Kincade Fire: 167 Homes Destroyed As Damage Assessment Continues

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — The Kincade Fire in Sonoma County northeast of Geyserville has burned 77,758 acres and is 68-percent contained — 52,875 acres — Friday, Cal Fire said. The fire started around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, and Cal Fire estimates it will be fully contained by Thursday, Nov. 7.

Favorable weather allowed firefighters to make good progress overnight, but access to the northern part of the wildfire is challenging because of steep terrain and narrow roads. Firefighters will continue establishing control lines around the wildland blaze, Cal Fire officials said.

As of Friday, the Kincade Fire has destroyed at least 352 structures, including 167 homes and 10 commercial/business structures. Another 55 structures have been damaged by the blaze, according to numbers from damage-assessment team members who continue to make their way through the burn area.

Four first responders have been injured battling the blaze. A Cal Fire spokesperson could not give details on their medical conditions Friday morning, but told Patch two of the four suffered minor injuries.

The total personnel on the fire is 4,957, Cal Fire said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Evacuation Orders/Warnings

Re-population planning efforts are still underway, according to Cal Fire. At 1 p.m. Friday, the statewide agency lifted multiple evacuation warnings, including for all areas within the city of Healdsburg:

• Zone 1A: Area South of Canyon Road to Alexander Valley Road. West of Highway 128 to Highway 101.
• Zone 3A: Area South of Alexander Valley Road, East of Highway 101, and West of Highway 128, North of the fireline, Including all areas within the Healdsburg City Limit.
• Zone 3B: The Windsor town limits, including area North of Arata Lane.
• Zone 5A: Area East of Highway 101 and Fulton Road, West of Redwood Hill Road at Mark West Springs Road and the Zone 6 Boundary, North of Wood Road and Dennis Lane, South of E. Shiloh Road and the fire line.
• Zone 6: Areas North and East of Santa Rosa City limit. East to Sonoma County/Napa County Line and South of the Zone 5B Border.

"The public is reminded to stay vigilant on current fire conditions," Cal Fire officials said. "Please drive slowly and yield to emergency personnel in the area. There may be smoke in the area as firefighters continue operations."

Until otherwise announced, the following mandatory evacuation orders remain in place, according to Cal Fire:

• Zone 1B: West of Lake County Line, North and East of Highway 128. South of Cloverdale, East of Asti Road/Geyserville Ave at Canyon Road. Including Asti Road.
• Zone 2:Hwy 128 North Knights Valley Area to the Napa County Line
• Zone 3C: Area South of Highway 128 and the fireline, East of Windsor Town limits, North of Faught Road at Shiloh Road and the Zone 5B boundary.
• Zone 5B: Area South of Highway 128 and Yellow Jacket Ranch Road, West of Highway 128 and the
• Zone 6 boundary to the Zone 3C boundary, including areas accessed East of Shiloh Ridge Road at Mayacama Club Drive.

See Cal Fire's current map of evacuation zones

PG&E Service Restoration

Healdsburg residents should have their natural gas service restored by Sunday night, Nov. 3, if all goes as planned, the city said in an email Friday:

"As of Friday morning, Nov. 1, PG&E has been in town doing gas shut-offs. They’ve informed us that they hope to finish this first step by tomorrow morning, Saturday, Nov. 2, at the latest. Assuming all goes as planned, PG&E can then start the second step: turning gas back on at individual meters and relighting pilot lights, starting tomorrow afternoon and completing the job Sunday night, Nov. 3. You do have to be home for this second step. We have been told by PG&E staff that they will work up to 10 p.m. to get gas restored. That means that all community members should have gas by Sunday night."

According to PG&E's North Bay Spokeswoman Deanna Contreras:

"PG&E crews [are] conducting gas safety checks and restoring gas service to customers in areas of Sonoma County impacted by the Kincade Fire, where evacuations have been lifted. As of this evening (Thursday, Oct. 31), gas service has been restored to approximately 3,400 customers in the Cloverdale area. The restoration work continues tonight and will continue tomorrow.

"There are approximately 1,000 homes where we have not been able to gain entry or make contact with customers. PG&E Gas Service Representatives will continue working with impacted customers and will stay in the area to conduct gas safety checks and relight pilot lights once gas service is restored. Customers should not attempt to relight their pilot lights."

Contreras added that as of 9 p.m. Thursday, approximately 1,400 customers who were impacted by PG&E's Oct. 26 and Oct. 29 public safety power shutoffs remained without electric service.

"Approximately 363,600 customers have been restored since Wednesday morning. Approximately, 800 customers are in locations where wind-related damage to the electric infrastructure will require that repairs be made on Friday.

"Additionally, about 1,200 customers within the footprint of the Kincade Fire remain out of power due to the fire, and not the PSPS event. PG&E crews now have access and have begun assessments, repairs and restoration."

Local Emergency Declared

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Thursday proclaimed a local emergency due to the Kincade Fire and PG&E's Public Safety Power Shutoff. The proclamation occurred at a special meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the Rohnert Park City Council chambers.

The 60-day emergency proclamation can be extended for 60-day periods, and when conditions improve, the supervisors can terminate the emergency.

The proclamation notes the fast-moving, wildland and urban fire that started Oct. 23 has burned 76,825 acres as of Thursday and has destroyed a minimum of 282 structures.

The proclamation also makes state and local mutual aid and state emergency funding available to the county.

Under the proclamation, the County Administrator's Office has the authority to take all actions necessary to respond to PG&E's de-energization of its equipment and the Kincade Fire. The County Administrator's Office also has the authority to decide whether county employees should be paid for not working Oct. 22-Nov. 4 due to the emergency from the Kincade Fire's impacts.

The Board of Supervisors also approved establishing a $2.5-million Kincade Fire Disaster Fund to pay for the costs of the initial response to the fire. The state is expected to reimburse the county 75 percent of those costs since California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency proclamation in Sonoma County.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Kincade Fire 65-Percent Contained; More Evacuations Lifted
• Kincade Fire: Containment Up; Thousands Return Home
• Kincade Fire Live Updates: 90K Homes Threatened; 76K Acres Burned
• Kincade Fire Live Updates: 74K Acres Burned; 80K Homes Threatened
• Kincade Fire Evac Advisory Still Stands For Calistoga In Napa Co.
• Kincade Fire Latest: Over 25,000 Acres Burned
• Kincade Fire Latest: Concerns Mount Fire Could Jump West Over 101

Bay City News Service contributed to this report