Millions lose power as fires rip through California
As PG&E warns of new power outages in California, San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo joins FOX Business to discuss how the state is handling the situation.
An estimated 2.35 million people in 38 counties began losing power Saturday evening as fires burned in Northern and Southern California.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company began shutting off electricity Saturday at 5 p.m. local time for 940,000 homes and businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area, wine country to the north and the Sierra foothills.
The Kincade fire in Sonoma County had burned 26,000 acres and was around 11% contained as of Sunday morning. About 180,000 residents were ordered to evacuate near the Kincade blaze.
Meanwhile, the Tick fire in northern Los Angeles County had burned 4,600 acres and was 55% contained as of Sunday. Nearly all the 50,000 residents ordered to evacuate last week were allowed back home.
Inmate firefighters battle the Kincade Fire in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., near Geyservillle on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. About 90,000 residents were ordered to evacuate as extreme winds predicted for Sunday morning threaten to rapidly spread the blaze. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Flames from a backfire, lit by firefighters to slow the spread of the Kincade Fire, burn a hillside in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., near Geyservillle on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. The blaze forced evacuation orders and warnings for nearly all of Sonoma County stretching to the coast, with forecasts of strong winds prompting officials to start cutting electricity for millions of people in an effort to prevent more fires. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
San Francisco skyline is photographed from Grizzly Peak Blvd. in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. Pacific Gas & Electric started shutting off power Saturday around 5 p.m. for an estimated 2.35 million people across 38 counties. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/East Bay Times via AP)
Barbara Sereni helps a neighbor evacuate her dog as a wildfire called the Kincade Fire burns nearby on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, in Healdsburg, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Dirk Collins helps evacuate his brother Darin from their home in Healdsburg, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. The entire communities of Healdsburg and Windsor were ordered to evacuate ahead of strong winds that could lead to erratic fire behavior near the blaze burning in wine country. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said it would be the biggest evacuation in the county in more than 25 years. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat via AP)
Remington, 4, and Lauren Irwin pack up their home in Healdsburg, Calif., after officials ordered an evacuation, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. The entire communities of Healdsburg and Windsor were ordered to evacuate ahead of strong winds that could lead to erratic fire behavior near the blaze burning in wine country. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said it would be the biggest evacuation in the county in more than 25 years. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat via AP)
Ruby waits for his owner to evacuate as a wildfire called the Kincade Fire threatens the area near Healdsburg, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Sodhi Singh, right, and Navneet Singh close up their Chevron station shortly after losing power in Healdsburg, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. A Northern California blaze forced evacuation orders and warnings for nearly all of Sonoma County stretching to the coast, with forecasts of strong winds prompting officials to start cutting electricity for millions of people in an effort to prevent more fires. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Sodhi Singh, closes up his Chevron station shortly after losing power in Healdsburg, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. Pacific Gas & Electric started shutting off power Saturday around 5 p.m. for an estimated 2.35 million people due to forecasts of extreme winds and fire danger. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A hillside smolders as firefighters light backfires to slow the spread of the Kincade Fire in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., near Geyservillle on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. About 90,000 residents were ordered to evacuate as extreme winds predicted for Sunday morning threaten to rapidly spread the blaze. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
An air tanker drops retardant while battling the Kincade Fire in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., near Geyservillle on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. The blaze forced evacuations orders for nearly all of Sonoma County stretching to the coast, with forecasts of strong winds prompting officials to start cutting electricity for millions of people in an effort to prevent more fires. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Flames from a backfire, lit by firefighters to slow the spread of the Kincade Fire, burn a hillside in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., near Geyservillle on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. Authorities are fighting a Northern California blaze that forced evacuation orders and warnings for nearly all of Sonoma County stretching to the coast, with forecasts of strong winds prompting officials to start cutting electricity for millions of people in an effort to prevent more fires. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Firefighters battle the Kincade Fire in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., near Geyservillle, on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. The blaze forced evacuation orders and warnings for nearly all of Sonoma County stretching to the coast, with forecasts of strong winds prompting officials to start cutting electricity for millions of people in an effort to prevent more fires. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A line of fire snakes along a hillside as firefighters light backfires to slow the spread of the Kincade Fire in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., near Geyservillle, on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. The blaze forced evacuation orders and warnings for nearly all of Sonoma County stretching to the coast, with forecasts of strong winds prompting officials to start cutting electricity for millions of people in an effort to prevent more fires. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Kris Bel, of Concord, checks his smart phone as smoke lingers above the San Francisco skyline viewed from Grizzly Peak Blvd. in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. Pacific Gas & Electric started shutting off power Saturday around 5 p.m. for an estimated 2.35 million people across 38 counties. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/East Bay Times via AP)
Street lights have no electricity during a Pacific Gas & Electric outage in Lafayette, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. A Northern California blaze forced evacuation orders and warnings for nearly all of Sonoma County stretching to the coast, with forecasts of strong winds prompting officials to start cutting electricity for millions of people in an effort to prevent more fires. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/East Bay Times via AP)
Stars can be seen in the sky as electricity in a neighborhood is turned off during a Pacific Gas & Electric outage in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. A Northern California blaze forced evacuation orders and warnings for nearly all of Sonoma County stretching to the coast, with forecasts of strong winds prompting officials to start cutting electricity for millions of people in an effort to prevent more fires. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/East Bay Times via AP)
Henry Provencher, 87, is wheeled out of Redwood Retreats, a residential care facility by owner Eric Moessing while evacuating due to the Kincade Fire in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. The evacuation order encompassed a huge swath of wine country stretching from the inland community of Healdsburg west through the Russian River Valley and to Bodega Bay on the coast, Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick said. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Two people evacuate Redwood Retreats, a residential care facility in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. A Northern California blaze forced evacuation orders and warnings for nearly all of Sonoma County stretching to the coast, with forecasts of strong winds prompting officials to start cutting electricity for millions of people in an effort to prevent more fires. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Ambulances arrive at Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital to evacuate patients in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. The Kincade Fire forced evacuation orders and warnings for nearly all of Sonoma County stretching to the coast, with forecasts of strong winds prompting officials to start cutting electricity for millions of people in an effort to prevent more fires. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Traffic is backed up heading South on Highway 101 during mandatory evacuations due to predicted danger from the Kincade Fire, in Windsor, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. The entire communities of Healdsburg and Windsor were ordered to evacuate ahead of strong winds that could lead to erratic fire behavior near the blaze burning in wine country. (Darryl Bush/The Press Democrat via AP)
The evacuations were the largest that anyone at the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office could remember,
The shutoffs were expected to continue until at least Monday, when forecasters expect high winds to die down and PG&E inspectors examine power lines to look for damage.
Scott Strenfel, a meteorologist for PG&E, said the bankrupt utility continues to monitor what “appears to be a very strong and dangerous fire weather event.”
“All the conditions needed for significant fires will be present in this event,” Strenfel said during a Saturday briefing, adding that the strongest winds would be overnight Saturday and Sunday morning.
PG&E said a 230,000-volt transmission line near Geyserville malfunctioned minutes before the Kincade blaze erupted Wednesday night.
Stocks In This Article:
The utility acknowledged a tower malfunction prompted a strategy change for determining when to kill high-voltage transmission lines, Andrew Vesey, CEO of Pacific Gas & Electric Co., said Friday.
The fires and power outages had some residents considering whether they should leave the state entirely.
Jon Robinson, 52, and his family moved to California seven years ago.
"Before this, we planned on staying," Robinson said. "But I'll tell you what, it's just too nerve-racking."
Businesses have felt significant pain this fire season.
About 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Sacramento, 65-year-old Sukhwinder Singh said he worked the Quality Market convenience store cash register in the dark, but nobody wanted warm soda and melted ice cream. He estimates he lost about $1,100 in sales and products. Singh has a generator now, but said he can't keep it running all night when the store is closed.
"I don't know how we can pay the bills at the end of the month," he said.
Also northeast of Sacramento, Scott Paris estimates about $20,000 lost in shutting down his High-Hand Nursery and Cafe when PG&E cut the power earlier this month for about 24 hours during a weekday. A beautiful fall Sunday might bring $50,000 to $60,000 worth of business.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
"We're scrambling to get enough generators," he said. "If this is the new normal, it's going to drive up a lot of costs. It drives up stress."
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
The Associated Press contributed to this report.