Thousands were evacuated from their homes as wildfires burn simultaneously in Northern California’s wine country and the Los Angeles County area.
Here’s a look at the fires and how they have affected the two areas.
The Kincade fire
Since Wednesday, the Kincade fire has consumed 21,900 acres of land within Sonoma County wine country, according to California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The authority’s website says an estimated 1,095 acres of the fire, which is located near the community of Geyersville, has been contained.
Forty-nine structures — which include homes and businesses — have been destroyed, and around 2,000 people have been evacuated. The Sonoma County sheriff said there were no reports of deaths and no one in the area has been reported missing.
Authorities described the blaze as a “wind-driven grass and brush fire.”
Pacific Gas & Electric, the utility company, said that a live, 230,000-volt transmission line near Geyserville had malfunctioned minutes before the fire erupted Wednesday night, and a broken “jumper” wire was found on a transmission tower.
CEO Bill Johnson said it was too soon to say whether the faulty equipment sparked the fire. He said the tower had been inspected four times in the past two years and appeared to have been in excellent condition.
The power authority said 99 per cent of customers who had their electricity shut off due to the threat the equipment could start wildfires have had service restored.
But it said up to 851,000 customers in many counties could lose power on Saturday.
The Tick Fire
Meanwhile, six homes were damaged and two destroyed due to the Tick Fire in Santa Clarita, located north of Los Angeles.
Some 4,300 acres have been burned since it started on Thursday afternoon, according to California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
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As of 8 p.m. ET Friday, five per cent of the fire has been contained, authorities said at a media briefing.
That fire is also being propelled by strong winds. Though the gusts backed off on Friday, forecasters at the U.S. National Weather Service warned they would be back on Sunday and Monday.
Roughly 50,000 people were evacuated, though authorities said on Friday evening that some would be able to return to their homes due to progress made on battling the fire.
— With files from the Associated Press
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