It was late last Wednesday night, and all was quiet in Sonoma County except for the howling wind: until it happened. What started as a small brush fire near The Geysers geothermal power plant was rapidly spreading, quickly prompting evacuations in Geyserville and Healdsburg. Winds exceeding 70mph caused the fire to accelerate at an alarming rate and prohibited firefighting planes from battling the burn due to extreme turbulence. Residents in nearby Santa Rosa could see the blaze on the horizon, bringing back haunting memories of the 2017 Tubbs Fire. Without planes, firefighters’ attempts were futile, and by Thursday morning, the Kincaid Fire had spread to 10,000 acres, burning several structures and prompting more evacuations. Extreme winds continued through the weekend, causing PG&E to shut down power grids throughout in as many as 36 counties.
“Winds of this magnitude pose a higher risk of damage and sparks on the electric system and rapid wildfire spread,” PG&E said in a statement, “The fire risk is even higher because vegetation on the ground has been dried out by recent wind events.”
By the following Saturday morning, the fire had spread to 22,000 acres at 10% containment. Smoke had begun to impact air quality throughout Sonoma County, raising major health concerns for residents. County Supervisor Shirlee Zane told the Press Democrat that people should avoid being outside in smoky conditions, and should not be “lured into thinking that those masks are going to protect you 100% because they don’t.” Masks are designed to aid breathing in emergencies, not to shield users from health effects entirely, and residents in areas impacted by smoke should keep this in mind. Those with health conditions are especially susceptible to respiratory problems due to smoke inhalation.
Shortly after the Kincaid Fire began, the Tick Fire in Southern California erupted Thursday night- prompting evacuations of tens of thousands of Los Angeles county residents. Nearly the entire state of California continues to remain vigilant as fire risks continue.
“For those of you who have evacuation kits and who have fire-proof your house, that may not be enough,” Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick said in a PSA video posted to Twitter, “you may have to leave if a fire evacuation comes, so we want you to prepare.” He continues on to ask Sonoma County residents unaffected by the evacuations to simply stay in place. “You can help us by staying home,” he says, “unless you’re under an evacuation order, we would really like you to stay home and stay off the roads so that emergency vehicles can get around and we can get into your neighborhoods to help you.” He reminds residents affected by power outages that traffic lights are out of service and this can create dangerous conditions for drivers.
