People in Northern California’s wine country were warned Tuesday they may need to leave “at a moment’s notice” as powerful winds threaten to bring more devastation to areas already ravaged by wildfires. Crews battling the massive Kincade Fire fear the wind could fan the flames.
“The danger has not passed yet,” Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick told reporters. “… Nothing is imminent right now, but I think anybody who lives in Sonoma County right now should be considering what they would do if a warning came or an evacuation order came, so I would encourage everyone to be prepared to go at a moment’s notice if things change.”
The wildfire has burned an area more than twice the size of San Francisco and destroyed nearly 60 homes. Six days after the fire first ignited, firefighters were scrambling to put out hot spots in hopes of getting an upper hand before wind gusts reaching as high as 50 mph kick up again, CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti reports.
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“The wind will carry burning materials sometimes miles ahead of the fire,” Cal Fire spokesman Rhett Pratt said, “so we’re having to go around and one by one deal with those and mitigate those dangers as they pop up, which is always a difficulty, it being dynamic and not just a set fire line.”
In Southern California, where high winds fueled the Getty Fire in the early morning hours Monday, authorities are manning their fire lines with additional personnel. Their concern is predicted gusts of up to 80 mph.
“I’ve asked my command staff to do everything possible to ensure that the line is as cold as possible before those winds kick up,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said. With the wind expected to pick up in Northern California, California’s largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, warned it could conduct its third power cut in less than a week; nearly 4 million people could be in the dark.
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Electrical malfunctions may have caused two fires
PG&E said two fires that broke out Sunday in Lafayette, less than 20 miles northeast of San Francisco, may have been caused by its own electrical malfunctions. Despite cutting power to more than 2.5 million people, the electricity was not turned off in the area because it wasn’t designated as high risk, CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti reports.
“If we did go into a mode where we wanted to prevent everything from happening, then we’d have to shut the whole system down, and that’s just not acceptable,” PG&E President and CEO Andy Vesey told reporters. The utility also said it failed to notify 23,000 customers — including 500 with medical conditions — before shutting off their power.
“We’re going to investigate all of this, and we’re going to make a determination as to culpability,” Governor Gavin Newsom told reporters.
Kincade Fire grows to over 75,000 acres
By 7 a.m. Tuesday, the Kincade Fire has grown to 75,415 acres, Cal Fire said on Twitter. The fire was 15% contained.
The blaze has destroyed 124 structures, the agency said, 57 of which were residential homes. Twenty-three others were damaged, and more than 90,000 were at risk.
The agency estimated that the fire will be contained by November 7, but spokesman Jonathan Cox said Monday that it could take “weeks if not months” to fully extinguish the flames.
Due to another wind event expected to begin Tuesday, more evacuation orders have been issued for residents on the eastern side of Sonoma County. A representative from the National Weather Service predicted winds of 20-30 mph.
Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick said that a few individuals entered an evacuation zone near Geyserville with “criminal intent.” Essick added that deputies made an arrest, and that the incident remains under investigation.
LeBron James evacuates house as Getty Fire erupts
The Getty Fire in Los Angeles has burned over 650 acres and was 5% contained, the city’s fire department said Tuesday. Several neighborhoods were under evacuation orders, and at least eight homes were destroyed, according to Mayor Eric Garcetti.
A video posted on social media by a motorist early Monday shows one side of Highway 405 was turned into a towering inferno, CBS News correspondent Carter Evans reports. One of those displaced from his home by the several fires burning near Los Angeles was Lakers star LeBron James.
He tweeted Monday morning he had to evacuate his home suddenly and was driving around trying to find a place to go with his family. He followed up later saying he finally found a safe place.
Senator Kamala Harris also said that her family in California had evacuated due to the wildfires.
Congressman says no “immigration enforcement” at shelters
A California congressman said undocumented immigrants should not be afraid to go to wildfire shelters. Congressman Jared Huffman told reporters Monday morning the Department of Homeland Security assured him there wouldn’t be any “immigration enforcement activity” at shelters.
“Everyone seeking services or shelter from the immigrant community should do so with confidence that there will not be immigration enforcement activity,” the Democrat said.
PG&E cuts power amid heightened fire risk
Pacific Gas & Electric said it was cutting power in 29 counties Tuesday due to the heightened fire risk. The counties affected are:
- Alameda
- Alpine
- Amador
- Butte
- Calaveras
- Contra Costa
- El Dorado
- Humboldt
- Kern
- Lake
- Marin
- Mendocino
- Napa
- Nevada
- Placer
- Plumas
- San Mateo
- Santa Clara
- Santa Cruz
- Shasta
- Sierra
- Siskiyou
- Solano
- Sonoma
- Tehama
- Trinity
- Tuolumne
- Yolo
- Yuba
