RECORD WINDS WHIP DEVASTATING WILDFIRES FROM CAILFORNIA’S WINE COUNTRY TO THE COAST

By Miriam Raftery, East County Magazine

Photo, left, via CalTrans:  Glencove Fire in Vallejo shut down the Carquinez bridge for several hours

October 27, 2019 (San Diego) – Governor Gavin Newsom today declared a statewide emergency as wildfires whipped by hurricane-force gusts forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate. As apocalyptic images emerged, the danger for those caught in the paths of the infernos deepened due to intentional power shut-offs by PG&E that left over 2 million Californians in the dark.

“We area deploying every resource available,” Governor Newsom announced at a press conference, also urging everyone in evacuation zones to heed warnings from offficials and first responders.

Newsom cited “unprecedented high-wind events,” a fact confirmed by the National Oceanographic and Atomspheric Administration, which has charted a dramatic increase in damaging wind events driven by climate change. 

Most devastating is the Kincade Fire, which has burned 84 square miles—over 54,000 acres, with containment falling from 10 to 5 percent as the fire spread rapidly, fueled by gusts  over 100 miles per hour in some cases.  The fire has destroyed numerous structures including buildings dating to the 1860s at the Soda Rock Winery in Sonoma County.  

In the Bay area, flames burned to the sea.  Fire temporarily shut down Interstate 80, the main east-west artery in Northern California, between Vallejo and Crockettas brush fires raged at both ends of the Carquinez Bridge. Motorists posted terrifying images of driving across, sparks flying. Before the shut-down. Highways 101 and 128 also shut down and later reopened due to danger posed by smoke and flames.

Tonight, fears mount as flames encroach on old-growth redwood forests in mountain areas, vineyards and other agricultural properties, as well as the potential to jump across Highway 101 into forested areas that haven’t burned in over 70 years.  The Kincade fire is currently burning toward the towns of Windsor and Healdsburg. Along the coasts, evacuations include the picturesque town of Carmel.

Two firefighters were burned, one seriously.   The blaze has forced the largest evacuation in California since the 2017 Oroville dam spilled over during torrential rains – weather conditions firefighters no doubt would welcome during the current conflagration.

Meanwhile, PG&E warns it may shut off power across an even broader swatch that could encompass 32 counties.

 Newsom has assailed PG&E for the blackouts, which he sys have created “even more anxiety inducing and potentially life threatening” conditions. He has issued an emergency order mandating payments to cities and counties impacted by recent power outages, after PG&E refused the Governor’s request for it to compensate victims.

The utility has called for help from outside of California, with thousands of utility workers from as far away as Oregon and Washington coming to help work on lines and restore power when safe. Meanwhile, anger at the utility grows amid news that a snapped high voltage line may be responsible for one of the most devastating fires engulfing California.

Meanwhile the Saddleridge Fire in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles is 83 percent contained after charring over 8,300 acres since October 10th.  The Saddlridge Fire forced evacuation of over 100,000 people, resutling in one civilian death, eight firefighter injuries, destruction of 19 structures and damage to 88 more.

Tonight a new fire is reported in San Bernardino, where another fire burned around 200 acres earlier this week. The blaze tonight has thus far been held to two acres, but "howling" winds are reported by firefighters, threatening a housing subdivision in neighboring Rialto.