California wildfires: Thousands ordered to evacuate with spreading smoke raising health concerns

High winds have spread fires near Los Angeles and Sonoma counties

California wildfires spread prompting evacuation of 50,000 people

Wildfires in California have forced the evacuation of 40,000 residents north of Los Angeles and another 2,000 in the state's wine country.

The so-called Tick Fire, which began Thursday afternoon just outside the city of Santa Clarita, had consumed about 4,000 acres and was only 5 per cent contained by Friday morning, according to Los Angeles fire and sheriff departments.

Strong winds have forced the blaze further into the state, forcing evacuations and the closures of major highways.

Nearly 600 firefighters are combatting the flames, which are now supported by extremely dry conditions, high temperatures and strong Santa Ana winds, which are expected to last through Friday evening.

Officials have not yet determined the cause of the flame, named after Tick Canyon Road, where officials have said it began.

Meanwhile, the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County in Northern California started on Wednesday night near a transmission tower belonging to Pacific Gas & Electric, the state's utility, which told state regulators that a component had broken while the company was cutting power across its lines as high winds threatened the area. That equipment failure is now being investigated.

The Tick Fire was reported shortly before 1.45pm on Thursday, and by Friday morning, flames already had consumed more than 4,000 acres and many homes within its path.

In Sonoma County, flames have scorched nearly 22,000 acres and destroyed at least 49 structures, including 21 homes.

This week's fire-season forecasts predicted a threatening combination of high winds and dry air in the state's tinder-like forestry.

Cal Fire, the state's fire agency, has reported roughly 163,000 acres have burned so far this year.

The fires follow devastating fires in 2017 and 2018 that killed dozens of people and ripped through thousands of buildings in northern California.

The Tubbs Fire in 2017 killed 22 people and destroyed 5,000 homes in Santa Rosa. The Camp Fire in Paradise killed 86 people and destroyed 20,000 buildings.

[25 October 2019 17:25 · Phil Thomas]

The San Francisco Chronicle has a look at the "ghost town" of Geyersville, impacted by the Kincade fire evacuations.

Dino Bugica has 20 lamb chops and a problem.

“No customers,” he said. “I have everything but customers.”

[25 October 2019 17:40 · Phil Thomas]

Terrifying footage shows the Tick fire pushing into California's 14 highway, which is now closed.

 

[25 October 2019 17:48 · Phil Thomas]

State utility company Pacific Gas & Electric is investigating whether the company was involved with a fire in Northern California.

As the Washington Post reported, the utility had reported a broken component on its transmission tower close to where the fire began.

The company was responsible for a devastating fire last November, the deadliest in the state's history, killing 85 people after a broken transmission line sparked amid extremely dry conditions.

[25 October 2019 18:00 · Phil Thomas]

Los Angeles County officials have put out an air quality warning.

[25 October 2019 18:29 · Phil Thomas]

Latest numbers from Los Angeles fire officials:

40,000 people are being evacuated.

Six structures have burned down, and the number is expected to rise.

The fire is threatening another 15,000 structures.

[25 October 2019 18:41 · Phil Thomas]

California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued emergency declarations for Sonoma and Los Angeles county as the state battles the Kincade fire in the north and the Tick fire in the south.

He'll tour Sonoma County later today to survey the damage there.

[25 October 2019 19:00 · Phil Thomas]

Story from WIRED pointing to California fires as evidence of the Pyrocene, "a unique time in history when human use of fire, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, and the attendant climate change combine to create hell on Earth."

Fire historian Steve Pyne weighs in:

“We are creating a fire age that will be equivalent to the Ice Age," he says. The reckoning is here, and California—a highly flammable state packed with people—is getting it worse than just about anybody in the world.

[25 October 2019 19:15 · Phil Thomas]

A reporter with Santa Clarita's The Signal has a close look at the Tick Fire cresting hills in the backyard of a neighborhood yesterday. The area has been evacuated.