This archive report was first published on 27 October 2019.
California Wildfires: Emergency Declared as Residents Flee and Power is Cut ¶
On Sunday, October 27, 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency due to the ongoing wildfires in the state. The declaration came as high winds continued to fuel the blazes, forcing over 180,000 people to evacuate and leaving nearly 1 million homes and businesses without power.
The Kincade fire, the largest of the dozen wildfires currently burning in California, has burned over 30,000 acres in Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, since Wednesday night. The fire was only 10% contained on Sunday, with local authorities ordering mandatory evacuations for residents in the affected areas.
“We are deploying every resource available, and are coordinating with numerous agencies as we continue to respond to these fires,” Governor Newsom said, noting that over 3,000 firefighters were battling the Kincade fire alone.
As the situation continues to unfold, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has shut off power to nearly 1 million homes and businesses to prevent its lines and equipment from sparking new fires in the dry, windy conditions. The company has faced heavy criticism from lawmakers and citizens, who say the company’s infrastructure ought to be able to handle California’s windy weather and continue providing electricity to paying customers without causing fires.
“Though the weather event will end Monday, power restoration could take several days,” the sheriff’s office in Marin County warned residents, adding that cellular phone service could be affected by the shutdown.
The National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning on Sunday morning, saying that a combination of powerful winds and low humidity could create a “historic” weather event, with a high risk of fires across all or part of at least 30 Northern California counties.
