The Kincade Fire has grown again. The fire has now burned more than 66,000 acres and remains just 5% contained. Another weather system is supposed to be headed to Northern Calif. too which doesn’t help firefighters in dry conditions. So far 96 structures have been destroyed, 16 were damaged and another 70,000 homes are threatened. The Red Flag Warning continues today with 40-50 mph winds forecasted. Fire officials say narrow roads and steep terrain is making their fight more difficult and several roads around the fire have been closed.
Tens of thousands of people evacuated the area of the Kincade Fire and to make matters worse, a small earthquake has rumbled thru the area. The 3.3 earthquake rattled nerves early this morning. It happened about 1:10 a.m. At the same time Pacific Gas & Electric had power off to almost 1 million customers and another 100,000 were in the dark because of the crazy weather. The utility company also says it’s monitoring another severe wind event due tomorrow and Wednesday which could cut the lights for 32 Counties Across Northern and Central California. Southern Calif. Edison is also shutting down power to potentially 300,000 in coming days too.
The Kincade Fire has destroyed one winery and damaged others in the Alexander Valley region. The fire crossed Highway 128 near Chalk Hill Road east of Healdsburg and took down the Soda Rock Winery. There two homes, an artist studio, a water tower and the winery’s main 20,000-square-foot wine production facility, tasting room and event space burned to the ground. The owner says with that, they lost their entire 2019 vintage and most of their wine inventory. The main building goes back to the late 1800’s. The San Francisco Chronicle reports Field Stone Winery on Highway 128 also burned, but there’s no report yet, on the extent of damage.
Firefighters bolstering the containment on a fire that broke out in Mendocino County that has led to evacuations. Highway 20 was closed between Upper Lake to Ukiah for a time too after the fire east of Calpella started. So fire the Burris Fire has burned 350 acres and is 20-percent contained. The fire started yesterday and spread quickly due to high winds. With that Sheriff Tom Allman announced mandatory evacuations. There was an evacuation center quickly opened at the Veterans Hall and a large animal evacuation center at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds. Part of Highway 20 between Upper Lake and Ukiah was closed much of Sunday but reopened last night with one lane of controlled traffic in the immediate fire area. The fire is under investigation.
A fourth Public Safety Power Shutoff event is predicted as PG&E starts to ramp down the one we are in right now. Nearly a million customers lost power across the state. Mendocino County says it’s received notice from the utility company that power should be restored in the next 2 days or 48 hours. The de-energization over the weekend should come to an end this morning. But that just means they will be checking their equipment for damage, before your power comes back on. There is still a Red Flag Warning thru the day due to gusty winds and low humidity. The re-energization can only happen during daytime hours.
No worries about water in Ukiah. The city’s director or water and sewer reports the city of Ukiah’s water and sewage treatment plants are fine because they have “permanent back-up generators”. Plus the city can also tap its wells, but the agency’s director doesn’t think that will be needed. The generators in place until heavy rains start pouring down this winter. But the Ukiah Electric Utility Director says they would be out of power because of weather and fire. They shifted their load to Santa Rosa, but since the Kincade Fire broke out, that can’t happen.
PG&E says there’s another weather system expected tomorrow so the power may come on, then go right back off again. The news came as the utility shut off power Saturday night for 38 counties. Another 100,000 people had no power because of the windy conditions. Some customers may already have their power back on, as the all clear came from PG&E last night for re-energization for Humboldt, Siskiyou, Trinity, Northern Mendocino and parts of Lake County. There were reports of trees and power lines down in Lake County, wind gusts of nearly 90 mph in Butte County and 102 miles an hour in Sonoma County and around the Kincade Fire. The next windy weather system is due tomorrow until Thursday.
The Gov. has declared a statewide emergency because of the continued high-winds which have meant massive fires and evacuations. The Kincade Fire has burned more than 66,000 acres and is just barely 5% contained. Nearly 200,000 people have been evacuated and almost 100 structures have been destroyed. Several more are threatened. In Southern Calif. the Tick fire is 70% contained after charring more than 4,600 acres. The Gov. says they’re coordinating with multiple agencies and deploying all available resources. He has also announced a $75 million program for state and local governments to help with impacts of power shutoffs and that his administration has several new partnerships and tools for medically vulnerable populations.
One person is dead after a crash in Clearlake Oaks. The CHP reports the accident last night just before midnight on Highway 20 by Long Valley Road. There were two people in the car, the other had minor to moderate injuries. Dispatch reports said there was an air ambulance request, but that was canceled because the person, the passenger of the car, was being worked on, then they died and a coroner was requested. No word on the driver of the vehicle or how the accident happened.
PG&E since their Wildfire Assistance Program has given out more than $18 million to people displaced by the 2017 Northern California wildfires and 2018 Camp fire. A $105 million fund was approved by the bankruptcy judge for those who were uninsured or need help with alternative living expenses or other urgent needs. The money should be distributed by a third party administrator who is urging those who have not applied to get on it before the Nov. 15th deadline. Final payments should be forthcoming by the end of the first quarter of next year. So far they say they’ve received about 11,500 claims and sent payment for 5,200 eligible claims.
A man from Kelseyville at a court hearing after being charged for stealing a car, carrying a gun in the vehicle, and having ammo. 26 year old Leopoldo Gutierrez Bravo was due back in court this morning to be charged with 11 felonies after an incident last month where he was found with the stolen truck at the Robinson Rancheria Casino. Cops were there on another call and found Bravo, checked his records can found he was on probation for a drug charge from Los Angeles County. They searched the stolen truck and found a loaded .38 caliber semi-automatic handgun which he said was not his. But they also found he was a confirmed gang member with a history of weapons and narcotics violations.
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