PORTLAND, Ore. — About 300 firefighters from numerous fire agencies around Oregon left Sunday morning to help battle the devastating wildfires in California.
The largest of the fires, the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, is being fueled by historic winds and has caused nearly 180,000 people to flee their homes. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a statewide emergency.
The evacuations cover parts of Santa Rosa, a city of 175,000 that was devastated by a wildfire two years ago. The latest evacuation orders came after Pacific Gas & Electric shut off power to 2.3 million people across 36 counties on Saturday as a precaution to prevent other wildfires.
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The fire is expected to be especially unwieldy Sunday due to powerful winds gusting at up to 80 mph on hillsides. The wind event is expected to last until Monday, the National Weather Service said.
California made a request for assistant through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a national state-to-state mutual aid system, and the Oregon State Fire Marshal authorized the mobilization of 15 strike teams.
Firefighters from Klamath, Yamhill, Linn, Columbia, Clatsop, Benton, Multnomah, Marion, Washington, Clackamas, Lincoln, Jackson, Josephine, and Lane counties are heading to California.
The Kincade Fire began Wednesday night and is only 10% contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Sunday. It has burned 47 square miles and has destroyed 79 structures.
In addition to the Kincade Fire, smoke from a second wildfire in the San Francisco Bay Area briefly halted traffic on a bridge and came dangerously close to homes in Vallejo, which is 55 miles south of Geyserville where the massive Kincade Fire is burning.
In the south, a wildfire dubbed the Tick Fire in the Santa Clarita area nearly Los Angeles has destroyed 18 structures, threatened homes and critical infrastructure. The Tick Fire is 65% contained.
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