were ordered to evacuate. Officials also ordered the evacuations of all 12,000 residents of Healdsburg, a nearby city.
The Kincade blaze started Wednesday and has been fueled by the steep topography of the densely forested area. It was 10 percent contained on Saturday morning and has forced 2,000 people to evacuate. The Kincade blaze, which has consumed 25,455 acres, started Wednesday and has been fueled by the steep topography of the densely forested area. It was 10 percent contained on Saturday morning and had forced 2,000 people to evacuate earlier in the week.
Depending on the direction of offshore winds, more populated areas could be at risk, said Jonathan Cox, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Strong winds from the north, he said, could threaten areas further south, including Healdsburg, a town of 12,000 people across the Russian River. Winds are forecast to reach 80 miles per hour and are expected to pick up Saturday evening, with some of the strongest winds blowing through between 3 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sunday.
“The task is monumental,” Mr. Cox said. “We are throwing as many resources as we can at it, but we also have to plan for the worst.” Anxiety was growing on Saturday, as local governments tried to calm those whose lights will go out — again — just as the sun begins to fade.
The planned power shut-off would be one of the largest yet, affecting what could be millions of people when accounting for shared addresses. Andy Vesey, PG&E’s chief executive for utility operations, said drought, dead trees, high winds and low humidity had combined for a potential disaster even more severe than some other recent fires. “You can imagine there’s frustration,” said Molly Rattigan, a spokeswoman for Napa County, where 9,500 utility customers could lose power. “For some of those impacted, this is the third time that their power will be turned off. The third time in two weeks.”
County officials have been trying to emphasize to residents that PG&E is calling the shots. The utility pre-emptively shut off power to more than 27,000 customers in Sonoma County this past week as part of an effort to prevent sparks from its equipment during dry and windy conditions. While a state investigation will be required to determine the cause of the Kincade Fire, the utility has said a transmission tower nearby malfunctioned shortly before it began.
Andy Vesey, PG&E’s chief executive for utility operations, said drought, dead trees, high winds and low humidity had combined for a potential disaster even more severe than some other recent fires.
“These places we all love have effectively become tinder boxes,” Mr. Vesey said. “This is an extraordinary change that we’re living through. At this moment it is part of our lives in California and part of keeping us safe.”“These places we all love have effectively become tinder boxes,” Mr. Vesey said. “This is an extraordinary change that we’re living through. At this moment it is part of our lives in California and part of keeping us safe.”
Some of the people who evacuated this past week were staying at the Red Cross shelter in Healdsburg, which volunteers said housed 156 people on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Some of the people who previously evacuated had stayed at a Red Cross shelter in Healdsburg, which volunteers said housed 156 people on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Emir Ruiz was one of the many workers from nearby vineyards who had come to the shelter with little more than a white trash bag holding some spare clothes.Emir Ruiz was one of the many workers from nearby vineyards who had come to the shelter with little more than a white trash bag holding some spare clothes.
By Friday afternoon, he also had a mask to help stave off the smoke. But Mr. Ruiz, who is from the Mexican state of Guanajuato, said he and his co-workers were unsure when they might be able to return to the home they left on Wednesday night. By Friday afternoon, he also had a mask to help stave off the smoke. But Mr. Ruiz, who is from the Mexican state of Guanajuato, said he and his co-workers were unsure when they might be able to return home.
“Right now we don’t know,” Mr. Ruiz said. “They’re telling us how the fire is developing, what’s happening up to each moment.” Cristian Calvillo, 19, was nearing the 24-hour mark as a Red Cross volunteer at the shelter on Friday. He and his family had to evacuate during the Wine Country fires in 2017, which inspired him to prepare to help others during another disaster.
This is the first California fire season for Cindy Gould, who is more familiar with tornadoes. She moved to Healdsburg from the Midwest last year for her husband’s job at a nearby hospital. The couple had not been ordered to evacuate as of Friday, but they were warned their power might be shut off Saturday night. “It’s scary,” Mr. Calvillo said. “It’s not too long ago, what happened, and now they’re back in the same situation moving out of their houses. Some people will lose their houses.”
“We have our to-go list ready,” Ms. Gould said. Lauren Hepler reported from Healdsburg, Calif., and Ivan Penn reported from Burbank, Calif. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contributed reporting from New York.
This past week, PG&E pre-emptively shut off power to more than 27,000 customers in Sonoma County as part of an effort to prevent sparks from its equipment during dry and windy conditions. While a state investigation will be required to determine the cause of the Kincade Fire, the utility has said a transmission tower nearby malfunctioned shortly before it began.
Ivan Penn contributed reporting from Burbank, Calif.