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Firefighters Heroically Stand Ground to Protect Santa Rosa, Healdsburg & Windsor Now on Fire

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(Updated Tuesday 9 am 10/29) – Exhausted firefighters continue to throw everything they have at the firestorm in Sonoma County.  The Kincade fire as of Tuesday morning has consumed over 75,000 acres making it easily the largest California fire of 2019, it is only 15% contained and it is threatening to burn down Healdsburg, Windsor, and Northern Santa Rosa.  This morning Sonoma County Fire departments are focused on protecting the ‘101 corridor’ as winds threaten to spread the fire further.

Fire Map of Sonoma County as of 7am, 10/28/19.  See updated maps GISSurfer

Cal Fire Officials announced this morning (Tues. 10/28) that the Kincade Fire currently threatens at least 80,435 residences.   Evacuation warnings have been given to hundreds of thousands of residents.   There is some incredible reporting being done at the Press Democrat on the firefight to save residential areas in Sonoma County:

“the firefight became a deeply personal battle for Sonoma County firefighters.  The winds again rose, fanning flames and sending the Kincade fire roaring like a freight train into Shiloh Estates and toward Wikiup, Larkfield and the Mark West Springs corridor, Santa Rosa communities still rebuilding from the 2017 Tubbs wildfire.

The threat triggered an “all call” tone Sonoma County’s main dispatch center never had used before. The call was for every fire district to send whatever it could to join the already enormous firefighting force preparing to make a stand.” 

“No matter how tired we were, no matter how overwhelmed we were, we were going to throw everything we had at it,” Sonoma County Battalion Chief Fire Marshal Cyndi Foreman said.

 – The Press Democrat.

An ember cast rains down on a house adjacent to a burning barn, Sunday Oct. 27, 2019 as the Kincade fire pushed down to Shiloh Ridge and Faught Road east of Windsor. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat) 2019

As of Tuesday Morning 10/29, Cal Fire currently says 124 structures have been destroyed, 57 of them residential. At least 23 additional structures have been damaged, and 90,015 structures are threatened.  All 40 Sonoma County public school districts will be closed Tuesday, Oct. 29.  Emergency shelters: Check the Sonoma County Emergency website for most recent updates.

Reporting on Various Firefights in Sonoma County:

Healdsburg

Windsor

View of Fire & Smoke from Space via NOAA

Bay Area Resident may experience more smokey conditions Tuesday, but it is completely depending on the wind direction.  Air quality reports are available at airnow.gov.  PG&E preemptively shut off power to affecting approximately 960,000 customers in parts of 38 counties.

Searchable PG&E Power Outage Map

CAL FIRE PRESS CONFERENCE Tuesday morning 9 am 10/29

Important Fire Safety Information:

New Kincade Fire Evacuation Warning and Order Update (10/28/19 @6:00PM) https://fire.ca.gov/media/9981/102619_1830_evac_ow.pdf

Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office
https://twitter.com/sonomasheriff
Kincade Fire Public Information Line
(707) 967-4207
Kincade Fire Media Line
(707)583-1479

 

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Alex Mak - Managing Editor

Alex Mak - Managing Editor

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