The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has now declared a state of emergency for the entire state as wildfires ravage both northern and southern California. Hundreds of thousands of people are being evacuated this evening, and over a million residents are without electricity because the utilities are afraid of starting new wildfires while the Santa Ana winds are picking up velocity throughout the state. The unremitting wind is drying up underbrush and even hardy cacti have lost enough moisture now to become nothing more than kindling for the next spark that comes their way.
In the north the Sonoma wine country is being roasted by the Kincaid fire, which has not yet been contained and threatens to defeat firefighter’s every effort to control it. A large winery has already fallen victim to the flames, as over sixty-six thousand acres go up in flames. Schools and businesses are closed and over one-hundred structures have already been consumed by the fire. 180-thousand people in the area are preparing to evacuate their homes tonight.
In the Los Angeles area the Getty Museum of Art is now threatened by a fire, which has been named it its honor. Celebrities such as Arnold Schwartzenegger and LaBron James have had to flee their exclusive Hollywood homes. Firefighters expect to muzzle this smaller fire by early tomorrow morning.
