A region stressed to the limit
Northern California was reeling on multiple fronts over the weekend. The Kincade Fire, the state’s most devastating of the year, licked through a swath of Sonoma County and inflicted fear for many miles beyond the flames as heavy winds set off spot fires. Fires in Contra Costa County brought further challenges. Evacuations and precautionary power outages brought disruptions and stress to hundreds of thousands of residents who worried about what was coming next.
Major highways were closed and overwhelmed at times, and gas stations and grocery stores experienced a run on supplies as residents scrambled amid the tumult.
It could have been worse, much worse, without the unprecedented preparation and response.
Gov. Gavin Newsom made it official in declaring a statewide emergency to make additional resources available. But no one in the vast area affected by evacuations and blackouts had to be told they were living in a disaster zone. It was believed to be the largest evacuation ever in Sonoma County.
The damage and trepidation were all the more heartbreaking considering that the county went through such a traumatic wildfire two years ago. Even some of the residents of those fireflattened neighborhoods had to wonder if they would lose their newly built homes. Once again, homes and treasured businesses — such as Soda Creek Winery — were lost.
But, again, the fact that no lives were lost as of Sunday afternoon — and far more homes were not destroyed — was a testament to the work of about 3,000 firefighters and the strategies of their commanders.
The winds, gusting up to 90 mph in some areas, were highly unusual, but many components of the disaster were not. Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s equipment that was still live was suspected as a possible source of the Kincade Fire, even though the outages to customers were ordered to reduce the odds of an electricalcaused blaze. As evening approached Sunday, firefighters worked mightily to prevent the fire from jumping Highway 101, a fuelrich area that had not had a significant blaze in more than a half century.
Eightydegree temperatures and low humidity are not unheard of in October, though they are certain to come with more frequency as the effects of climate change intensify.
The Kincade Fire is expected to endure for another week or more. Most unsettling is the reality that this weekend is not an aberration, but yet another reminder of a new normal in California.