Fire Erupts as Californians Hit With 2nd Round of Blackouts

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. on Oct. 23, began rolling blackouts stretching from the Sierra foothills in the northeast to portions of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Embers fly from a tree as the Kincade Fire burns near Geyserville, Calif., on Oct. 24, 2019. Noah Berger/AP Photo

GEYSERVILLE, Calif.—A Northern California wildfire exploded in size early Thursday, Oct. 24, as dangerously windy weather prompted the state’s largest utility to impose electrical blackouts in an effort to prevent fire catastrophes.

Authorities ordered all 900 residents of the community of Geyserville to evacuate after the fire in the Sonoma County wine region north of San Francisco grew to more than 15 square miles. An Associated Press photographer saw three homes destroyed in the Jimtown area.