Editor’s note: People around the region are reporting slowed internet and cell service. We don’t know the exact cause, but to compensate we will be publishing without pictures or video to use less data. Usually in emergency situations we like to show you lots of pictures, but we hope this tactic will help get news to you.
UPDATE 11 p.m. — The Kincade Fire has reached 74,324 acres with 15% containment, according to the Cal Fire evening update. There are with over 90,000 structures under immediate threat, with 123 structures so far destroyed and 20 damaged. There are almost 4,400 personnel battling the large fire, including firefighting teams from Oregon, with additional resources on the way. Unprecedented numbers of Sonoma County residents remain under evacuation, although some evacuation orders were reduced in Sonoma County today, additional evacuation warnings were issued in Lake County.
Governor Gavin Newsom visited Sonoma County this afternoon and gave a press conference in Santa Rosa at 5 p.m which you can watch here. That was followed by Cal Fire’s evening press conference covering more specific details of the Kincade Fire.
UPDATE 6 p.m. — A new evacuation warning has been issued for portions of Lake County has been issued for the Kincade Fire as of 6 p.m. this evening. The evacuation warning — which means residents should be prepared to leave immediately if conditions become unsafe — includes Middletown and parts of the surrounding region.
Here’s the full area under an evacuation warning: “the area of Highway 29 from Butts Canyon Road South to the County Line. All of Butts Canyon Road in Lake County between Highway 29 & Napa County Line. Highway 175 between Highway 29 Middleton North to McKinley Drive. This includes Middletown proper, Twin Pine Casino, Middletown Rancheria, Dry Creek area, all roads off of Highway 175 between Middletown and McKinley Dive, and Butts Canyon Road including all side streets.”
There is map of the Lake County evacuation warnings for the Kincade Fire viewable at this link. The most recent detailed maps of the Kincade Fire evacations, road closures, and power shut-offs can be found at these specifics links for Sonoma County and Napa County.
Cal Fire held an evening press conference on the fire at 5 p.m. that is watchable on their Facebook page at this link.
Smoke from the Kincade Fire to the southeast has been increasingly filling the Ukiah Valley this afternoon, as the winds have been picking up and changing direction from earlier in the day.
SONOMA Co., 10/28/19 — Firefighters continue to battle the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, which grew by about 12,000 acres overnight, reaching 66,231 acres or about 103 square miles in size, with 5% containment. However, firefighters held the line at the town Windsor, though some houses in the rural areas north of Santa Rosa burned. However, at least two firefighters were burned in last night’s fight, one was transported by ground ambulance to a local hospital, the other had to be flown to the burn unit at U.C. Davis.
Some good news, U.S. Route 101 was reopened late last night in both directions and travel is now possible, though don’t count on this situation continuing indefinitely as the fire continues to grow and has been moving south and west towards the freeway for days. Still, it is impressive that with the high winds blowing steadily to the west and south, firefighters have keep the blaze from jumping the 101 and spreading into west Sonoma County.
There are now over 4000 firefighting personel, including firefighters directly operating on the fire and support staff.
Cal Fire held a press conference with you can see at this link.
The wind is expected to die down today, though high gusts of up to 40 mph are still possible through the afternoon. Though tonight is forecasted to be a quieter night wind-wise, hopefully giving firefighters a chance to build up containment lines, the winds are expected to pick up once more Tuesday as Northern California is struck by yet another bout of the Diablo Winds.
(For the full Cal Fire fact sheet follow this link. We usually like to embed things, but in keeping with trying to reduce the data usage of our readers during this black out we are publishing without photos or pdfs)
Just fyi, 101 is south and WEST of the fire, not south and east as mentioned in the article.
Is 101 open going north to Ukiah
As a Mendocino County resident, I really appreciate your informative articles.
I’ve come to search for info from the Voice, in the midst of all the craziness surrounding the fires we’ve had. Thanks!
thanks C., that’s what we’re here for!
Thank you immensely for all the timely information about what is going on with the fires and power shut offs here in the county. The Mendocino Voice is the only source that seems to really care about keeping us informed and up to date.
Thanks Magic, we’re trying our best!