California Fires Resurre: People Evacuate Urgently Hundreds of Thousands of Households or Power Outages
December 4th According to a report by Chinese website in the United States, on December 3rd local time, according to the Orange County Fire Administration (OCFA) in California, the “Bond” fire caused by the strong wind has burned 3,650 acres of land. The fire began late December 2, when a building fire quickly spread to vegetation near Silverado Canyon.
The Orange County Fire Department said that about 500 firefighters were fighting the fire and helicopters would be dispatched. The fire prompted forced evacuation in several areas near the canyon, which is located about 15 miles east-northeast of Irvine.
The burning area of the fire expanded rapidly overnight, and a huge amount of smoke and dust could be seen a few miles away.
The Orange County Fire Department chief said the fire had spread to the main road, and firefighters were trying to get ahead of the fire. “We’ve seen a dramatic change in the wind direction, so we tell all staff to be aware of the constant change in the wind direction,” he told local media.
Several communities near the canyon have been ordered to evacuate, and residents in other areas nearby have been told to be ready for evacuation. It is not clear how many people were affected and whether there were any houses damaged.
The National Weather Service said that due to low humidity, extremely dry bushes and strong winds from the interior, there will be a red warning for extreme fire hazards in the area until December 5.
As a precautionary measure, the power company began cutting off the power supply to customers from February to prevent winds from blowing branches to power equipment or cutting off power lines. By late that night, the Southern California Edison Company had cut off the power supply to about 15,000 homes and businesses, and considered cutting off the power lines of about 271,000 households in seven counties throughout the wind.
In addition, San Diego Gas and Electric has cut off about 24,000 customers, and another 73,000 customers will also be affected.
California has experienced the worst year of the fire, the report said. More than 6,500 square miles of land were scorched, and the total area exceeded the Connecticut and Rhode Island area composite. At least 31 people were killed in these fires, and 10,500 houses and other buildings were damaged or destroyed.
The latest fire comes as much of California is plunged into a more severe drought. In fact, all areas of northern California are in severe or extreme drought, while almost all areas of southern California are abnormally dry, or worse.
