PSA(News): PG&E power shutoff across California (updated Oct 30: Easy Fire near Ronald Reagan Presidential Library)

[Arcadia]

From abc7news https://abc7news.com/live-kincade-fire-explodes-in-size-forces-evacuations/5642810/

GEYSERVILLE, Calif. (KGO) -- Crews are battling the 10,000 Kincade Fire in Sonoma County that exploded in size overnight.

The wildfire has triggered a mandatory evacuation order for all of Geyserville. The fire has crossed Highway 128 near Moody Lane and is heading west. Residents are being ordered to leave immediately.

At least 300 people have been forced from their homes and an additional 1,700 people have been warned to be ready to leave. An evacuation warning has also been issued for northern Healdsburg. Evacuations are ordered for east of Geyserville in the areas of Geysers Road to Highway 128, Alexander Mountain Road, Cloverdale Geysers Road, Pine Flat Road, and Red Winery Road.

...

The fire exploded from 300 to 400 acres around 11:30 p.m. last night, to 5,000 acres around 1 a.m. and then 7,000 acres about an hour later.. Cal Fire estimates the wildfire is now larger than the earlier 10,000 acre estimate.

PG&E said that power in the area had been shutdown to 27,837 customers in the area around 3 p.m. yesterday for the safety shutdown.

A Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 4 p.m.”

PG&E power shutoff for Oct 23th & 24th page https://www.pge.com/en_US/safety/emergency-preparedness/natural-disaster/wildfires/public-safety-event.page

[MEmama]

My dad is reporting that conditions are worse today than when significant parts of their town burned down 2 years ago. Their cars are packed and parked in the driveway in case they need to evacuate. 

They returned from a few days away to a dark house. Not sure when the power is expected to come back on. I’m trying to convince them to get an automatic generator but he’s stubborn. 😞. 

My understanding is that the fire is headed for Healdsburg. Don’t we have a poster who lives outside town?

Hope everyone is safe. 

[Arcadia]

From NBC Bay Area https://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/Kincade-Fire-Started-Just-Beyond-PGE-Planned-Outage-Zone-563809521.html

“PG&E told regulators in a report filed Thursday that a broken jumper cable on a transmission tower may have been to blame for the Kincade Fire on Wednesday, confirming that the company had not turned off power to its highest voltage equipment during shutoffs that began earlier that day.

According to the preliminary report, the utility learned at 9:20 p.m. that there was a problem involving a 230,000-volt line and that an automated device could not re-establish service – thus forcing an outage and likely sparking the fire that swelled to 10,000 acres.

The problem was discovered after the fire, the utility says, when its crews arrived and found that Cal Fire taped off an area at the base of one of its transmission towers, number 001/006.

“On site Cal Fire personnel brought to the (PG&E technician’s) attention what appeared to be a broken jumper on the same tower,” the company’s report to regulators said.

A jumper is a short piece of wire – not unlike an extension cord – that is normally loose and serves to send power around parts of a transmission tower.

That regulatory report came as records show that PG&E cut power in the area some 23 minutes after the Kincade Fire was reported as having erupted and seven hours after it shut down power to nearby communities, records reviewed by the Investigative Unit show.

The wind-whipped blaze has now consumed more than 10,000 acres. It was first reported, according to county fire radio traffic, at 9:25 p.m., near a geothermal complex known as the Geysers.

“A vegetation fire reported in the Geysers, it’s going to be on John Kincade Road,” one dispatcher says. Less than a minute later, the dispatcher adds an ominous warning: “Also, possible power lines down in the area … all units acknowledge life safety hazard.”

PG&E records show it turned off power at 9:48 p.m. as part of its shutoff program. The records also show it shut off power nearby seven hours earlier to other parts of Sonoma County, including one area just two miles away from where the fire was first reported.”

[Carol in Cal.]

3 hours ago, Arcadia said:

From NBC Bay Area https://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/Kincade-Fire-Started-Just-Beyond-PGE-Planned-Outage-Zone-563809521.html

“PG&E told regulators in a report filed Thursday that a broken jumper cable on a transmission tower may have been to blame for the Kincade Fire on Wednesday, confirming that the company had not turned off power to its highest voltage equipment during shutoffs that began earlier that day.

According to the preliminary report, the utility learned at 9:20 p.m. that there was a problem involving a 230,000-volt line and that an automated device could not re-establish service – thus forcing an outage and likely sparking the fire that swelled to 10,000 acres..

.....

PG&E records show it turned off power at 9:48 p.m. as part of its shutoff program. The records also show it shut off power nearby seven hours earlier to other parts of Sonoma County, including one area just two miles away from where the fire was first reported.”

There were strong rumors earlier this month that PGE was not shutting down their highest voltages in general, just the distribution lines that go to streets and houses.  This conclusion was tentatively reached by observers who noticed that they still seemed to be selling hydroelectric power to areas outside of the wind zones, and they have to get it there somehow.

We had a two day shut down with that last one, and I understand that we can tentatively expect another one in 36-48 hours.  

BTW, when they say '800,000 customers' the scope is much greater than 800,000 people.  It's 800,000 households and businesses.  A staggering scope.

[Carol in Cal.]

2 hours ago, Carol in Cal. said:

There were strong rumors earlier this month that PGE was not shutting down their highest voltages in general, just the distribution lines that go to streets and houses.  This conclusion was tentatively reached by observers who noticed that they still seemed to be selling hydroelectric power to areas outside of the wind zones, and they have to get it there somehow.

 

This has now been confirmed.

The high transmission line that started the current fire in the Santa Rosa/Healdburg area was not powered down when the power to the homes/businesses was.  PGE has been quoted in the newspaper as saying that the level of winds needed to start a fire from those high transmission lines is much higher than to start one from the lower voltage ones, so they leave them powered up.  Yet another black eye for arguably the most hated company in the area.

[Arcadia]

From KTLA for Tick Fire https://ktla.com/2019/10/24/socal-edison-cut-power-to-agua-dulce-before-fast-moving-tick-fire-erupted-in-area/

“A portion of Agua Dulce was among the areas impacted by Southern California Edison power shutoffs when the Tick Fire erupted in the area on Thursday afternoon.

Residents in Agua Dulce were among the 9,868 customers in Los Angeles County that were without service as of 12:45 p.m., according to the utility’s website.

Edison had cut power to more than 26,000 customers in Southern California in an effort to reduce the wildfire threat as high winds and low humidity hit the region Thursday. An additional 386,000 customers were at risk of a shutoff.

The Tick Fire erupted about 1:45 p.m. in the 31600 block of Tick Canyon Road.

The wind-driven blaze destroyed at least one structure and was rapidly spreading toward residential communities in Santa Clarita, where it was threatening many homes, Sky5 video showed. Santa Clarita is another area under the threat of a power shutoff.

By 3 p.m., the wildfire had burned at least 850 acres, according to the L.A. County Fire Department.”

[sassenach]

We’re anticipating power loss starting today and likely going through Monday or Tuesday. I’m in denial but I did go pick up a bunch of canned goods last night. The timing is TERRIBLE. Dd is bringing up her fiancé to meet the sibs for the first time. I have a very important interview on Monday. 

[Arcadia]

On 10/24/2019 at 10:25 AM, MEmama said:

My dad is reporting that conditions are worse today than when significant parts of their town burned down 2 years ago. Their cars are packed and parked in the driveway in case they need to evacuate. 

 

Hopefully your dad is not affected by the additional evacuation. Link is to CalFire press release and has a map on page 2 of 2 https://www.fire.ca.gov/media/9980/102619_1000_evac_o.pdf

“Additional Evacuation Orders have been paced for Zone 2 & Zone 3 of the fire.
Zone 2
Hwy 128 North Knights Valley Area to the Napa County Line.
Zone 3
Hwy 101 Corridor from Geyserville South through the town of Windsor. This includes the entire city of Healdsburg and the town of Windsor and all areas East to Chalk Hill Road area.
Additional Evacuation Warnings have been placed for Zone 4 & Zone 5 of the fire.
Zone 4
The Dry Creek Valley West to Forestville.
Zone 5
Larkfield and Mark West Drainage”

[Arcadia]

From UCB https://news.berkeley.edu/2019/10/25/uc-berkeley-preparing-for-weekend-with-limited-power/

“Possible differences from the last power outage

PG&E is predicting that the city of Berkeley and many other nearby cities may lose power, impacting traffic and services around the campus, so our decisions are being made in the context of a broader outage. The fires in Sonoma may generate smoke that starts to impact air quality.

City-based facilities (housing and offices) are likely to lose power, so anyone living or working in those places should plan to be without power and monitor city of Berkeley information sources.

Weekend classes

Given the time needed to reduce power demand on campus in preparation for moving off the PG&E power source and converting to our co-generation plant, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Saturday classes that meet after 12 p.m./noon.

To minimize disruptions, instructors are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the resources described in the Center for Teaching and Learning’s website.

Student housing/dining

The following residence and dining halls will have power: Maximo Martinez Commons, Units 1,2,3 (including Cafe 3), Foothill Complex and Crossroads Dining.

Clark Kerr campus and Blackwell Hall are on city of Berkeley power sources and thus will lose power if the city loses power. The city of Berkeley is posting updates here.

Students who live off campus in areas that are affected by the power outage should make sure they have non perishable food and may also find this guide to surviving a blackout helpful.

Research

The Vice Chancellor for Research Office is providing updates on this site to the research community. Card access to buildings will be cut off starting at noon on Saturday. Anyone with a critical research need to enter their buildings will need special access. Please alert your building/facilities manager to alert them of any anticipated needs.

The Savio high-performance computing cluster will be kept operational on co-generated power.

Public-facing events/activities

Given our most recent information about the power outage, we have made the difficult decision that all indoor events and activities that are scheduled to take place on campus on Saturday afternoon and evening and all day Sunday must be canceled. This must be done in order to maintain a reduced energy load. Outdoor activities at the Greek Theatre, Lower Sproul Plaza and a select other venues may proceed; please contact the events coordinator to verify. A number of Cal Performances events have been canceled.”

[Pen]

Some people I know up here in Oregon have travel to CA planned going down 101 past Kincaid fire area.   Though they acknowledge they may have to take a different route like I5. 

I’m trying to convince them not to go at all.  I’m not sure how bad things actually are on the main highways, but hearing that 50k people need to evacuate, it doesn’t seem to me to be a good car trip time.  🙁

[Arcadia]

15 minutes ago, Pen said:

I’m trying to convince them not to go at all.  I’m not sure how bad things actually are on the main highways, but hearing that 50k people need to evacuate, it doesn’t seem to me to be a good car trip time.  🙁

 

Could they postpone? The air quality is going to be bad. 

[Pen]

1 minute ago, Arcadia said:

 

Could they postpone? The air quality is going to be bad. 

 

I’m trying to convince them to do that.  They also may arrive to a no power situation.  Their adult kids are in Calif, and I guess they also do their own medical care there with appointments scheduled.  

[Arcadia]

32 minutes ago, Pen said:

 

I’m trying to convince them to do that.  They also may arrive to a no power situation.  

 

The evacuation zone has just been enlarged again

Image from CalFire Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/CALFIRELNU/status/1188183983164575744/photo/1

interactive map link from Sonoma County (ETA: it’s much clearer than the map on CalFire’s Twitter link)

https://sonomacounty.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2cb4401e1fc0494dbf9d9e22aa794617

Edited October 26, 2019 by Arcadia

[Arcadia]

Latest evacuation notice from CalFire Twitter. On my way home there was a radio announcement from Sonoma County asking all those in the evacuation zones to leave before PG&E power shutoff as it would be harder to receive emergency alerts once power is shut off.

https://mobile.twitter.com/CALFIRELNU/status/1188270070864273408

 

[Arcadia]

From abc7news https://abc7news.com/watch-live-officials-give-updates-after-evacuations-expanded-in-kincade-fire/5648416/

“GEYSERVILLE, Calif. (KGO) -- According to the latest CAL FIRE press conference at 6:30 p.m., the Kincade Fire has burned 25,955 acres and is 10 percent contained.

On Saturday morning, 50,000 people were put on immediate evacuation orders. The cities of Windsor and Healdsburg have been evacuated. The Sutter hospital in Santa Rosa is also being evacuated, hospital officials told ABC7 News around 7:45 p.m.

...

The Sonoma County Sheriff says Hwy 101 South is the evacuation route.

The CHP in Santa Rosa is warning that evacuation traffic along 101 might result in parts of the highway closing. The CHP says they have a plan in place in the event of closures.

If you have general questions about the evacuation - call 211.

Sonoma County on Saturday issued a civil emergency message alerting people about the evacuation order...warning people that PG&E is expected to shutoff power in most of Sonoma county today...which may limit the department's ability to warn people.”

[Carol in Cal.]

8 hours ago, Pen said:

 

I’m trying to convince them to do that.  They also may arrive to a no power situation.  Their adult kids are in Calif, and I guess they also do their own medical care there with appointments scheduled.  

Where are their doctors located?  If they are in a zone where the electricity is out, I doubt that those appointments are going to hold.  

Really, this is no time to be here.  The air is bad miles and miles from the fires, the winds are supposed to get much worse overnight, and the evacuation zone now extends 35 miles from the fire itself.  They won’t be able to get information, or be confident in getting gas, or figure on signal lights working over vast swaths of CA with the electricity out.  Non-essential travel into this area is just foolish right now.  And there is ANOTHER high wind event expected mid-week.  So even if the electricity goes back on, it could very well go out again.  

[MEmama]

As always, thank you for posting all the updates, Arcadia.

According to an evacuation map, my folks are on the very edge of an evacuation zone. The hills are literally their backyard. 

I'm not getting much info from them, given the time difference, the fact they don’t have power, and their tendency to downplay everything. The lack of real news from them is making this much more stressful.

The scope of the evacuations is staggering. I’m struggling to imagine my favourite places as a kid and teen emptying out. 😞 

We used to have a boardie here who lived near Healdsburg. Thinking of her and hoping everyone is safe. 

[MEmama]

Update: my parents have been evacuated. 

[Arcadia]

3 hours ago, MEmama said:

The scope of the evacuations is staggering. I’m struggling to imagine my favourite places as a kid and teen emptying out. 😞 

We used to have a boardie here who lived near Healdsburg. Thinking of her and hoping everyone is safe. 

Remind me of the Tubbs Fire 2017. The Petaluma shelters are full an hour ago according to the Sonoma County Sheriff Facebook page 

“All Petaluma evacuation shelters are at capacity and cannot accept additional evacuees.”

I think Chrysalis Academy stays nearer to Santa Rosa downtown but I am not sure.

From the press democrat https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/local/10226640-181/sutter-hospital-in-santa-rosa

 “Sutter Hospital in Santa Rosa evacuated 97 patients Saturday night under orders from Cal Fire.

Shaun Ralston, regional manager for Sutter Health, said the evacuation that began at 6:15 p.m. was calm and expected to last four hours as patients were dispersed to other area hospitals.

“It was deliberate and orderly and completely different from 2017 when we were literally running from the fire. Now we are very intentional,” Ralston said.

The extra time allowed staff to consult with patients and family members about options for transfer from the Mark West Road hospital to other facilities, he said.

...

The Sutter facility will reopen when the evacuation order is lifted, Ralston said. “We’re taking our orders from Cal Fire.”

Officials at Kaiser Permanente, also in north Santa Rosa, were not evacuating patients as of about midnight. The hospital was in an evacuation warning zone.

A spokesman for the hospital said Kaiser was monitoring weather and fire conditions and updating their contingency plans.

“We unfortunately have done this before,” said David Ebright, referencing patient evacuations during the 2017 firestorm.

“We’ll look at what’s available and what’s best and safest for them. If it becomes mandatory, then we will certainly comply.””

[Carol in Cal.]

15 minutes ago, MEmama said:

Update: my parents have been evacuated. 

So glad to hear this.  With the crazy gusty winds, things are moving very fast right now.  Let me know if you need help for them.  I’m in Silicon Valley.

[MEmama]

6 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

So glad to hear this.  With the crazy gusty winds, things are moving very fast right now.  Let me know if you need help for them.  I’m in Silicon Valley.

Thank you. That’s very kind.

They do have various friends closer to the city they can stay with. After the Tubbs fire, they seem less likely to be stubborn. 

I feel better knowing they are spending the day in the shelter, and have no doubt they’ll get out of town if conditions are still bad tonight. It’s hard to not worry though.

[MEmama]

Ugh. Their shelter is full. 😞

[Pen]

I hope @Chrysalis Academy Family is okay. They are already dealing with health issues. 

[Pen]

If you are in the smoke area, try to protect not only lungs but also eyes.   

[Arcadia]

1 hour ago, MEmama said:

Ugh. Their shelter is full. 😞

Red Cross is trying to open more up. 

From their twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/RedCrossNorCal/status/1188446476352942080

“Red Cross Northern California Coastal

@RedCrossNorCal

Those who are still seeking shelter due #KincadeFire evacuations, Marin Fairgrounds is opening as an evacaution center at 10 Ave of the Flags, San Rafael, CA 94903

6:24 AM · Oct 27, 2019·Twitter for Android

Catherine Leventhal  #KincadeFire

This is accurate information. If you need shelter please go here. Our volunteers are just opening this up. (Hugs)”

[Arcadia]

Below is the list Santa Rosa City put up on their webpage last night https://www.srcity.org/610/Emergency-Information

“People choosing to evacuate now may go to any of the following evacuation shelters: 

• Alameda County Fairgrounds (4501 Pleasanton Ave, Pleasanton, CA 94566) - Accepting large animals
• Marin Fairgrounds (10 Ave of the Flags, San Rafael, CA 94903) - Accepting evacuees and small animals
• Napa Valley College (2277 Napa Valley Hwy, Napa, CA 94558) - Accepting evacuees
• CrossWalk Community Church Napa (2590 1st Street, Napa, CA 94558) - Accepting evacuees
• Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building (1351 Maple Avenue, Santa Rosa 95404) - No longer accepting evacuees 
• Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds (100 Fairgrounds Dr, Petaluma) - No longer accepting evacuees; only accepting large animals
• Petaluma Veterans Building (1094 Petaluma Blvd S, Petaluma 94952) - No longer accepting evacuees 
• Petaluma Community Center (320 N McDowell Blvd, Petaluma 94954) -  Room for 150 evacuees (no pets at this time)
• Sonoma County Fairgrounds (1350 Bennett Valley Rd, Santa Rosa 05404) - No longer accepting evacuees 

Finley Community Center is closed and has been evacuated. All people going to Finley should head to Marin Fairgrounds in San Rafael.”

[MEmama]

Thanks. They did find another. But keep threatening to go back home anyway. Ugh!! 

[Arcadia]

From abc7news at 10:17am and then updated 6 minutes ago https://abc7news.com/live-fire-causes-evacuation-of-cal-maritime-i-80-closure-in-vallejo/5651188/

 

“#BREAKING: Cal Maritime Academy: 150-200 cadets on campus when #CrockettFire broke out. Classes had already been cancelled through Monday. Evacuating everyone. Students can go to 153 Georgia St. in Vallejo.”

 

“VALLEJO, Calif. (KGO) -- Interstate 80 is closed northbound at the Carquinez Bridge after a brush fire broke out in Vallejo, forcing cars to turn around at the toll plaza.

An evacuation order for Crockett has been lifted, but remains in place for the Cal Maritime Academy.”

 

“Cal Maritime update: Administrators are reporting campus has been safely evacuated. 253 Georgia St. downtown Vallejo is available for evacuees.

11:10 AM - Oct 27, 2019”

[Arcadia]

We were out and about today and could smell smoke at Daly City, San Carlos, East Palo Alto (near  IKEA), Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale. My county has asked people not to call about the smoke.

“The smell of smoke and hazy skies are blanketing Santa Clara County due to numerous fires to our north. Please do not call 9-1-1 to report drift smoke, we want to ensure our dispatchers and responders are available for emergencies!

Santa Clara County Communications
📷: @ALERTwildfire Cupertino Hills camera”

ETA:

Kincaid Fire INCIDENT UPDATE
 Date: 10/27/2019 Time: 7:00 p.m.

Size: 54,298

Structures Threatened: 79,575
Containment: 5%
Structures Destroyed: 94

Structures Damaged: 17

Edited October 28, 2019 by Arcadia

[Arcadia]

Another power shutoff possible this Tuesday. Kaiser Permenente Santa Rosa has been evacuated.

From SFGate https://m.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/PGE-shutoffs-outages-Bay-Area-power-wind-cities-14564614.php#item-85307-tbla-28

“LATEST: Oct. 27, 2 p.m. PG&E monitoring another wind event on Tuesday

Pacific Gas & Electric says it is watching a third major wind event expected later this week in Northern and Central California that could trigger widespread power shut-offs.

Gust conditions are forecast to develop Tuesday night into Thursday morning and PG&E is considering deliberately cutting power in portions of Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Kern, Lake, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba. (Note: PG&E said this list is subject to change.)

The company said in a news release Sunday that this is a separate wind event from the one that kicked up gusts overnight Saturday and that is continuing Sunday into Monday.

This news comes when more than 2 million people remain without power Sunday from a shutoff that began Saturday. The utility company said it "will make every effort to restore power to as many customers as possible who are currently out of power due to the Oct. 26 PSPS event." But due to the weather, some customers will be in the dark for the duration of both events.

"The period of weather risk starts Tuesday and continues through Thursday morning," PG&E said in a statement. "The dry, windy weather pattern is expected to reach from the northern portions of PG&E’s service territory and down through the Sacramento Valley, before spreading into the central areas of the state, including the Bay Area."

If the winds hold and the utility cuts power, it would be the third major power shut-off in a week.”

From the patch https://patch.com/california/rohnertpark-cotati/kaiser-hospital-evacuates-110-patients-santa-rosa

“SANTA ROSA, CA —Kaiser Permanente's hospital in Santa Rosa was ordered to completely evacuate early Sunday morning, hospital authorities say. 

By Sunday afternoon, all patients have been transferred to other hospitals, officials said. 

As of 4:30 a.m. Sunday, the Kaiser Permanente at 401 Bicentennial Way was ordered to evacuate. 

Hospital staff had started transferring patients as of 10:30 p.m. Saturday. 

Staff members have safely transferred 110 patients to other hospitals in Northern California. 

Sutter Santa Rosa, Kaiser, and Healdsburg District hospitals were all evacuated, according to reports.”

[Pawz4me]

8 hours ago, Arcadia said:

We were out and about today and could smell smoke at Daly City, San Carlos, East Palo Alto (near  IKEA), Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale. My county has asked people not to call about the smoke.

DS23 texted yesterday, around 4:00 Pacific time, and said the smoke in San Jose was pretty bad.

[sassenach]

We lost power around 8:30 Saturday. We were at a Halloween party and it was actually pretty funny when the whole crowd cheered. We have a generator to keep the essentials running (ds’s medical equipment and the fridge). Dh ran over to Safeway yesterday and it was chaos. Lines stretching to the back and around the store. He didn’t buy anything. I’m going into the city today for an interview at SFSU so I plan to make a pit stop at Target next door. Now that it’s looking like this may stretch into the end of the week, we need some more snacks and activities and toilet paper. 
 

We’ve discovered that our furnace doesn’t function without electricity but our water heater does, thank God. 
 

There have been some local generator fires including the nursing home that my friend works at. Thankfully, everyone was ok.
 

The smoke hasn’t been bad at all here. Stargazing was crystal clear last night. 
 

It’s eerie. We’ve had very little cell signal at home so I’ve been cut off from the news. It’s weird knowing the kincaid Fire is going on but not being able to keep up with it unless we leave home (which we haven’t done much of to conserve gas). 
 

We had church unplugged yesterday and that was lovely. 

[Arcadia]

Getty Fire from abc7news https://abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates-massive-evacuations-underway-los-angeles-getty/story?id=66579976

“As winds reach extremely dangerous levels in Southern California, the Getty Fire in Los Angeles is exploding in size and forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes.

Burning in the hills north of Los Angeles' famous Getty Center, the fire has consumed 500 acres. The Getty Center and Getty Villa are safe, but many houses were on fire.

Mandatory evacuations are in effect in Los Angeles from the 405 freeway to the ocean -- which spans some of the most expensive real estate in the city. Southbound lanes of the 405 freeway, the busiest highway in the country, are now closed.

...

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's parents also evacuated, and the mayor Monday morning urged anyone in an evacuation area to leave immediately. He said he saw five homes destroyed.

"We've seen fires and tragedies were people have believed they could stay," Garcetti said. "Do not do that. The only thing you cannot replace is you and your family."

The cause of the quickly spreading blaze is under investigation but Garcetti said it was not caused by homeless encampments.

Throughout the day, the conditions in Los Angeles will be extremely dangerous for fire growth.”

[Arcadia]

5 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

DS23 texted yesterday, around 4:00 Pacific time, and said the smoke in San Jose was pretty bad.

 

There was also a house fire in Milpitas so depending on wind direction, he might be getting smoke from both fires. 

My kids ran the room air purifier all day yesterday in the living room. Luckily we are not in the power shutoff zone. We might need to buy another air purifier as we have been moving our only one to and from bedroom to living room.

[sassenach]

I spoke too soon. The sun came up and the air quality is wretched. 

[prairiewindmomma]

If you don't have the $$$ to buy another HEPA, or if power is out and you can get a battery operated fan (amazon delivery?), attaching a furnace filter to the back of a fan is a decent way to filter air. 

https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/wildfire/this-diy-air-filter-for-wildfire-smoke-is-less-than-20/103-87580d30-73a6-4c33-843a-6fbe0ab3acc7

 

[Pen]

2 hours ago, Arcadia said:

 

There was also a house fire in Milpitas so depending on wind direction, he might be getting smoke from both fires. 

My kids ran the room air purifier all day yesterday in the living room. Luckily we are not in the power shutoff zone. We might need to buy another air purifier as we have been moving our only one to and from bedroom to living room.

 

It could be helpful to get some face filter masks for in case you lose electricity.  That helps lungs a lot.  

Eyes can also be badly affected by smoke.  But are harder to protect. 

 

[Arcadia]

From abc7news 5mins ago https://abc7news.com/pg-e-says-its-power-lines-may-have-started-2-fires-in-lafayette/5653991/

“LAFAYETTE, Calif. -- PG&E says its power lines may have started two wildfires over the weekend in the Bay Area.

The company reported the incidents near Lafayette to state regulators on Monday.

PG&E told the California Public Utilities Commission that a worker responded to the first fire around 4:45 p.m. Sunday and was told firefighters believe contact between a power line and a communication line may have caused it.

A worker went to another fire about an hour later and was told firefighters are investigating a transformer as a possible ignition source.”

 

[Arcadia]

2 hours ago, Pen said:

It could be helpful to get some face filter masks for in case you lose electricity.  That helps lungs a lot.  

Eyes can also be badly affected by smoke.  But are harder to protect. 

 

Thanks. My area is unlikely to lose power though we do get <2hr power outage once or twice a year. The community college my kid dual enroll in is giving out N95 masks so he could pick one up for himself if air quality gets really bad on campus  🙂 After the Camp Fire 2018 and Tubbs Fire 2017, a friend has stock up on N95 masks as emergency rations.

 “We have N95 face masks available for students at the Library (3500), Support Center (5200), President's Corner (1900, Room 1907) and the Bookstore (2300).”

[Arcadia]

Calfire 6pm press release Kincade Fire https://www.fire.ca.gov/media/9999/102819-kincade-fire-evacuation-warning-lake-county.pdf

 “CAL FIRE NEWS RELEASE
 California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
RELEASE DATE: October 28, 2019
WHAT: ADDITIONAL EVACUATION WARNING ISSUED
EVACUATION WARNING FOR PARTS OF LAKE COUNTY

WHEN: EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
WHERE: An additional EVACUATION WARNING has been placed for the following zone(s) of the fire:

Zone 31: Issued for the area of Highway 29 from Butts Canyon Road South to the County Line. All of Butts Canyon Road in Lake County between Highway 29 & Napa County Line. Highway 175 between Highway 29 Middleton North to McKinley Drive. This includes Middletown proper, Twin Pine Casino, Middletown Rancheria, Dry Creek area, all roads off of Highway 175 between Middletown and McKinley Dive, and Butts Canyon Road including all side streets.

Notes:
To view the most current Lake County Map, follow this link:
https://tinyurl.com/lakecountymap
To view the most current Napa County Map, follow this link:
https://tinyurl.com/napacountymap
To view the most current Sonoma County Map, follow this link:
https://tinyurl.com/sonomacountymap ”



 

[sassenach]

Power is back but we’re supposed to lose it again in the morning. 

[Arcadia]

15 minutes ago, sassenach said:

Power is back but we’re supposed to lose it again in the morning. 

 

Hope your SFSU interview went well. Humboldt county might lose power again tonight.

https://m.northcoastjournal.com/NewsBlog/archives/2019/10/28/some-power-restored-as-another-blackout-looms

“According to the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services, PG&E is hoping to restore power to all local customers in advance of the next weather event that will bring elevated fire conditions and another blackout. That weather event is expected to begin at 6 a.m. tomorrow, with PG&E currently planning to cut power in Humboldt County around 4:30 a.m. But OES warns that these times are estimates and locals should prepare to lose power any time tonight.”

[Arcadia]

From LA fire dept https://www.lafd.org/news/getty-fire

“INFORMATION UPDATE: As of 10/28/19 at 8:00 PM PDT

SIZE: 618 acres

CONTAINMENT: 5%

STRUCTURES AFFECTED: There are over 10,000 structures (both residential and commercial) in the Mandatory Evacuation Zone. Eight structures have been destroyed and six structures have been damaged.

MANDATORY EVACUATION: Evacuation Orders have been lifted for the Mountaingate community. The official Evacuation Map indicates Mandatory Evacuation Zones in RED that remain in effect tonight. You can search for an address in the upper right corner of the map.”

From NBC LA https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Getty-Fire-405-Freeway-Wildfire-Westside-Los-Angeles-Evacuations-Road-Closures-Schools-563972741.html

“School Closures

• Palisades and University high schools
• Emerson and Revere middle schools
• Brentwood, Brockton, Canyon, Community Magnet, Fairburn, Kentner, Marquez, Palisades, Roscomare, Nora Sterry, Topanga, Warner and Westwood elementary schools
• Citizens of the World Gateway and Ivy Place campuses
• Magnolia Science Academy #4 and #6
• Palisades Charter High School
• The Archer School
• New Roads School
• All Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District schools
• New West Charter School
• Santa Monica College
• UCLA 

All Santa Monica and Malibu schools were expected to be open Tuesday, Oct. 29, school officials said.

Donation Center

Items needed include bottled water, energy bars, toiletries, wipes, dry dog food, animal crates, toilet paper and paper towels. No clothing is needed, according to Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Blumenfield's office.

Those interested in donating can leave items at the evacuation center at the Sherman Oaks East Valley Adult Center, 5056 Van Nuys Blvd.”

 

[Arcadia]

7pm CalFire update for Kincade Fire 

 https://www.fire.ca.gov/media/10010/kincade-incident-update-102919-pm.pdf

”Size: 76,138
Containment: 15%
Structures Destroyed: 189
First Responder Injuries: 2”

PG&E shutoff today https://www.pge.com/en_US/safety/emergency-preparedness/natural-disaster/wildfires/public-safety-event.page?WT.mc_id=Vanity_pspsupdates#1029

“Anticipated power shutoff start time

4 a.m., 10/29 – Butte, Plumas, Shasta, Tehama, Trinity

7 a.m., 10/29 – Humboldt (South), Lake, Marin*, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo

8 a.m., 10/29 – El Dorado, Mendocino, Nevada, Placer, Shasta, Sierra, Tehama, Yuba

4 p.m., 10/29 – Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne

7 p.m., 10/29 – Humboldt (North), Siskiyou

9 p.m., 10/29 – Kern

10 p.m., 10/29 – Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo”

    

[Arcadia]

Good news for some: https://abc7news.com/society/pg-e-reduces-counties-impacted-by-outages-in-bay-area/5658336/

“Due to favorable favorable weather, PG&E will no longer turn off power Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo counties.

This has reduced the scope of the preventative outages by 30,000 to approximately 510,000 customers in portions of 22 counties.”

Bad news: https://abc7news.com/live-simi-valley-brush-fire-burns-170-acres-in-red-flag-conditions/5658669/

“SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- A fast-moving vegetation fire erupted on the hillsides above Simi Valley on Wednesday morning amid extreme red flag conditions, prompting evacuation orders and school closures as it spread to 200 acres.

...

Firefighters raced to protect the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library as a thin wall of flames approached from a nearby hillside. The facility was closed Wednesday.

The cause of the fire was unknown.

All schools in the Simi Valley and Moorpark unified school districts were closed Wednesday, according to the Ventura County Office of Education.

Santa Ana winds were expected to reach speeds of 40-50 mph in the burn area on Wednesday, with gusts of up to 60 mph on ridgetops, the National Weather Service said. Single-digit humidity was forecasted throughout the day.”

[sassenach]

We got to keep our power this go-round. I'm grateful! 

[Spy Car]

I was very glad to wake-up to calm winds this morning after forecasts of a very significant wind event that might re-spark the Getty Fire (immediately south of where I live). The Santa Ana winds blow south by south-west, which puts my hillside community out of risk, but we have many friends in the affected areas of Brentwood and Pacific Palisades.

The lack of winds makes our immediate air quality worse--I would not have known there was a huge fire burning very close by when the winds were high--but I'll take the calm dirty air anytime to save those homes and wild areas from burning.

I hope it remains calm here.

Bill

 

Edited October 30, 2019 by Spy Car

[Arcadia]

On 10/27/2019 at 10:36 AM, MEmama said:

They did find another. But keep threatening to go back home anyway. Ugh!! 

Kincade Fire repopulation.  Can’t find the webpage link. Photos are print screen from their Facebook page

 

 

[Laurel-in-CA]

On 10/9/2019 at 1:13 PM, MEmama said:

Substantial areas of my hometown burned to the ground last year.

This doesn’t strike me as a sexy or sustainable solution,  but I’m willing to guess an awful lot of people would rather make do without power for a few days than lose their homes, their neighbourhood or their entire community again. 

 

Anything is better than another firestorm and the 4500-plus homes that burned in 2017 in Santa Rosa CA. Both southern and northern CA can get very high winds. In SoCal they're called Santa Anas, usually hot, blowing off the Mojave desert to the sea. In NorCal they're not always hot, but just as dry. This year they clocked wind gusts of 90-100 mph in the foothills/higher elevations, 50-60 mph sustained. Once a fire starts, the winds drive its expansion pretty quickly. They also create a lot of debris, downed branches, etc., which can impact power lines, hence the pre-emptive shutoffs. About 2/3 of my county (Sonoma) was shut off and about 1/2 evacuated for several days. But this time no loss of life from fire (one person killed by traffic accident), only one major injury. Once we're back home we STILL have to wait to have power and gas turned back home. Our house has power but no heating and nights are cold! But anything is better than another firestorm, right? Cooking in my crockpot and microwave and thankful for it.

Adding: They probably were overly cautious and evacuated many more people than needed, but a lot of areas don't have many ways out and traffic can be crazy. This year instead of being surprised by fire (2017) we had time to pack and evacuate in day time. That was huge! I still needed to get some winter clothes, but at least I had socks and underwear and our wedding album and passports....all of which I forgot in 2017.

[Arcadia]

35 minutes ago, Laurel-in-CA said:

Adding: They probably were overly cautious and evacuated many more people than needed, but a lot of areas don't have many ways out and traffic can be crazy. This year instead of being surprised by fire (2017) we had time to pack and evacuate in day time. 

Thank goodness it was less bad than the previous two big fires but still horrible for those that lost their homes 😞

From abc7news https://abc7news.com/fire-victims-return-home-find-sentimental-possessions-among-the-rubble-/5663157/

“According to CAL FIRE, 141 of the 282 structures that burned were residential properties.
...

Another concern is for ranchers in the area. The Sonoma County Farm Bureau is asking for donations to help the animals impacted.

"Our biggest concern right now is more with our livestock producers," Tawny Tesconi, the organization's executive director, said. "Lots of fences burned, structures burned, barns burned, hay supplies burned."

"We're getting feed supplies, water, that kind of thing up to the various areas within the ember zone that have got cattle or goats or sheep that need to be taken care of," she added .

For those looking to help Kincade Fire victims, GoFundMe has aggregated many of the fundraising campaigns here.”