Fires in Northern and Southern California threaten infrastructure

With California in the middle of peak wildfire season, several fires are burning across the state, causing evacuations, road closures and power outages.

Both the Getty Fire in Los Angeles County and the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County are forcing large evacuations.

Getty Fire

Although burning less than 1,000 acres, more than 7,000 residences are in the Getty Fire mandatory evacuation zone in Los Angeles. According to the L.A. Fire Department, eight residences have been destroyed and six more have been damaged.

Helicopters are flying above us. Fire still continues – we don’t know if our house is burnt. Evacuations remain the same. I guess not going home for a while… #gettyfire pic.twitter.com/JcfKf5d9CP

— ??ş?????? (@ADpianist) October 29, 2019

LAFD is reporting that all lanes of the northbound and southbound Interstate 405 are open.

However, some on/off ramps may be closed intermittently from U.S. Highway 101 to Sunset Boulevard. On Monday, portions of Interstate 405 were shut down.

As of Tuesday morning, the Getty Fire is burning 656 acres and is at 5% containment. The fire began early Monday morning, with fierce Santa Ana winds contributing to the spread. During a Tuesday morning news conference, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said that the area is expecting stronger winds sometime around 11 p.m. local time. Winds gusts can reach up to 70 mph.

Kincade Fire

Further up north, the Kincade Fire in Geyserville is currently burning more than 75,000 acres with containment at 15%.  According to CalFire, 124 structures have been destroyed, 23 damaged and another 90,000 are under threat. Nearly 60 residences have been destroyed, 15 damaged and 80,000 are  threatened. No civilian injuries or fatalities have been reported.

Front windshield view of what our #Firefighters were faced with this morning (3am). We appreciate their complete dedication to the task of protecting lives and property. #KincadeFire @IAFFNewsDesk @team10th #nosleep #sffd #sffire #firelife #wildland pic.twitter.com/Dlpf9P8Zdl

— San Francisco Firefighters 798 (@SFFFLocal798) October 29, 2019

Several road closures are in place, including several portions of State Route 128. Meanwhile, all roads east of Highway 101 in the Geyserville area are closed. Updated closures can be found here.

During a news conference, National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Walburn said the area should expect increasing winds later this evening, much like Los Angeles. After the strong wind event, the forecast looks more favorable for the following 5-7 days.

According to CalFire, the Kincade Fire began on Oct. 23. The cause of the fire is unknown.