The Latest: Vallejo declares water emergency amid fires

By Associated Press 28 October 2019, 12:00AM

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Latest on the wildfires in Northern California (all times local):

2:50 p.m.

The San Francisco Bay Area city of Vallejo has declared a water emergency as authorities fight two nearby fires and its pumping station is left unable to treat water because of a pre-emptive power shut-off.

The Vallejo Reporter reports that the emergency declared Sunday means outdoor water use is prohibited and residents are asked to reduce indoor use such as bathing and toilet flushing.

Joanna Altman, assistant to the Vallejo city manager, says the pre-emptive blackout ordered by Pacific Gas & Electric to try to prevent wildfires means the city doesn't have access to well water.

She says before the blackout, water use rose as people rushed to store water, making the water problem worse.

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2:30 p.m.

Strong winds have knocked down numerous trees and power lines across Oakland, taking out electricity to nearly 2,000 residents who were otherwise not in areas affected by PG&E's planned power outages.

Oakland Fire Department spokesman Michael Hunt said about 1,800 residents lost power Sunday as winds kicked up to 50 mph. He said dispatchers received about 20 calls about fallen trees and another 35 reports of downed power lines.

The utility intentionally turned off power to more than 2.3 million people on Saturday in an effort to prevent its equipment from sparking deadly wildfires.

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1:55 p.m.

Pacific Gas & Electric says it is monitoring a third major wind event expected later this week in Northern California that could lead to widespread power shut-offs.

The company says in a news release Sunday that the power shut-off would affect people in 32 counties starting Tuesday morning through midday Wednesday.

The utility already has turned off power to more than 2.3 million people in an effort to prevent its equipment from sparking deadly wildfires.

Those outages are expected to last through Monday morning.

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

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1:20 p.m.

Nine people have been injured after heavy winds toppled a tall tree in a San Francisco Bay Area city.

Martinez Police Sgt. Steve Gaul said the 30-foot (9-meter) tree snapped at its base, injuring nine people Sunday morning at a farmers' market in the city's downtown.

Gaul said the youngest was a toddler and the oldest was 71. Six of the nine were taken to a hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening.

Crews are battling fires throughout Northern California and nearly 200,000 people were ordered evacuated from their homes. Millions are without power after Pacific Gas & Electric Co. cut off electricity to prevent its equipment from sparking fires.

Historic winds are forecast through Monday morning.

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1 p.m.

Two grass fires burning in the San Francisco Bay Area have shut down a bridge between the cities of Vallejo and Crockett, but it's not known if the fires are related.

Cal Fire Division Chief Jim Crawford said Sunday it's possible an ember from one fire sparked the other, but they won't know until an investigation is complete.

About 200 people at the California State University Maritime Academy campus were evacuated due to the fire in Vallejo.

The fires have shut down a 6-mile (10-kilometer) stretch of Interstate 80, including the Carquinez Bridge in Vallejo.

California is on high alert for fire danger as strong winds whip the state.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency with nearly 200,000 people ordered to flee their homes.

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12:55 p.m.

Officials have closed a stretch of Interstate 80 in downtown Sacramento as smoke obstructed drivers along the busy stretch.

Sacramento Fire Department Capt. Keith Wade says a grass fire in the area was rapidly spreading when crews arrived Sunday afternoon.

He says officials opted to close a 2-mile (3.2-kilometer) stretch of the interstate as they try to quickly extinguish the fire. Wade says the initial call came in as a grass fire that was threatening homes, but it spread to a grassy median in intense wind.

Wade says firefighters are going to work to get the freeway open "as soon as they can."

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11:50 a.m.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a statewide emergency as wildfires and extreme weather conditions forced almost 200,000 people from their homes.

He said in a statement Sunday that officials are deploying "every resource available" to respond to the wildfires, including a large blaze in Northern California's wine country driven by powerful winds.

Smoke from a second wildfire in the San Francisco Bay Area briefly halted traffic on a bridge. The flames came dangerously close to homes in Vallejo.

In the south, a wildfire in the Santa Clarita area north of Los Angeles has destroyed 18 structures, threatened homes and critical infrastructure.

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9:45 a.m.

A small wildfire broke out Sunday morning near Vallejo (vuh-LAY'-ho) with flames coming dangerously close to homes and forcing a college to evacuate at the northeast end of San Francisco Bay.

A live broadcast on KGO-TV shows the fire on both sides of Interstate 80 and homeowners using hoses on a hillside to try and fight it.

The fire forced the freeway to close and the California State University Maritime Academy to issue an evacuation order.

The wildfire halted traffic at the Carquinez Bridge toll booth as the freeway became shrouded in thick smoke.

Vallejo is 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) south of Geyserville where a massive wildfire forced 180,000 people to flee their communities.

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8:15 a.m.

Authorities say 180,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes as powerful winds threaten to spread a wildfire in Northern California's wine country.

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office tweeted Sunday that it's the largest evacuation that any member of the force can remember.

The evacuation order was significantly expanded overnight to portions of Santa Rosa, a city of 175,000 that was hit hard two years ago by a wildfire that destroyed thousands of homes and killed 22 people.

Fire officials say they are concerned the winds will blow embers and cause the fire to jump a major highway and spread to population centers.

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7 a.m.

Evacuation orders have expanded to parts of Santa Rosa as firefighters struggle to beat back a wind-driven wildfire that started in Northern California's wine country four days ago.

Authorities issued the order early Sunday as historic winds fueled the fire overnight and prompted the state's largest utility company to shut power to 2.3 million people to prevent additional wildfires.

Santa Rosa was hit hard by a wildfire that destroyed thousands of homes and killed 22 people two years ago. The evacuation order affects the northwestern section of the city.

California fire officials say the current wildfire, dubbed the Kincade Fire, that began Wednesday night has burned at least 40 square miles and is only 11% contained.

The National Weather Service says wind gusts topped 90 mph Sunday morning in Healdsburg Hills North, a popular tourist attraction in California's wine country.

By Associated Press 28 October 2019, 12:00AM

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