Lake County officials have declared a state of emergency due to the ongoing public safety power shutoff. They say 93 percent of the county is still without power and there is no reliable estimate about when the lights will be back on for good. The proclamation says the hardships caused by the shutoff are beyond what the county alone can handle and critical public safety services are being effected. The three resource centers are available at the Konocti Vista Casino in Lakeport, Clearlake Senior Community Center in Clearlake and at the Upper Lake Unified School District Middle School in Upper Lake. Officials say those are places were people can go to deal with basic needs during the power shutoff and get answers to any questions they may have.
Mendocino County officials sounding frustrated in a social media message today, saying they are NOT confident PG @ E and will be much help providing additional assistance for county residents while the power is out across the county and that there is a special concern for those with medical needs. County C E O Carmel Angelo was especially blunt after a meeting today with P G @ E.she says she doesn’t believe a word the utility says and that PG E is creating a public health emergency for people in the region. Angelo is afraid someone may die because of the shutoffs.
The latest red flag warning that had led to the shutoffs is in effect though sometime Wednesday and is s causing concerns for firefighters along the lines. The latest on the Burris fire is that while containment is up to 65 percent of the 350 acres that have burned but winds could make the fire could jump quickly and spread further. There is an evacuation warning in effect from. Highway 20 south to Highway 175, east of the Russian River, and west of the Lake County line in the Potter Valley area. There are no evacuation ORDERS at this point. Cal-Fire says there are more than 1,000 personnel assigned to Burris fire and that today’s goal has been to re enforce containment lines and deal with new flare ups. Officials say the winds are making it especially dangerous for those men and women because of how fast the fire direction can change and how tall, burning trees can simply topple with little to no warning, trapping crews below.
The much bigger Kincaid fire is now said to encompass more than 75,000 acres and is about 15 percent contained. 124 structures have been destroyed and around 90,000 remain threatened. There have been no fatalities and only 2 of the 4,500 fire fighters hard at work have suffered minor injuries. The part of the Kincaid fire burning in Lake County has led to an evacuation warning—not an order—for an area around Middletown. That means people there should be ready to go at a moment’s notice IF an actual order comes down. The latest estimate of containment for the Kincaid fire is November 7th—a week from Thursday.
Information about the fires and shutoffs is changing constantly, so the state has set up a new web portal to help people find out the latest. The website is response.ca..gov. Governor Newsom says it will give people a way to find critical information during this declared state of emergency across California. Local Governments in Lake and Mendocino Counties are also posting what information they have on their web pages and social media platforms, while PG @ E promises to provide as much information as it can online as well.
As for the weather, things seem to be be looking up. Once the red flag warning is over, possibly tomorrow, winds will die down, and while it will still be very dry, it should ease the risk of wildfires as we head toward the weekend. Still forecasters there’s no rain in the long term forecasts for so dry ground and brush will continue to make fire a very serious concern.
