The Kincade Fire has already destroyed nearly 16,000 acres of land in Sonoma County and hundreds of firefighters were tackling the blaze. Nearly 40,000 were evacuated from danger zones. This area is one of California's best-known wine-producing regions and Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick remembered an earlier fire of October 2017. It had destroyed thousands of buildings, killed dozens of people and devastated the community. The toll from wildfires in the state last year was around 100.

BBC reports that high-velocity winds of up to 70mph appear to have aggravated the situation.

Santa Ana winds, which are dry and gusty in nature, added to the woes of California. Pacific Gas & Electric PG & E disconnected the power supply to some southern California counties as a preventive measure to avoid the risk of accidental fires. Unconfirmed reports indicate the source of the Kincade fire which was a damaged high-voltage transmission line.

Such fires give rise to environmental issues

It is revealed through a BBC report that recently, wildfires had destroyed 4,700 acres north of Los Angeles, and thousands of people had no other option but to flee from their homes.

Fires of this nature take a heavy toll on the Environment in the form of loss of the all-important green cover. They also have a direct effect on animals and birds who lose their natural habitats. It takes a long time to recover from such losses. In addition, they leave the infrastructure in shambles and rebuilding them is a cost-intensive and time-consuming affair.

The town of Geyserville in Sonoma County reported a burning down of 49 houses.

Other associated issues are the closure of schools. Fire means the smoke that affects the quality of air and inhalation of such air gives rise to health-related problems, especially for children. Hence, schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District announced closure quoting safety concerns. In short, wildfires can wreak havoc and disturb the lives of unsuspecting people.

The fire led to evacuation of people from Sonoma County

According to The Washington Post, the fast-moving Kincade Fire could have started from a fault in one of the transmission towers near Geyserville. PG&E is the state’s largest utility and it disconnected power supply in the area. This wildfire in Northern California left more than 16,000 acres charred and firefighters had a tough time containing the blazes because of strong winds in the region.

As the Wildfire spread, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office gave orders for mandatory evacuations. It included the entire community of Geyserville. Sonoma Sheriff Mark Essick realized the gravity of the situation and made the position clear when he said – “This is not the time to stay. This is the time to go.”
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