Two years after the devastating Tubbs Fire killed 22 people in the region, officials were taking no chances with the menacing Kincade Fire and the threat of high winds that could spread flames overnight. County officials ordered the mandatory evacuations of 50,000 people Saturday, and Pacific Gas and Electric announced it would shut off power for almost 1 million customers in Northern California.
State fire officials hoped that by preparing for the worst-case scenario, they could avoid major destruction from the Kincade Fire, which has already consumed more than 25,000 acres.
PG&E; said it would begin cutting power to 940,000 homes and businesses — which could affect as many as 2.7 million people — Saturday afternoon and that residents should plan to spend at least two days without electricity. Emergency responders warned residents of Marin County that power restoration could take up to five days.
The Kincade blaze, which started Wednesday, was 10% contained Saturday afternoon and had forced 2,000 people to evacuate earlier in the week.
Winds were forecast to reach 80 mph and were expected to pick up Saturday evening. The National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning through Monday morning.
As anxiety grew, local governments tried to calm those who will see their lights go out — again.
The utility preemptively shut off power to more than 27,000 customers in Sonoma County this past week to prevent sparks from its equipment. While a state investigation will be required to determine the cause of the Kincade Fire, the utility said a transmission tower nearby malfunctioned shortly before it began.
PG&E; filed for bankruptcy protection in January after amassing tens of billions of dollars in liability related to two dozen wildfires in recent years.
On Friday, Andy Vesey, PG&E;’s chief executive for utility operations, said that drought, dead trees, high winds and low humidity had combined for a potential disaster even more severe than some other recent fires.
“These places we all love have effectively become tinder boxes,” Vesey said. “At this moment it is part of our lives in California and part of keeping us safe.”
This article originally appeared in
.