California declares state of emergency

SANTA ROSA, California— California's governor declared a statewide emergency Sunday after officials ordered nearly 200,000 people to leave their homes as hurricane-force winds drove multiple wildfires through bone-dry vegetation. Meanwhile, the state' s largest utility cut electricity to millions of residents as a precaution to prevent more areas from igniting.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement that officials were deploying “every resource available” to respond to the wildfires, including a large blaze in Northern California's wine country powered by gusts that topped more than 80 mph (149 kph).

Elsewhere, two grass fires burning in the San Francisco Bay Area briefly halted traffic on a bridge. The flames came dangerously close to homes in Vallejo. Another grass fire closed a stretch of interstate that cut through the state capital as smoke obstructed drivers along the busy stretch.

In the south, a wildfire in the Santa Clarita area near Los Angeles destroyed 18 structures.

The biggest evacuation was in Northern California's Sonoma County where 180,000 people were told to pack up and leave.

Meanwhile, Pacific Gas& Electric shut off power to 2.3 million people across 36 counties starting Saturday evening. Electricity is expected to be restored by Monday. The fear that the winds could blow embers and spread fire across a major highway prompted authorities to expand evacuation orders that covered parts of Santa Rosa, a city of 175,000 that was devastated by a wildfire two years ago.

“This is the largest evacuation that any of us ... can remember,” the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office tweeted Sunday morning. “Take care of each other.”

Hundreds of people arrived at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa by Sunday. Some came from senior care facilities. More than 300 people slept inside an auditorium filled with cots and wheeled beds. Scores of others stayed in a separate building with their pets.

Among them was Maribel Cruz, 19, who packed up her dog, four cats and fish as soon as she was told to flee from her trailer in the town of Windsor, which is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of San Francisco. She also grabbed a neighbor's cat.

“I' m just nervous since I grew up in Windsor ,” she said. “I'm hoping the wind cooperates.”