On Thursday, California emergency officials ordered hundreds of people to evacuate as a growing wildfire spread in Sonoma County.
The fast-moving wildfire engulfed some 10,000 acres by Thursday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Sonoma County Sheriff issued a mandatory evacuation order for the town of Geyserville, home to almost 900 people. Additionally, large parts of California were under red-flag alerts, suggesting a heightened risk of fire, amid high temperatures and powerful winds, officials said. About 185,000 customers were without power in the state on Thursday, and more than half a million homes and businesses in the state could lose power this week.
Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison plan to cut off electricity as a preventive measure against wildfires. PG&E cut off electricity to more than 730,000 homes and workplaces in northern California earlier this month to try to reduce the risk of wildfires amid extremely windy and dry weather.
