As whipping winds exacerbate raging wildfires across California on Wednesday, a new brush fire in the southern part of the state triggered mandatory evacuation orders in the area surrounding the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Ventura County.
The blaze, dubbed the Easy Fire, temporarily encircled the pavilion that houses Reagan’s Air Force One, which flew him to 26 countries, said John Heubusch, executive director of the Reagan Library. But firefighters were able to keep the fire at bay despite gusts that reached upward of 50 miles per hour, leaving scorched hillsides in its wake.
“The fire literally ringed the Reagan Library — the worst is behind us now, for sure, but it was a pretty dangerous situation,” Heubusch said, adding he hopes to reopen the museum Thursday. “It came right up against the Air Force One Pavilion.”
The Easy Fire began around 6 a.m. on hillsides above Simi Valley, and it rapidly spread to nearly 1,300 acres in just a few hours, triggering evacuation orders that forced 26,000 residents from their homes. The blaze is spreading amid dangerous weather, with humidity plunging into the single digits as winds gust above hurricane force. Simi Valley is about 40 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
“Unfortunately it was the worst time it could happen; 40 mile an hour sustained winds and fuels that were ripe and ready to carry fire,” Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said during a news conference.
“Fortunately for us and the community, we were prepared,” he added.
Large swaths of the state remained under “red flag” warnings Wednesday — indicating that bone-dry conditions paired with strong winds created large areas at high risk for dangerous wildfires. The Storm Prediction Center warned again of “extremely critical fire weather” throughout Southern California. Parts of Northern California, including the North Bay mountains, were expected to see “widespread critical fire weather.”
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The worst kind of weather for wildfires — strong, gusty winds and very low humidity — is returning on Tuesday after a relative respite on Monday, the National Weather Service said, raising the prospect of more fire outbreaks and rapid growth of the blazes that are already burning.
The agency has posted “red flag” warnings for most of Northern California and much of Southern California, taking effect at various times on Tuesday.
Forecasters are predicting winds between 50 m.p.h. and 70 m.p.h. in Los Angeles County and Ventura County starting late Tuesday and continuing on Wednesday and Thursday, with some gusts up to 80 m.p.h. in the mountainous areas of Los Angeles County, the National Weather Service said. The scale for Category 1 hurricanes begins at 74 m.p.h.
Winds gusts of up to 60 miles an hour could be expected beginning in the morning over a vast stretch of the state from the Sierras to the Pacific and from the southern fringes of the Bay Area north nearly to the Oregon border, except for coastal areas north of Sonoma County.
The winds, known as Santa Anas in the southern part of the state and Diablos in the north, arrive regularly in the fall. Recent research suggests that as the climate warms, Santa Ana winds may become less frequent. Coupled with precipitation changes, that could mean more intense fires later in the year.
Red-flag weather has played an important role in driving the growth of the Kincade, Getty and other fires, and has prompted pre-emptive blackouts by utility companies hoping to keep wind-damaged power lines and equipment from touching off more blazes.
[The New York Times has photographers on the ground, documenting the California wildfires and the battle to contain them. Follow their work here.]
The Kincade, which has been active for five days, has burned through 75,000 acres and is 15 percent contained on Tuesday afternoon, officials said. Two firefighters were injured while battling the blaze, one of whom was airlifted to the University of California, Davis hospital for treatment of serious burns. The firefighter was in stable condition, the authorities said.
Evacuees and residents will also have to face freezing temperatures overnight Tuesday in the inland valleys, the National Weather Service said.
Maps show where the fires are burning now.
We’re continuing to update our page of maps showing the extent of the fires, power outages and evacuation zones. Data from Cal Fire shows how the Kincade fire in Northern California has spread and where it is burning most intensely. Satellite images pinpoint the Getty and Tick fires and affected areas nearby.
California fires: a helicopter drops water on the Getty fire spreading in the hills behind the Getty Center in Los Angeles. Photograph: Étienne Laurent/EPA
The Getty fire was caused by an ‘act of God.’
The Getty fire, which has prompted the evacuation of more than 7,000 homes in Southern California, started when a branch broke off a tree and hit nearby power lines — an accident that Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles called an “act of God.”
The power lines began to spark and ignited nearby brush, Mr. Garcetti said at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon. He said investigators have not found any evidence that faulty equipment started the fire.
The fire has burned at least 650 acres and was 15 percent contained, broke out shortly after 1:30 a.m. Monday along the major freeway known as the 405, near the Getty Center. It quickly spread through neighborhoods north of Brentwood, destroying 12 homes and damaging five more.
The authorities determined the cause in part after seeing dashcam footage that showed an explosion on the side of the road early Monday morning, Mr. Garcetti said.
Earlier Tuesday, Mr. Garcetti thanked residents who had remained away from their homes in the evacuation area. He said that firefighters had extinguished some flare-ups, and he warned that higher winds expected in the evening could pick up embers from the fire and deposit them on houses in the evacuation area, possibly igniting them while residents who did not evacuate were sleeping.
That danger was reiterated by Fire Chief Ralph M. Terrazas, who said that hot embers have been known to carry for miles on the wind. “Our goal today is to increase containment as much as possible,” he said, adding that he was “very concerned about tonight’s wind event.”
PG&E will compensate customers for an earlier blackout.
Pacific Gas and Electric said on Tuesday that it would issue rebates to customers affected by the intentional blackout that began Oct. 9, addressing a request made repeatedly by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The rebate, $100 for residential customers and $250 for small businesses, is a one-time adjustment tied to the power cutoff, which was carried out as a fire-prevention measure and left 738,000 customers in the dark.
No decision has been made about rebates for subsequent outages, including one imposed over the weekend and another wave that began Tuesday morning.
Bill Johnson, PG&E Corporation’s chief executive officer, said the utility recognized that mistakes were made during the intentional blackouts that began Oct. 9 and decided to accept the governor’s request to issue the rebates after “we finally had enough time to think about it with our board.” He said they are reviewing how they will handle issuing the rebates.
Mr. Johnson said he currently has power but that some executives and employees do not.
“The large-scale shut-offs are not the way we want to serve customers,” Mr. Johnson said. “We know this disrupts people’s routines and ways of life. But losses from catastrophic wildfires are forever.”
On Saturday, PG&E cut power to 970,000 customers — the equivalent of almost three million people — as high winds blew across Northern and Central California, with gusts in some places reaching 102 miles per hour. Of those customers, the company said, about 400,000 remained without power on Tuesday and may not regain it before the new round of blackouts hits their areas.
PG&E said about 597,000 customers would be affected by the outage that began Tuesday as more fierce winds moved through the state. The conditions were expected to continue through midday Wednesday.
Overall, PG&E had restored power to 650,000 customers by 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. About 435,000 customers remained without power, including 16,000 from weather-related outages.
Even with the power cutoffs this month, the utility’s equipment is a suspected cause at least four wildfires, including the Kincade fire in Sonoma County.
Evacuees slept in their vehicles in a parking lot in Santa Rosa, Calif., early Tuesday.Credit…Eric Thayer for The New York Times
After the Tubbs fire, ‘a lot of us still had PTSD.’
Karen Orlando, a real estate agent, said the evacuations and blackouts prompted by the Kincade fire have startled residents in Sonoma County who are still working to rebuild after the Tubbs fire in 2017.
“It was really traumatizing, what happened in 2017, and that scar was just starting to heal. Now it’s been completely reopened,” Ms. Orlando said.
Investigators believe they know what caused the Getty fire: video shows a eucalyptus branch falling on a power line operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
As a reminder, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power DOES NOT shut off power during heavy wind events like Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison.
Officials downgraded a mandatory evacuation order issued to a small portion affected by the Kincade fire to just an evacuation warning.
The National Weather Service issued a new warning today: the Extreme Red Flag Warning, for a high-wind event taking place in much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Thursday evening.
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Residents near California wildfire urged to be ready to “go at a moment’s notice”
CBS News reports:
Latest updates:
Kincade Fire: 76,138 acres burned; 15% contained
Getty Fire: 656 acres burned; 15% contained
A major wind event is expected at 11 p.m. local time Tuesday night, which could spark new fires or hamper existing suppression efforts
PG&E President & CEO Bill Johnson said PG&E workers have faced verbal and physical attacks
People in Northern California’s wine country were warned Tuesday they may need to leave “at a moment’s notice” as powerful winds threaten to bring more devastation to areas already ravaged by wildfires. Crews battling the massive Kincade Fire fear the wind could fan the flames.
The wildfire has burned an area more than twice the size of San Francisco and destroyed nearly 60 homes. Six days after the fire first ignited, firefighters were scrambling to put out hot spots in hopes of getting an upper hand before wind gusts reaching as high as 50 mph kick up again.
In Southern California, where high winds fueled the Getty Fire in the early morning hours, authorities are manning their fire lines with additional personnel. Gusts are predicted to reach up to 80 mph Tuesday night.
A firefighter pulls a hose along Chalk Hill Road as he battles the wind-driven Kincade Fire in Windsor, California, October 27, 2019.REUTERS/STEPHEN LAM
Three reports of looting in Northern California as Kincade Fire grows
Officials in Northern California have received three additional reports of looting as the Kincade Fire rages, Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick said at a Tuesday press conference. The looting was discovered when residents returned to their homes and businesses and found items missing. No arrests have been made.
“The Sheriff’s Office is doing everything we can to get you back into your homes,” Essick said. “We realize the anxiety there.”
Three people were arrested earlier in the week for unauthorized entry into evacuation zones.
The Kincade Fire grew to 76,138 acres by 6:30 p.m. local time, said Cal Fire representative Jonathan Cox. Some 189 structures were destroyed, 86 of which were single-family homes.
The blaze was still only 15% contained. Cox said that after the major wind event predicted for Tuesday night subsides, he expects containment to rise.
PG&E workers facing threats, assault during fire prevention efforts
PG&E employees have been subject to verbal and physical assaults while working to prevent wildfires, PG&E president and CEO Bill Johnson said at a press conference Tuesday.
“Our employees in the field have repeatedly been the targets of misguided attacks, verbal abuse, threats, physical assault, and even weapons,” Johnson said. “Today, one of our PG&E employees, driving a PG&E vehicle, was intentionally run off the road by an angry motorist.”
“The men and women of PG&E you see in your community are there for a single reason, and that is to help you,” Johnson added.
The company announced Tuesday that it is launching another preventative blackout ahead of a major wind event expected to begin Tuesday night. The blackout will impact an estimated 597,000 customers.
At the press conference, PG&E chief meteorologist Scott Strenfel warned residents about the expected high winds and low humidity.
“These are conditions that yield dangerous fire weather and potential for significant fires,” Strenfel said.
Getty Fire caused by tree branch hitting power line
The Getty Fire began when a tree branch was blown into a power line, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a Tuesday afternoon press conference. Garcetti emphasized that the fire was accidental, and not caused by faulty equipment.
“We have concluded … that this fire started when a tree branch fell on power lines, causing them to spark and begin this fire,” Garcetti said. Garcetti added that he saw dashcam footage showing what he believes to be the moment the fire began.
“This was, simply put, in plain parlance, an act of God,” Garcetti said. “The wind broke off the tree branch, threw that tree branch, because of the strong winds, far enough to cause a spark off a line that’s still intact there.”
Investigators from the Los Angeles Fire Department’s (LAFD) Arson-Counterterrorism Section analyzed burn patterns, interviewed witnesses, and gathered physical evidence. The group determined that the fire likely originated on the 1800 block of North Sepulveda Boulevard, although it’s unclear who owns the property where the fire began.
LeBron James, Guy Fieri, and John Cena pitch in to help first responders
Celebrities including LeBron James, John Cena, and Guy Fieri have pitched in to help the first responders battling the blazes across California.
After the Getty Fire forced LeBron James to evacuate, the Lakers star sent a taco truck to feed first responders in Los Angeles, according to Mayor Eric Garcetti.
In Northern California, celebrity chef Guy Fieri served up lunch and dinner for Sonoma County firefighters, County Supervisor James Gore said on Facebook.
And on Monday, John Cena tweeted a video in which he pledged to donate $500,000 to a charity that will benefit first responders.
“This is the right thing to do and I am doing my part to help the cause,” Cena said in the video. “I wish everyone the best of luck, please stay safe and you are our heroes.”
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Governor Murphy Establishes Statewide Climate Change Resilience Program
On October 29, 2019, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order 89 establishing a Statewide Climate Change Resilience Strategy. The Executive Order establishes a “Climate and Flood Resilience Program” within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and directs DEP to deliver a Scientific Report on climate change within six months of the Order’s effective date.
The Report is to address current and anticipated environmental effects of climate change, including but not limited to increased temperatures and sea-level rise, increased frequency or severity of storms, rainfall, and flooding and increased frequency and severity of forest fires and droughts through at least the year 2050. The Order also establishes a Chief Resilience Officer within DEP, to be appointed by the Commissioner.
Finally, the Order establishes an “Interagency Council on Climate Resilience” to include representatives from 16 state agencies. The Council, together with DEP’s Chief Resilience Officer, is charged with delivering a Statewide Climate Change Resilience Strategy to the Governor by September 1, 2020. The Strategy is to include a coastal resilience plan that recommends a specific long-term strategy for resilience and adaptation in the coastal areas of the state.
It is likely that the Climate Change Resilience Strategy, once it is complete, will have significant implications for land use development practices and patterns throughout the State. Property owners, the development community and local government should, therefore, keep track of its progress.
CBS News:Powerful winds could fan devastating wildfires
Powerful new winds could bring more devastation to parts of California already ravaged by wildfires. Crews battling the massive Kincade Fire in Northern California’s wine country fear the wind could fan the flames.
The wildfire has burned an area more than twice the size of San Francisco and destroyed nearly 60 homes. Six days after the fire first ignited, firefighters were scrambling to put out hot spots in hopes of getting an upper hand before wind gusts reaching as high as 50 mph kick up again, CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti reports.
“The wind will carry burning materials sometimes miles ahead of the fire,” Cal Fire spokesman Rhett Pratt said, “so we’re having to go around and one by one deal with those and mitigate those dangers as they pop up, which is always a difficulty, it being dynamic and not just a set fire line.”
In Southern California, where high winds fueled the Getty Fire in the early morning hours Monday, authorities are manning their fire lines with additional personnel. Their concern is predicted gusts of up to 80 mph.
“I’ve asked my command staff to do everything possible to ensure that the line is as cold as possible before those winds kick up,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said. With the wind expected to pick up in Northern California, California’s largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, warned it could conduct its third power cut in less than a week; nearly 4 million people could be in the dark.
ABC News: Getty Fire: Firefighters continue efforts to prevent rekindling
BRENTWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A day after the Getty Fire erupted along the 405 Freeway near the Getty Center, firefighters remain on guard to prevent the blaze from rekindling ahead of a major Santa Ana wind event Tuesday.
Firefighters worked overnight to spray homes in the Brentwood area and other neighborhoods to stamp out any existing embers. Many homes in Brentwood were seen red-tagged, charred and unrecognizable.
Fire officials said it’s critical to get ahead of the coming Santa Ana wind event, which is expected to arrive in the Southland Tuesday night. Forecasters say this round of wind may be the strongest of the season so far.
At a Tuesday morning press conference, Mayor Eric Garcetti said the fire had increased slightly in size to 656 acres and remained at 5% containment.
LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas, who also spoke at the press conference, said crews are on alert ahead of the wind event.
“Our goal today will be to increase containment as much as possible. That is our primary objective,” he said. “Embers are known to travel for miles…We are very concerned about tonight’s wind event.”
The Getty Fire erupted at 1:30 a.m. Monday along the 405 Freeway in the Sepulveda Pass, prompting the mandatory evacuation of thousands of residential and commercial structures. The blaze destroyed at least eight homes – North Tigertail Road – and damaged multiple structures.
“We know we’re going to have a major wind event tonight at about 11 o’clock that’s going to last until Thursday. We’re doing everything we can to wrap our arms around this fire to be able to prevent a potential of those strong gusty Santa Ana winds, pushing this fire, rekindling a lot of the fire and blowing embers a mile to two miles down range,” said Assistant Chief Jaime Moore with Los Angeles Fire.
Up and down the state, wildfires are driving residents from their homes. About 180,000 in Sonoma have been ordered to leave, and part of Napa is under a warning.
The fast-growing Kincade fire north of San Francisco and the Getty fire in West Los Angeles are causing evacuations and destruction in California. Credit…Kyle Grillot for The New York Times
Forecasters warn of more extreme weather on Tuesday.
The worst kind of weather for wildfires — strong, gusty winds and very low humidity — will return on Tuesday after a relative respite on Monday, the National Weather Service said, raising the prospect of more fire outbreaks and rapid growth of the blazes that are already burning.
The agency has posted “red flag” warnings for most of Northern California and much of Southern California, taking effect at various times on Tuesday.
Winds gusts of up to 60 miles an hour could be expected beginning in the morning over a vast stretch of the state from the Sierras to the Pacific and from the southern fringes of the Bay Area north nearly to the Oregon border, except for coastal areas north of Sonoma County.
Similar conditions will develop Tuesday night from Santa Barbara south to the Mexican border and well inland, other than coastal areas south of Anaheim, and would persist into Thursday, forecasters said.
Red-flag weather has played an important role in driving the growth of the Kincade, Getty and other fires, and has prompted pre-emptive blackouts by utility companies hoping to keep wind-damaged power lines and equipment from touching off more blazes.
Before one blackout ends, another looms.
The power may still be off for millions of Californians when the next blackout comes, state officials said on Monday.
Roughly 587,000 Pacific Gas & Electric customers remained without power on Monday afternoon because of intentional blackouts meant to limit the risk of wildfires.
A dangerous wildfire that broke out early Monday in Los Angeles was threatening hundreds of homes near the world-famous Getty Center. Strong winds were spreading the fast-growing fire that was burning along a major freeway west of downtown.
Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas told reporters firefighters were overwhelmed. “They had to make some tough decisions on which houses they were able to protect,” Terrazas said. “Many times it depends upon where the ember lands.”
In Northern California, improving conditions could help crews gain ground on wildfires that have forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick told reporters Monday morning that authorities weren’t yet allowing people to reenter areas burned by the so-called Kincade Fire, the state’s largest.
In Los Angeles, the fire department said the Getty Fire burned over 600 acres. Several neighborhoods were under evacuation orders, and at least eight homes were destroyed, Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
A video posted on social media by a motorist shows one side of Highway 405 was turned into a towering inferno, CBS News correspondent Carter Evans reports. Fire officials called it a dynamic situation.
The flames were being fanned by high winds, which seemed to have calmed down a little before dawn, Evans reports. One of those displaced from his home by the several fires burning near Los Angeles was Lakers star LeBron James.
He tweeted Monday morning he had to evacuate his home suddenly and was driving around trying to find a place to go with his family. He followed up later saying he finally found a safe place.
Senator Kamala Harris also said that her family in California has evacuated due to the wildfires.
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