This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/28/us/california-fires-getty-kincade-tick-sonoma-county.html
The article has changed 20 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| California Fire Updates: Getty Fire Forces Evacuations in West Los Angeles as Kincade Fire Burns | California Fire Updates: Getty Fire Forces Evacuations in West Los Angeles as Kincade Fire Burns |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Read Sunday’s updates on the fires, and sign up here for our California Today newsletter. | Read Sunday’s updates on the fires, and sign up here for our California Today newsletter. |
| Even as a new fire broke out in West Los Angeles, prompting evacuations, the Kincade fire continued to rage in the heart of Sonoma County, north of San Francisco. The blaze doubled in size during a 24-hour period, destroying nearly 100 buildings and testing an estimated 3,400 firefighters, public safety officials said Sunday night. | Even as a new fire broke out in West Los Angeles, prompting evacuations, the Kincade fire continued to rage in the heart of Sonoma County, north of San Francisco. The blaze doubled in size during a 24-hour period, destroying nearly 100 buildings and testing an estimated 3,400 firefighters, public safety officials said Sunday night. |
| The expansion brought the fire to nearly twice the size of San Francisco, which is 47 square miles — and it was continuing to grow. | The expansion brought the fire to nearly twice the size of San Francisco, which is 47 square miles — and it was continuing to grow. |
| The containment of the Kincade fire dropped from 10 percent to 5 percent from Saturday to Sunday night, according to Cal Fire, the state firefighting agency, which is expected to get a brief reprieve on Monday from high winds that have acted as a dangerous accelerant. More high winds are in the forecast Tuesday night into Wednesday. | The containment of the Kincade fire dropped from 10 percent to 5 percent from Saturday to Sunday night, according to Cal Fire, the state firefighting agency, which is expected to get a brief reprieve on Monday from high winds that have acted as a dangerous accelerant. More high winds are in the forecast Tuesday night into Wednesday. |
| The fire threatened 80,000 buildings across an expanding evacuation zone, which included a warning but not an order for part of neighboring Napa County. | The fire threatened 80,000 buildings across an expanding evacuation zone, which included a warning but not an order for part of neighboring Napa County. |
| Two firefighters sustained burns, one of whom was airlifted to U.C. Davis Medical Center, the authorities said. | Two firefighters sustained burns, one of whom was airlifted to U.C. Davis Medical Center, the authorities said. |
| Thomas Fuller, the San Francisco bureau chief of The New York Times, writes from his home in the East Bay. He lost power, along with hundreds of thousands of others. | |
| At my house 25 miles from San Francisco in the hills of the East Bay, I woke up this morning at 4:30, walked with a flashlight across a spaghetti tangle of extension cords in the hallway and slipped into the backyard to turn on the generator. Nothing works in the house without it. Across Northern California on Monday around two million people were out of power. Only some of us were lucky enough to have a fallback. | |
| As the Kincade fire in Wine Country forced the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people over the weekend, residents farther south scrambled to find gasoline. My neighbors messaged each other about which roads were safe to take to avoid the half-dozen spot fires that ignited in our area. In the town adjacent to mine, Lafayette, a fire destroyed a sports facility and threatened a hillside neighborhood. Another fire near the Carquinez Bridge shut down an interstate. At one point on Sunday, four fires were burning simultaneously within 20 miles of my house. | |
| On Monday morning the smell of smoke filled every room of my house. | |
| The ferocious winds that propelled the fires bent saplings in half and knocked down mature trees, blocking a road near my house and injuring several people at a farmers’ market in nearby Martinez. | |
| I’ve noticed that neighbors are using the word apocalyptic much more casually these days. The winds, which in some cases reached hurricane-level speeds, added to a feeling of chaos and powerlessness. At night, neighborhoods without power look eerily uninhabited. | |
| We have taken for granted the convenience of flipping on a light switch or of checking email. In the bedroom communities of San Francisco and Silicon Valley the fires and blackouts have turned assumptions upside down. Pharmacies, supermarkets and restaurants are closed during the blackouts. On Sunday even the open space around us was closed — the regional park district announced it was off-limits because of extreme winds. We filled our bathtub after warnings that the water utility may need to shut down its pumps. One man said he had tried to go to six gas stations, all of them closed. | |
| The extraordinary is becoming routine. Pacific Gas & Electric says it may shut off power again this week, starting on Tuesday when strong winds are expected to return. | |
| Pacific Gas and Electric officials said the power company notified 500,000 customers in Northern California on Sunday that they might have their power shut off on Tuesday, with much of the same footprint affected as this weekend’s shut-offs. | Pacific Gas and Electric officials said the power company notified 500,000 customers in Northern California on Sunday that they might have their power shut off on Tuesday, with much of the same footprint affected as this weekend’s shut-offs. |
| Some customers might not have their power restored before the next shut-off, said Andy Vesey, the chief executive of PG&E, who said during a news conference Sunday night that public safety was paramount. | Some customers might not have their power restored before the next shut-off, said Andy Vesey, the chief executive of PG&E, who said during a news conference Sunday night that public safety was paramount. |
| “We look for the highest risk zones where we have the potential for catastrophic wildfire,” Mr. Vesey said. “We will not roll the dice when it comes to public safety.” | “We look for the highest risk zones where we have the potential for catastrophic wildfire,” Mr. Vesey said. “We will not roll the dice when it comes to public safety.” |
| Those potential shut-offs, which could affect 32 counties throughout the state, were announced within hours of the power cuts on Sunday that affected nearly 3 million people, the largest fire-prevention blackouts in California history. | Those potential shut-offs, which could affect 32 counties throughout the state, were announced within hours of the power cuts on Sunday that affected nearly 3 million people, the largest fire-prevention blackouts in California history. |
| The new round would be the fourth time this month that the company has intentionally turned off electricity to large numbers of customers, some of whom had power for only a few hours between earlier blackouts. | The new round would be the fourth time this month that the company has intentionally turned off electricity to large numbers of customers, some of whom had power for only a few hours between earlier blackouts. |
| PG&E’s policy of pre-emptively cutting power in the hope of preventing its lines and equipment from causing fires — as has happened several times in recent years — has angered customers, regulators and politicians. Leaders in the Democratic-controlled State Senate have organized a panel to review PG&E’s actions. | PG&E’s policy of pre-emptively cutting power in the hope of preventing its lines and equipment from causing fires — as has happened several times in recent years — has angered customers, regulators and politicians. Leaders in the Democratic-controlled State Senate have organized a panel to review PG&E’s actions. |
| Mr. Vesey said he had spoken to customers whose power had been shut off at a community resource center set up by the utility and acknowledged their discontent. | Mr. Vesey said he had spoken to customers whose power had been shut off at a community resource center set up by the utility and acknowledged their discontent. |
| “You’re right — what we do is not popular,” Mr. Vesey said during a news conference on Sunday night. “I will not tell you that people congratulated us. People are angry.” | “You’re right — what we do is not popular,” Mr. Vesey said during a news conference on Sunday night. “I will not tell you that people congratulated us. People are angry.” |
| [The New York Times has photographers on the ground documenting the Kincade fire and the struggle to contain it. Follow their work here. ] | [The New York Times has photographers on the ground documenting the Kincade fire and the struggle to contain it. Follow their work here. ] |
| As ash rained down and evacuation sirens sounded south of Windsor, a town where all residents have been ordered to leave, Cameron Dailey jumped on the hood of a pickup truck and craned his neck to see which way the fire was blowing. | As ash rained down and evacuation sirens sounded south of Windsor, a town where all residents have been ordered to leave, Cameron Dailey jumped on the hood of a pickup truck and craned his neck to see which way the fire was blowing. |
| Mr. Dailey, 29 — a sous chef at Tips Roadside, a restaurant outside Santa Rosa — and some fellow employees spent the long and unpredictable weekend helping to run a generator-powered food truck near the fire line, serving burritos filled with tri-tip steak and pico de gallo to exhausted firefighters. | Mr. Dailey, 29 — a sous chef at Tips Roadside, a restaurant outside Santa Rosa — and some fellow employees spent the long and unpredictable weekend helping to run a generator-powered food truck near the fire line, serving burritos filled with tri-tip steak and pico de gallo to exhausted firefighters. |
| “I’m down to keep cooking,” Mr. Dailey said on Sunday as fire engines and sheriffs’ S.U.V.s raced past with their lights on. “Just tell me where to go.” | “I’m down to keep cooking,” Mr. Dailey said on Sunday as fire engines and sheriffs’ S.U.V.s raced past with their lights on. “Just tell me where to go.” |
| Mr. Dailey and his co-workers still had power at home in the cities of Sonoma and Santa Rosa, but the situation was deteriorating in towns farther north. | Mr. Dailey and his co-workers still had power at home in the cities of Sonoma and Santa Rosa, but the situation was deteriorating in towns farther north. |
| California National Guard troops, activated to help with the fire response, joined sheriffs’ deputies at some evacuation checkpoints near Windsor. Tan Humvees and soldiers in fatigues could be seen blocking some roads leading into the smoke-shrouded hills above the town. Streets that had been jammed with evacuation traffic on Saturday were mostly deserted by Sunday afternoon, though there were still cars parked in many driveways. | California National Guard troops, activated to help with the fire response, joined sheriffs’ deputies at some evacuation checkpoints near Windsor. Tan Humvees and soldiers in fatigues could be seen blocking some roads leading into the smoke-shrouded hills above the town. Streets that had been jammed with evacuation traffic on Saturday were mostly deserted by Sunday afternoon, though there were still cars parked in many driveways. |
| A fast-moving brush fire broke out early Monday morning on the western side of Los Angeles, resulting in mandatory evacuations west of the 405 freeway. | A fast-moving brush fire broke out early Monday morning on the western side of Los Angeles, resulting in mandatory evacuations west of the 405 freeway. |
| “What started out as an approximate 50-acre fire has now grown into 250 and growing,” Capt. Erik Scott, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said at a news conference shortly before 5 a.m., local time, adding that about 500 firefighters were battling the flames on the ground and in the air. | “What started out as an approximate 50-acre fire has now grown into 250 and growing,” Capt. Erik Scott, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said at a news conference shortly before 5 a.m., local time, adding that about 500 firefighters were battling the flames on the ground and in the air. |
| The Getty fire prompted an emergency declaration from Mayor Eric M. Garcetti of Los Angeles. Evacuations affected homes in neighborhoods including Brentwood, Mountaingate and West Los Angeles. More than 10,000 residential and commercial structures were placed under mandatory evacuation orders. | |
| [A 2017 fire near the Getty Museum destroyed six homes and damaged many others in 2017. Read about it here and here.] | [A 2017 fire near the Getty Museum destroyed six homes and damaged many others in 2017. Read about it here and here.] |
| Among the evacuees was the Los Angeles Lakers’ forward LeBron James. “Had to emergency evacuate my house and I’ve been driving around with my family trying to get rooms,” he said in a tweet. | Among the evacuees was the Los Angeles Lakers’ forward LeBron James. “Had to emergency evacuate my house and I’ve been driving around with my family trying to get rooms,” he said in a tweet. |
| Captain Scott said the Getty Center, a billion-dollar complex in Los Angeles that houses an art museum with works by Rembrandt, van Gogh, Monet and Degas, was not immediately threatened by the blaze. | |
| [Read about why the Getty Center, with its extensive art collection, stays put despite its location in a fire-prone area.] | |
| He added that at least two homes had been damaged by the Getty fire, and that no injuries had been reported. He added that the flames were moving west. As of 6:15 a.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an update, the “dynamic fire” had grown to 400 acres. | |
| Adam Sobel, an atmospheric scientist and director of the Initiative on Extreme Weather and Climate at Columbia University, gives an explanation: | Adam Sobel, an atmospheric scientist and director of the Initiative on Extreme Weather and Climate at Columbia University, gives an explanation: |
| This increasingly awful fall fire season follows hard on the previous two, in 2017 and 2018, both of which were worse than any in recent memory. Some of the same regions, and people, are being affected repeatedly in quick succession. Psychic trauma is surely compounded significantly for these residents, not to mention the firefighters on the front lines. | This increasingly awful fall fire season follows hard on the previous two, in 2017 and 2018, both of which were worse than any in recent memory. Some of the same regions, and people, are being affected repeatedly in quick succession. Psychic trauma is surely compounded significantly for these residents, not to mention the firefighters on the front lines. |
| How should California residents think about the future, when the present is, suddenly and persistently, not only far outside their prior experience, but also, in its scale and velocity at least, beyond what science had predicted? | How should California residents think about the future, when the present is, suddenly and persistently, not only far outside their prior experience, but also, in its scale and velocity at least, beyond what science had predicted? |
| It’s an increasingly common experience, occurring with other kinds of events as well. Heavy rain events are becoming heavier around the world, but known climate trends can’t explain the repeated 500-or-more-year floods that Houston has seen in the last few years. | It’s an increasingly common experience, occurring with other kinds of events as well. Heavy rain events are becoming heavier around the world, but known climate trends can’t explain the repeated 500-or-more-year floods that Houston has seen in the last few years. |
| In the case of the increasingly frequent wildfire disasters in California, I argued the other day that they have multiple causes: poor maintenance by PG&E, expanded human settlement at the margins of fire-prone woodlands, and global warming. But I don’t think any of them explains either the suddenness or the persistence of the change that Californians have experienced in the last three years. | In the case of the increasingly frequent wildfire disasters in California, I argued the other day that they have multiple causes: poor maintenance by PG&E, expanded human settlement at the margins of fire-prone woodlands, and global warming. But I don’t think any of them explains either the suddenness or the persistence of the change that Californians have experienced in the last three years. |
| When it comes to the weather, and the climate, my views here are strongly informed by discussions with my colleague Park Williams, an expert on wildfire and climate whose research is directly relevant. That research shows that the area burned by fires each year in the summer months has increased drastically, and this is consistent with the influence expected from global warming. | When it comes to the weather, and the climate, my views here are strongly informed by discussions with my colleague Park Williams, an expert on wildfire and climate whose research is directly relevant. That research shows that the area burned by fires each year in the summer months has increased drastically, and this is consistent with the influence expected from global warming. |
| But, as explained by Dr. Williams in his recent research article, and in The Times on Friday, the headline-making fires of the last three years have all occurred in fall. In that season, temperature has a role, but other factors are likely to be more important — first and foremost, the dry Diablo and Santa Ana winds. | |
| Those are mainly fall and winter phenomena, and clearly critical factors in the recent and current fires. But these winds are actually projected to occur less frequently as the climate warms (with no clear trend yet apparent in the observations). So the fires may be attributable to weather, but the most critical aspect of the weather isn’t directly attributable to human activity — nor, as far as I can tell, to any other, identifiable, larger cause. | Those are mainly fall and winter phenomena, and clearly critical factors in the recent and current fires. But these winds are actually projected to occur less frequently as the climate warms (with no clear trend yet apparent in the observations). So the fires may be attributable to weather, but the most critical aspect of the weather isn’t directly attributable to human activity — nor, as far as I can tell, to any other, identifiable, larger cause. |
| So what is going on? | So what is going on? |
| My guess is that the best scientific answer goes something like this. The sparking might have gotten worse over time. But more important, in the last three years, it has encountered the hot, dry downslope winds markedly more often. And global warming is probably making those winds a little hotter, but the wind events themselves, the most important proximate causes, may well be only explainable, ultimately, as “natural variability.” That means they are inherently unpredictable. Bad luck, in other words. If this is true, it would suggest a decent chance that next year shouldn’t be as bad. | My guess is that the best scientific answer goes something like this. The sparking might have gotten worse over time. But more important, in the last three years, it has encountered the hot, dry downslope winds markedly more often. And global warming is probably making those winds a little hotter, but the wind events themselves, the most important proximate causes, may well be only explainable, ultimately, as “natural variability.” That means they are inherently unpredictable. Bad luck, in other words. If this is true, it would suggest a decent chance that next year shouldn’t be as bad. |
| Or maybe the causes are in principle knowable, but current science just doesn’t know them. Maybe climate change is proceeding more rapidly and dangerously than we understand. But it’s good to understand what the limits of our knowledge are. That should keep us humble about our place on the earth. | |
| Reporting was contributed by Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Ivan Penn, Jacey Fortin and Lauren Hepler. | Reporting was contributed by Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Ivan Penn, Jacey Fortin and Lauren Hepler. |