Two Earthquakes Hit Near Kincade Fire, Which Grew to 66,000 Acres Overnight
If the devastating Kincade Fire wasn’t enough to leave firefighters and Sonoma County residents with sleepless nights, two earthquakes recorded at 2.5 and 3.3 magnitude rattled the area just after 1 am Monday morning. The trembles creating even more anxiety to the community who are dealing with the dangerous fire that sits at 66,231 acres with 5 percent containment.
No damage or injuries have been reported from the earthquakes, which hit just a few miles from the fire. Meanwhile, 200,000 residents remain evacuated from their homes as the Kincade Fire’s path of destruction continues to grow. The size of the fire has doubled in the past 24 hours and has destroyed 96 structures with another 79,675 structures threatened.
#KincadeFire off John Kincade Road and Burned Mountain Road, northeast of Geyserville in Sonoma County is 66,231 acres and 5% contained. https://t.co/0lE746SI6V pic.twitter.com/PwWfXi1PCf
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) October 28, 2019
The National Weather Service has extended the Red Flag Fire Warning through Monday, which could bring gusts of up to 60 mph to Northern California throughout the day:
The winds continued to howl at a historic pace on Sunday, recording in the triple digits in the hills next to the fire:
Peak wind gusts since Saturday night. Highest was 102 mph Sunday morning in the hills near the #KincadeFire. For a complete list from around the region:https://t.co/C5RO6usyaG
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) October 28, 2019
#CAwx #CAFire pic.twitter.com/J4jBbFhkje
On top of Monday’s weather, more offshore winds are expected to come to NorCal on Tuesday and Wednesday, with PG&E announcing another round of power shutdowns this week. Many of the 1.2 million customers who are already without power may not have their power turned on in between shutdowns.
“PG&E is monitoring a third consecutive Severe Wind Event for Tuesday and Wednesday that could impact nearly 32 Counties Across Northern and Central California,” the utility warned in a statement.
PG&E expects to issue weather ‘all clear’ for safety inspections and restoration work to begin early Monday for Northern Sierras and North Coast; forecast calls for more dry, windy weather and possible shutoffs from Tuesday to Wednesday.https://t.co/NrEX1SSRmd pic.twitter.com/XoUhELVggF
— PG&E (@PGE4Me) October 28, 2019
With many blazes moving quickly throughout California, the Kincade Fire has been the worst and is nearing the already scarred areas of the area’s 2017 Tubbs Fire, which before 2018’s Camp Fire was California’s most destructive ever. It destroyed 5,643 structures and caused 22 fatalities.
The ruins of Soda Rock Winery in Alexander Valley/Healdsburg #Kincade @NorthBayNews pic.twitter.com/rz9ILwTn2X
— Beth Schlanker (@BethSchlanker) October 28, 2019
Firefighters and residents alike continue to hope that Mother Nature gives them a little bit of break in the weather in order to gain some ground on the Kincade Fire. Monday’s efforts will go a long way. We will continue to update the situation.
