California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Friday in Sonoma and Los Angeles counties, following the roaring wildfires that made tens of thousands from their homes.
Kincade Fire forced the evacuation of 50,000 residents disseminated through canyons north of Los Angeles on Friday which threatening thousands of residences and other properties. Like the Kincade Fire, a blaze raging through the Santa Clarita, Castaic, and Sepulveda Basin were driven by strong autumn winds.
In a press conference, Newsom assured affected residents that PG&E would be responsible for the "years and years of greed." However, it is not apparent whether Pacific Gas & Electric's (PG&E's) lines were the cause of the Kincade Fire.
The Governor said the PG&E "simply did not do their job" as the "greed" hastened the lack of intentionality and focused on developing their grid. An investigation into the origin of the 2018 Camp Fire, California's deadliest wildfire, found PG&E's electrical lines responsible.
Weather conditions this weekend may lead to the biggest blackouts yet - PG&E
PG&E announced on Friday afternoon, October 25, that more than 800,000 customers could expect to lose electricity due to dry, hot, and windy weather forecasts from Saturday evening until Monday midday. According to the report, the anticipated conditions will be "potentially powerful and widespread."
The number of those affected could be far more extensive since each PG&E residential clients represent a household. Two million people in California didn't have electric service to light up their homes when the company shut off power to 700,000 customers from October 9 to 12.
PG&E said electricity could be cut off for several days during the high-risk period and subsequent inspections. According to Bill Johnson, chief executive of PG&E Corporation, these power shutoffs are "a necessary tool for public safety."
The timing of the outages will vary locally, the power utility said, as the weekend weather system sweeps from north to south with dry winds of 45 to 60 miles an hour, gusting to 60 to 70 mph at higher elevations.
The utility company explained that the winds pose a higher risk of injuries and may cause sparks on electric systems that would cause rapid wildfire spread. PG&E added the fire risk is higher as the vegetation on the ground has been dried out by recent wind events.
Edison, Southern California's electric company, likewise conducted preventive power outages. They said Friday morning that roughly 29,000 customers were without power, with more than 10,300 were in Los Angeles County, 7,436 San Bernardino County, and 4,768 Ventura County.
Southern California Edison posted on its website that 386,116 customers in Southern California were considered to experience blackouts 6 a.m. Friday.
Governor Newsom likewise said on Friday that his department was making $75 million available "to protect public safety, vulnerable populations, and individuals and improve resiliency" during pre-emptive blackouts. The Governor's office added the funds would support fuel shortage, securing generators, and other backup energy sources for other essential facilities, as well as emergency communications.
At least 40,000 people evacuated in Los Angeles County
The tally of evacuation orders has hovered between 40,000 and 50,000, authorities said. In a New York Times news report, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said erratic winds blowing at approximately 60 mph at ridgetops had caused the flames to jump a freeway.
A man, who identified himself as James, was stunned by the tickfire in the Santa Clarita as he leaves the area. "What are we going to do?" the man told NBC Los Angeles as the sky filled with a smoky haze. He added it was the first time he has seen such an incident since he resided in the area since 2006.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger heard the reports of residents trying to cross barricades and being prevented by sheriff's deputies.
Barger said that the residents were very frustrated because the sheriffs barred them from crossing the barricades. The sheriffs are just as frustrated. "It's hard to sit and watch your community burn," she added.
Barger noted that at least six homes were already burned and the number might continue to rise.
More than 500 firefighters were working on the fire Thursday as "sustained winds of 20 mph and gusts of 40 mph were recorded", the Los Angeles County fire chief said.
Osby urged people to stay aware even if they can't see flames because there are plenty of hot spots. The fire was only 5 percent contained late Thursday night.