Wildfires in the US state of California are becoming increasingly complex. The initial fire is said to have broken out on the night of October 10 in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles. Dry weather and strong winds then caused the fires to spread and spiral out of control.
As of October 29, the Kincade Forest Fire had destroyed 124 homes and structures and threatened 90,000 more. The fire was 15% contained as it spread to parts of Sonoma County, a picturesque county known for its wine production.
LeBron James - famous basketball player of Los Angeles Lakers, actor of the movie "Terminator" or Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Governor of California and many other celebrities shared on Twitter that they were forced to leave their homes due to the current situation.
Soda Rock Winery in Healdsburg, California, engulfed in flames
“We’re looking at a lot of different options because the terrain is very difficult for vehicles to access,” said Cal Fire spokesman Robert Carvalho. “A lot of the terrain is steep, requiring hiking, so we’re continuing to assess the situation and work on a response plan.”
The terrain here is very difficult for vehicles to access.
Strong winds threaten to make firefighting more difficult. “Winds in the south could be as high as 50 to 70 miles per hour, with gusts as high as 80 miles per hour in the Los Angeles Mountains,” said Marc Chenard, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.
Strong winds made firefighting even more difficult.
To prevent high winds from damaging equipment and sparking more fires, Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), the state's largest energy provider, said it may have to temporarily shut off power to about 940,000 customers. PG&E's latest blackouts began early on October 29 and are estimated to leave 2.5 million people without power.
Southern California Edison (SCE), the main power provider for much of Southern California, began shutting off power to about 800 people on October 28 and said it expected to increase that number to 400,000 more as strong winds return. The company is also facing growing backlash from regulators and lawmakers.
“Schools are closed. No one can go out to buy things. The area is really hurting and losing revenue,” said Eddie, a California resident who has been out of work for four days since the power went out in the kitchen where he works and is worried about losing his paycheck.
Traffic activities were seriously affected due to lack of electricity.
The US National Weather Service warned that wildfires in California will continue to worsen due to dry weather conditions and strong winds that will last from now until early next week, threatening forests and residential areas, which are currently under red alert.
