About 60,000 people have been affected by evacuation orders near Irvine, Calif., authorities said, as the state braced for high winds that risked new fires
A new fire in Southern California forced tens of thousands to evacuate on Monday, and the state’s largest utility cut power to hundreds of thousands to try to avoid other fires during the devastating season of this year
A wildland fire called Silverado Fire broke out at around 6:47 a.m. local time on about 10 acres, according to the city of Irvine, Calif. By noon it had already burned about 2,000 acres, the state agency said. CalFire fires
500 firefighters working on the #SilveradoFire The fire is currently at 500 acres Road closures: • Portolla from 241 to Jamboree • 241 from 133 to Santiago • Santiago Canyon Rd from Cooks at 241 picTwittercom / VFArUDuL4G
The agency said on Monday that around 4,000 firefighters were fighting 22 wildfires statewide So far this year, over five million acres have burned in Oregon, Washington state and California
« The fire has started in Silverado Canyon, and helicopters and fixed-wing planes are on their way, » Mayor Christina Shea of Irvine said in a statement Monday. « The wind makes it move very quickly »
The Orange County Fire Authority said about 60,000 people had been affected by evacuation orders in the Irvine area and flames had blown up on a highway, State Route 241 , forcing part of it to close
The evacuations came as hundreds of thousands of people in California lost power on Sunday due to what CalFire called « extreme fiery weather » such as high winds and low humidity, which could increase the risk of wildfires The agency said in northern California, winds would be between 20 and 30 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 70 mph in southern California. California, he said, gusts associated with Santa Ana winds could reach up to 80 mph
Videos shared by the Orange County Fire Authority showed a thick haze of brownish smoke blowing over charred debris and lines of fire near roads
The state’s largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, on Sunday began cutting power to 361,000 customers in 36 counties, including Alameda, Alpine and Amador, the company said in a statement. The closures were to continue on Monday evening
The company said the shutdowns were in response to a « major offshore wind event starting on Sunday, which is expected to have the driest humidity levels and strongest winds of the wildfire season until present «
The company added that the weather should calm down on Monday morning « for the majority of customers, and Tuesday morning for the rest »
On Monday morning, the San Francisco National Weather Service issued red flag warnings, meaning fire weather conditions were occurring, or would soon be, from Santa Rosa to Santa Cruz The service said the winds would be strong enough « to cut down weakened trees and power lines » The service added that « extreme caution must be taken to prevent further outbreaks of fire »
Pacific Gas & Electric, which emerged from bankruptcy in June after incurring an estimated liability of $ 30 billion in a wildfire, has increasingly used shutdown devices to prevent its equipment cause fires in extreme weather conditions
Utility plans to begin restoring power on Tuesday PG&E, which provides electricity and gas services to 16 million people in northern and central California, used the « power cuts of public security ”more widely than other public services in the State after filing for bankruptcy in January 2019 Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric, the other two state-owned utilities, have taken a more surgical approach, with fewer power cuts
Earlier this month, PG&E reported to state regulators that its equipment could have been implicated in the cause of the Zogg fire, which killed four people, destroyed more than 200 homes and businesses, and burned 56,338 acres Last week, fire investigators reported that PG&E equipment caused the 2019 Kincade Fire, which destroyed 374 buildings and burned more than 77,000 acres
Experts have linked worsening fire season to climate change Warming caused by emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases from burning fossil fuels has led to warmer conditions and drier – making trees and brush more prone to burn
California fires
News from around the world – United States – California triggers rapid evacuation of thousands
