Deadliest-ever wildfire! California declares statewide emergency against movie-like disaster
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California, October 28: Intensified mighty fire is wreaking havoc in California. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state-wide emergency yesterday due to the unprecedented high winds that have led to the Kincade Fire in the state.
“We are deploying every resource available, and are coordinating with numerous agencies as we continue to respond to these fires. It is critical that people in evacuation zones heed the warnings from officials and first responders, and have the local and state resources they need as we fight these fires,” said Governor Newsom.
The Governor has also announced a $75 Million Program for state and local governments to mitigate impacts of power shutoffs and unveil a series of new partnerships and new tools to help secure medically vulnerable populations during these events.
The blaze has destroyed dozens of homes and wineries, including the iconic Soda Rock Winery built in 1869. The Kincade Fire ignited on Wednesday and spread quickly due to powerful wind gusts up to 145 kilometres per hour.
Nearly 200,000 people have been ordered from their Northern California homes, including jail inmates and more than 100 hospital patients as well as animals amid fierce winds that prompted the state’s largest utility to cut off power to more than 2.5 million people to try to stave off further wildfires sparked by its power lines. More than 3,000 firefighters backed by air tankers and helicopters were battling to control the blaze, which was not expected to be contained for the next two weeks.
California's largest utility, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, said that it expected to turn off power to nearly one million customers across northern and central California. The same type of line was responsible for California's deadliest wildfire ever, last year's Camp Fire, which killed 86 people. PG&E, which filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year, has been blamed for several other fires in the state in recent years.