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'You can't fight this': California wildfires force historic evacuation in Sonoma county 'You can't fight this': California wildfires force historic evacuation in Sonoma county
(about 3 hours later)
Howling winds tore through California’s wine country Saturday night and into the morning, fueling a destructive wildfire that forced at least 180,000 people to evacuate. Thousands of firefighters in northern California battled to control wildfires fueled by howling el diablo winds, the largest of which forced at least 185,000 people to evacuate their homes.
Meanwhile, an estimated 3 million people were left without power as the state’s largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), began shutting off power around 5pm Saturday in an attempt to keep wind-toppled wires from sparking additional fires. Meanwhile, more than 2 million people were left without power as the state’s largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), shut off power in an attempt to keep wind-toppled electrical wires from sparking additional fires.
Nearly all of Sonoma county – encompassing a huge swath of wine country stretching from the inland community of Healdsburg west to the coast – fell under evacuation orders and warnings, as the Kincade fire grew to nearly 47 square mile. It’s the largest evacuation order “anyone at the Sheriff’s office can remember,” the Sonoma county sheriff’s department said. 'It's like I'm in hell': how it feels to flee a wildfire outside Los Angeles
Thousands of firefighters were trying to beat the blaze, which began moving towards the towns of Healdsburg and Windsor Saturday night. The fire has destroyed several structures, including wineries in the Alexander Valley. The California governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday declared a statewide emergency, as fire crews worked to control the Kincade fire in California’s wine country and a smaller blaze in the city of Vallejo bedeviled commuters.
The fire and massive evacuation were driven by a “historic” wind event that meterologists had warned of leading up to the weekend. The seasonal winds, called “el diablo” winds in northern California, tore through Sonoma county at 90mph on Saturday night, tossing embers erratically and making fire containment ever more challenging for responders. Nearly all of Sonoma county fell under evacuation orders and warnings as the Kincade fire grew to nearly 47 square mile and threatened the towns of Healdsburg and Windsor.
Reports of smaller fires emerging were expected to continue throughout the day on Sunday, as winds were forecasted to remain strong. By Sunday afternoon, the Kincade fire had destroyed more than 30 homes and more than 40 other structures, including several wineries in the Alexander Valley.
About 90,000 people had already been under mandatory evacuation on Saturday, but authorities expanded the evacuation zone overnight as the fire spread. The city of Healdsburg told its residents in an alert around 3am: “Winds have picked up and fire activity has significantly increased and heading our way. LEAVE NOW.” The evacuation order was the largest “anyone at the Sheriff’s office can remember,” the Sonoma county sheriff’s department said on Sunday.
“We don’t take this lightly,” Sonoma county sheriff Mark Essick said. “We believe this the right decision for Sonoma county.
The unprecedented evacuations had started on Saturday, when about 90,000 people were placed under mandatory evacuation. Authorities expanded the evacuation zone overnight as the fire spread, and again on Sunday morning.
The Sonoma county sheriff pleaded with residents in the evacuation zone to get out immediately. “You cannot fight this. Please evacuate,” Mark Essick said.The Sonoma county sheriff pleaded with residents in the evacuation zone to get out immediately. “You cannot fight this. Please evacuate,” Mark Essick said.
The new evacuations forced residents who had taken shelter in earlier established evacuation centers to move again. Officials were now setting up centers an hour’s distance away in neighboring counties – in one instance, across the bay. Hundreds of people arrived at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa throughout the night and into Sunday morning. Some came from senior care facilities. More than 300 people slept inside an auditorium filled with cots and wheeled beds. Scores of others stayed in a separate building with their pets.
The new evacuation orders also included parts of Santa Rosa, a city of 175,000 that was devastated by a wildfire two years ago. The Tubbs fire killed more than 20 people and left entire neighborhoods of the city scorched. The evacuations on Sunday forced some residents who had taken shelter in earlier established evacuation centers to move again, with officials setting up centers an hour’s distance away in neighboring counties – in one instance, across the bay.
Sunday’s evacuation orders also included parts of Santa Rosa, a city of 175,000 that was devastated by a wildfire two years ago. The Tubbs fire killed more than 20 people and left entire neighborhoods of the city scorched.
On Sunday morning, the wind was spreading dry autumn leaves and oily shreds of eucalyptus through the city’s downtown.On Sunday morning, the wind was spreading dry autumn leaves and oily shreds of eucalyptus through the city’s downtown.
Many residents of the Coffey park neighborhood had evacuated by Sunday morning but Ken Herland stood outside watering his yard and the new wooden fence around it.Many residents of the Coffey park neighborhood had evacuated by Sunday morning but Ken Herland stood outside watering his yard and the new wooden fence around it.
Herland has only lived in this house since July. His home burned down in the north Bay fires in 2017. “We just put a new metal roof on the house, he said. “I’m not leaving. I left the last time.” But, he said, “this time feels worse.”Herland has only lived in this house since July. His home burned down in the north Bay fires in 2017. “We just put a new metal roof on the house, he said. “I’m not leaving. I left the last time.” But, he said, “this time feels worse.”
His daughter Jessica evacuated the horses at her ranch by the Pepperwood Preserve, which by Sunday was burning in places. She watched a neighbor’s video of the fire on her phone. “The ranch isn’t on fire yet,” she reported back. “So far we’re looking good. I’ll be helpful until they tell me not to.” His daughter Jessica evacuated the horses at her ranch by the Pepperwood Preserve, which by Sunday was burning in places. She watched a neighbor’s video of the fire on her phone. “The ranch isn’t on fire yet,” she reported back. “So far we’re looking good. I’ll be hopeful until they tell me not to.”
Evacuations also hit inmates at the North County Detention Facility in Santa Rosa and about 100 patients at a Santa Rosa hospital. It’s unclear when people would be able to return to their homes. Although winds had slightly eased on Sunday morning, they were expected to remain fierce throughout the day.
There are no reports of casualties so far. On Saturday, a firefighter shielded two people from flames with his fire shelter and all three were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, Cal Fire said.
'Potentially historic': dangerous winds expected as fires burn across California'Potentially historic': dangerous winds expected as fires burn across California
Concern that gusts could knock down power lines and spark devastating wildfires prompted two blackouts in recent weeks, and moved PG&E to once again cut power to millions of people across the state. A fast-moving fire burning in Vallejo, a community north-east of San Francisco, forced the California Highway Patrol to shut down interstate traffic in both directions on Sunday and threatened the campus of the 1,200 student Maritime Academy. Dramatic footage from the fire shared on networks and social media showed flames raging near the Carquinez bridge.
PG&E said the new wave of blackouts was affecting about a million homes and businesses in 36 counties for 48 hours or longer. Fire in Vallejo has burnt down to the water. There are Maritime Academy personnel actively fighting the fire. Fire burning actively under the Carquinez Bridge.#BREAKING #EMERGENCY #FIRE #Vallejo pic.twitter.com/BYbCbWnkgW
The Bay area and points along northern Sierra Nevada foothills and California’s north coast region fell under particular risk for wildfires, Daniel Swain, climate scientist with UCLA and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, told the Los Angeles Times – particularly unusual because the area is typically one of the state’s wettest. The fire and massive evacuation were driven by a “historic” wind event that meterologists had warned of leading up to the weekend. The seasonal winds, called “el diablo” winds in northern California, tore through Sonoma county at 90mph on Saturday night, tossing embers erratically and making fire containment ever more challenging for responders.
“This is the kind of event that makes me personally nervous, as somebody who has friends and family living in the fire zones in the Bay Area, and I don’t say that about all the events,” Swain said. “I’ve been in the business 30 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Steve Anderson, a forecaster in the San Francisco office of the National Weather Service.
The Department of Homeland Security said on Friday it would not look to enforce immigration efforts during California wildfire evacuations and relief efforts unless holding back on detaining someone would pose a serious public safety threat. A special kind of hell: fires, smoke and heat turn LA into a deadly paradise
What sparked the current fires is unknown, but PG&E said a 230,000-volt transmission line near Geyserville malfunctioned minutes before that blaze erupted on Wednesday night. “Just the sheer intensity and the sustained duration of the winds. Not only does it carry sparks at least a mile but winds at these speeds pushes embers along the ground,” he said.
Anderson noted that during the 2017 wildfire season, which until that point had been the most destructive on record, gusting winds reached 90mph and lasted for four to six hours. In this case, winds have blown between 80 to 90mph for the past 12 hours, and were expected to continue for through most of the afternoon, he said Sunday morning.
In an incident that highlighted the ferocity of the blaze, Cal Fire said a firefighter and two civilians were overrun by the flames in Sonoma on Saturday, forcing the firefighter to shield the civilians with his fire shelter. All three were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, Cal Fire said.
Concerns about the winds prompted the utility company PG&E to cut power to more than a million homes in northern California, just two weeks after the company had imposed an earlier round of blackouts.
PG&E said the new blackouts were affecting about a million homes and businesses in 36 counties for 48 hours or longer.
Authorities have not yet confirmed what sparked the Kincade fire, but PG&E said a 230,000-volt transmission line near Geyserville malfunctioned minutes before that blaze erupted on Wednesday night.
The utility acknowledged a tower malfunction prompted a strategy change for determining when to kill high-voltage transmission lines, Andrew Vesey, chief executive of PG&E, said Friday.The utility acknowledged a tower malfunction prompted a strategy change for determining when to kill high-voltage transmission lines, Andrew Vesey, chief executive of PG&E, said Friday.
“Any spark, from any source, can lead to catastrophic results,” Vesey said. “We do not want to become one of those sources.”“Any spark, from any source, can lead to catastrophic results,” Vesey said. “We do not want to become one of those sources.”
The possible link between the wine country fire and a PG&E transmission line contained grim parallels to last year when most of the town of Paradise burned, killing more than 80 people in the deadliest wildfire in a century. State officials concluded a PG&E transmission line sparked that fire.The possible link between the wine country fire and a PG&E transmission line contained grim parallels to last year when most of the town of Paradise burned, killing more than 80 people in the deadliest wildfire in a century. State officials concluded a PG&E transmission line sparked that fire.
In southern California, a wildfire on Thursday destroyed 18 structures in the Santa Clarita area north of Los Angeles. Nearly all the 50,000 residents ordered to evacuate because of the Tick fire were allowed back home after Santa Ana winds began to ease.In southern California, a wildfire on Thursday destroyed 18 structures in the Santa Clarita area north of Los Angeles. Nearly all the 50,000 residents ordered to evacuate because of the Tick fire were allowed back home after Santa Ana winds began to ease.
“It has become normal for us,” said Brenda Taylor, 46, on Friday after evacuating her home because of the Tick fire. She estimated that her family has had to evacuate eight or nine times due to fires in the last two decades. “This is life out here,” she said.“It has become normal for us,” said Brenda Taylor, 46, on Friday after evacuating her home because of the Tick fire. She estimated that her family has had to evacuate eight or nine times due to fires in the last two decades. “This is life out here,” she said.
Sheriff’s officials said human remains were found within the wide burn area, but it’s unclear if the death is connected to the blaze.Sheriff’s officials said human remains were found within the wide burn area, but it’s unclear if the death is connected to the blaze.
The Tick fire was 55% contained. Winds in southern California are expected to pick up on Sunday night, the weather service said.The Tick fire was 55% contained. Winds in southern California are expected to pick up on Sunday night, the weather service said.
CaliforniaCalifornia
WildfiresWildfires
Natural disasters and extreme weatherNatural disasters and extreme weather
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