California Wildfires Have Engulfed Thousands of Acres Across the State. Here's a Map of All the Big Blazes

By Amy Gunia, Josiah Bates and Jasmine Aguilera, Time

27 October 19

 

trong winds and dry conditions are fueling wildfires across California, from Sonoma’s wine country to residential areas of Santa Clarita hundreds of miles away. The fierce blazes prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in Sonoma and Los Angeles counties Friday, citing destroyed structures and tens of thousands of evacuations.

Tens of thousands of Californians have been forced to evacuate their homes, and utility companies across the state have cut power to hundreds of thousands of customers in an attempt to stop the spread of the fires. However extreme fire conditions are predicted to continue into the weekend.

On Friday, Utility company Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) admitted its own electrical equipment might be responsible for the wine country fire, according to the Associated Press.

As of Friday morning, the biggest fires were the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County and the Tick Fire in Los Angeles County. Together, the fires have consumed more than 30,000 acres. As those fires expand, new fires have also sprung up, including one that started Friday afternoon close to San Diego, near the community of Witch Creek and has already expanded to 70 acres. Several streets there have had to be evacuated.

The map below shows live updates on the position and conditions of the California wildfires.

Here’s what to know about some of the biggest fires burning in California right now.

Kincade Fire

The Kincade Fire has torn through 21,900 acres in Sonoma County. As of Friday morning, the fire was 5% contained, according to the Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit of Cal Fire. At least 49 homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed by the fire, but no injuries have been reported.

The fire started in a mountainous area around 9:30p.m. on Wednesday. The area’s remote and steep terrain, plus narrow roads makes access to the fire difficult and slow, according to Cal Fire.

PG&E announced Friday morning it would possibly continue to cut power through the region through the weekend given dry, windy conditions, in an attempt to prevent the spread of fires. So far, the power shut offs have impacted an estimated 179,000 customers in 17 counties.

Around 2,000 people have been ordered to evacuate in the area, including 900 residents in the town of Geyserville, a popular wine country tourist destination, according to the Associated Press.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire, but according to the AP, PG&E had reported a problem with a transmission tower near the spot where the fire started. PG&E CEO Bill Johnson said it was too early to tell if the equipment played a role in starting the fire.

According to Cal Fire, 1,300 firefighters are battling the blaze, using 12 helicopters and 104 engines and other equipment.

The National Weather Service for the San Francisco Bay Area issued a fire weather alert, warning of strong winds over the weekend.

FIRE WEATHER WATCH Sat night through Mon morning.
This event looks to be the strongest of this year and
since the 2017 wine country fires. Strong NE winds will slowly ease later Sun and persist right through Mon morning. This will be a long duration and extreme wind event. #cawx pic.twitter.com/UzK2HPou1N

— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) October 24, 2019

Tick Fire

The Tick Fire ignited on Thursday afternoon near the 14 Highway and, driven by strong winds, was moving quickly toward Agua Dulce, according to the Los Angeles Times.

As of Friday morning, the fire had engulfed nearly 4,300 acres, according to Cal Fire. An estimated 50,000 residents have been evacuated.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday night, L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva urged residents to heed evacuation orders, which have been issued for parts of the Santa Clarita Valley.

According to Cal Fire, some 500 firefighters are battling the Tick Fire, using 100 engines and six helicopters.

Current mandatory and voluntary evacuation areas are visible at https://t.co/p46PbDhrCO #TickFire pic.twitter.com/wdxtvccOe9

— Los Angeles County (@CountyofLA) October 25, 2019

Southern California Edison said it planned to shut off electricity for as many as 300,000 customers. As of Friday morning, the utility company had already turned off power to more than 13,000 homes and businesses in Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

Old Water Fire

The Old Water Fire was reported early Thursday as a brush fire, along Old Waterman Canyon Road / Highway 18 where the San Bernardino National Forest meets the northern side of San Bernardino, Calif.

The San Bernardino County Fire Department has put in effect a “red flag warning” in the area until 5 p.m. Friday, meaning there is an increased risk of fire danger.

As of Friday morning, the fire had engulfed 145 acres and was about 55% contained, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. The department lifted its evacuation order on Friday morning, but warned residents to use caution.

#OldWaterFire 145 ac, 55% contained, all roads open & evacs lifted. Use caution, as fire crews will be in the area building fire containment lines. pic.twitter.com/5IaQVZqLhG

— SB County Fire (@SBCOUNTYFIRE) October 25, 2019

Saddle Ridge Fire

The Saddle Ridge Fire burned nearly 8,800 acres over 13 days in Los Angeles County. It started Oct. 10 and was 97% contained as of Thursday. The blaze killed one person and resulted in eight other injuries. It destroyed 19 homes and businesses and damaged 88 more, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Its center was near the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Governor strongly condemns utility companies

Gov. Gavin Newsom leading a briefing on ongoing fire threats and power outages https://t.co/jXGExfvxeR

— Julia Wick (@sherlyholmes) October 24, 2019

California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized PG&E and other utility companies in a press conference about the wildfire Thursday morning, saying that “they will be held to account” and “they better step up.”

“It’s more than just climate change,” Newsom said. As it relates to PG&E, he said, it’s about “decades of mismanagement” and “focusing on shareholders and dividends” over the public. Newsom said that at least 178,000 customers had already been impacted by PG&E’s power disruptions.

He criticized other utility companies too, saying that the state has been meeting with Edison and SDG for “close to a year now” working to “[lay] out protocols… and they’re not meeting those protocols.”

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“It is infuriating beyond words,” Newsom continued, “to be living in an environment where we are seeing this kind of disruption and these kinds of blackout.” He added that the companies were potentially “putting the lives of millions of Californians at risk” by preventing access to critical care “or even water in some cases.”

Newsom also said that the state has, in 2019, invested at least $1 billion to address public safety issues related to wildfires.

A history of wildfires

Just last year, the catastrophic Paradise, Calf. wildfires killed at least 88 people.

Around this time two years ago, the region currently affected by the fire saw the destruction of thousands of homes as the devastating Tubbs Fire tore through the valleys, burning thousands of structures and killing at least 22.

The region is bracing itself for more adverse weather as experts predict that the greatest fire potential will occur October through December as the Santa Ana winds pick up.