On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the launch of a new state website with tools and resources for Californians who have been impacted by wildfires and utility-directed power shutoffs.

The website combines emergency response, recovery and resilience information into a single place for easy access by users.

It is a one-stop portal that includes local and state resources, health services, shelters and housing, preparedness information and more.

“California continues to rise to the challenge of power shutoffs and natural disasters,” said Governor Newsom. “Response.ca.gov provides Californians with a unified portal for critical information during this state of emergency. This site will continuously be updated as needed to provide Californians with the resources they need.”

Response.ca.gov provides Californians with information and resources for current incidents, transportation impacts, vital health services information, shelter and housing locations, unemployment assistance and other state information.

The website also directs users to public safety power shutoff information and preparedness tips. As incidents continue to evolve, the portal will be updated to reflect the latest information and any additional resources the state may develop.

The governor on Sunday declared a statewide emergency due to the dangerous weather conditions.

Then on Monday, Newsom joined the state’s top fire and emergency management officials to provide an update on statewide fire and wind conditions, and announced that California has secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant to help ensure the availability of resources to fight the Getty fire.

California has also secured Fire Management Assistance Grants to bolster the response to the Kincade and Tick fires, for which the governor previously declared a state of emergency in Sonoma and Los Angeles counties.

Over the course of the past week, the governor has met with emergency responders, health officials, residents and local leaders in Petaluma, Napa, Geyserville and Los Angeles, and held public briefings regarding the ongoing fire threats and the need to hold utilities accountable for the consequences of their power shutoff decisions.

The governor has also announced a $75 million program for state and local governments to mitigate the impacts of power shutoffs, and unveiled a series of new partnerships and new tools to help secure medically vulnerable populations during these events.

Under Gov. Newsom’s leadership, California passed AB 1054, wildfire safety and utility reform legislation that expands the California Public Utility Commission's ability to hold utilities accountable for their safety record – a central part of the governor’s wildfire safety actions.

The legislation created a new wildfire safety division at the CPUC and a board of independent expert advisors to more effectively regulate the safety of publicly owned utilities.

The law mandated that utilities tie executive compensation to safety performance, invest $5 billion in safety improvements without profit, and go through a new yearly wildfire safety review and certification process.

It also requires new inspections of utility electrical equipment. Under the law, utilities must create a wildfire safety committee in their corporate board, and provide direct board-level safety reporting to the CPUC.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Thanks to a reduction in winds in the fire area, firefighters succeeded in improving containment on the Kincade fire on Monday, but concerns about its potential movement into southern Lake County resulted in an expanded evacuation warning for that area.

Cal Fire said that the Kincade fire grew by another 8,000 acres during the day on Monday, reaching a total of 74,324 acres.

At the same time, containment tripled to 15 percent, with Cal Fire continuing to estimate full containment by Nov. 7.

Ongoing damage assessments confirmed that 123 structures – 57 residences, five commercial and 61 other types – have been destroyed in Sonoma County. Cal Fire said an additional 20 structures have been damaged, including 12 homes, one commercial building and seven other structures.

Cal Fire said the Kincade fire continues to threaten approximately 90,015 structures – more than 80,400 of them homes – across Sonoma County.

Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick said the improved conditions on Monday allowed officials to reduce evacuation orders to warnings for much of western Sonoma County.

However, at the same time the fire’s behavior led authorities to expand the evacuation warning in southwestern Lake County, specifically for all residents in the Middletown area south of Butts Canyon Road and Highway 175 to the Napa/Sonoma County lines, including Middletown proper, the Middletown Rancheria, Dry Creek area, all roads off Highway 175 between Middletown and McKinley Drive as well as all of Butts Canyon Road including side streets.  

The Cobb Mountain area also remains under that evacuation order, issued Friday, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said.

Cal Fire Division Chief Jonathan Cox said during a Monday evening briefing that those evacuation warnings for south Lake County were triggered by fire behavior.

He said a lot of effort is being focused on the fire’s eastern flank in order to protect Lake County and its residents from the potential spread of the fire.

Fire Chief Mike Blankenheim, the incident commander for Cal Fire, said overall the Kincade fire didn’t make a big run on Monday, with little wind but conditions remaining dry.

He said the fire burned very actively throughout the afternoon in the Mount St. Helena area, and that’s where they focused air tankers, the very large air tanker and helicopters.

Blankenheim said they are doing everything they can to stop the fire from running into Lake County, and working on robust contingencies for Lake County and Calistoga in Napa County if the fire should reach those areas.

The fire ran into the Shiloh Ridge area near Windsor on Sunday, and Blankenheim said firefighters went direct and worked hard on that part of the fire on Monday.

Now, they are getting ready for another wind event expected to arrive on Tuesday, which has led to Pacific Gas and Electric to say it is planning another possible public safety power shutoff, as many customers impacted by the current shutoff still don’t have power restored.

Ryan Walburn of the National Weather Service said there were better conditions on Monday with less wind. However, a new red flag warning is expected to go into effect at 8 a.m. Tuesday and continuing until 4 p.m. Wednesday.

He said on Tuesday there will be a gradual ramp up, with winds of 10 to 20 miles per hour with gusts of up to 30 miles per hour from the northeast.

Those northeast winds are expected to come in off of Mount St. Helena and Cobb Mountain and move across the fire area, Walburn said.

In the afternoon, the warmest and driest period of the day, Walburn said to expect 30 to 40 miles per hour winds, with gusts in the 50-mile-per-hour range, also out of the northeast, which will push the fire back into its footprint.

The most critical period will be on Tuesday night, when winds are expected to peak through midnight before easing on Wednesday, he said.

While it’s not on the magnitude of the weekend wind event, Walburn urged people not to downplay the incoming weather system, as it is still significant.

Walburn added that they don’t see any upcoming wind events in the forecast.

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MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Monday evening expanded the south county evacuation warning area in response to the Kincade fire.

At 5:50 p.m., the sheriff’s office issued an alert reporting that the evacuation warning – which is not a mandatory order – had been expanded to include all residents in the Middletown area south of Butts Canyon Road and Highway 175 to the Napa/Sonoma County lines.

This includes all roads off Highway 175 between Middletown and McKinley Drive as well as all of Butts Canyon Road including side streets.

The evacuation warning for the Cobb Mountain area, which was issued Friday, remains in effect, the sheriff’s office said.

“We are asking everyone to take preparations in the event that a mandatory evacuation order is issued,” the sheriff’s office said in its alert. “Preparations should include gathering all medications, important documents, making plans for pets, and notifying family members where you may be going. Those requiring additional time to evacuate or those with pets or livestock should leave the area as soon as possible.”

The report continued, “During a mandatory evacuation, it will be extremely hectic and traffic conditions will be very congested. By evacuating early, you do your part in keeping yourself, your neighbors, and our first responders safe. This is not an evacuation order and is only a warning.”

The alert is published below in Spanish.

“La ADVERTENCIA DE EVACUACIÓN relacionada con el incendio de Kincade se está ampliando para incluir a todos los residentes en el área de Middletown al sur de Butts Canyon Road y la autopista 175 a las líneas del condado de Napa / Sonoma. Esto incluye todas las carreteras fuera de la autopista 175 entre Middletown y McKinley Drive, así como todas las calles de Butts Canyon Road, incluidas las calles laterales. La advertencia de evacuación para el área de Cobb Mountain sigue vigente. Les pedimos a todos que se preparen en caso de que se emita una orden de evacuación obligatoria. Los preparativos deben incluir reunir todos los medicamentos, documentos importantes, hacer planes para mascotas y notificar a los miembros de la familia a dónde puede ir. Aquellos que requieren tiempo adicional para evacuar o aquellos con mascotas o ganado deben abandonar el área lo antes posible. Durante una evacuación obligatoria, será extremadamente agitado y las condiciones del tráfico estarán muy congestionadas.Al evacuar temprano, usted hace su parte para mantenerse a salvo a usted, a sus vecinos y a nuestros socorristas. Esta no es una orden de evacuación y es solo una advertencia.”

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Firefighters are taking advantage of a break in the windy weather to try to strengthen containment on the growing Kincade fire.

On Monday morning, Cal Fire said the fire had increased to 66,231 acres, with containment remaining at 5 percent.

Cal Fire said 96 structures – 40 residential, three commercial and 53 other – have been destroyed. Another 16 have been damaged; they include 10 homes, one commercial structure and five other types of buildings.

With an estimated 79,765 structures still threatened – including 70,425 homes, 750 commercial and 8,500 other types of structures – evacuations across a large portion of Sonoma County remain in effect, officials said.

Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick said an estimated 185,000 people have been evacuated as a result of the fire.

Essick said his office was meeting with Cal Fire and county emergency officials to look at the evacuation area.

On Monday afternoon, Cal Fire issued a limited repopulation notification for the communities of Bodega, Bodega Bay, Carmet, Muniz Ranch, Sebastopol, Occidental, Freestone, Camp Meeker, Forestville, Rio Nido, Hacienda, Monte Rio, Cazadero, Guerneville and Valley Ford, and all areas west of East Side Road.

Areas throughout the Russian River Valley to Bodega Bay have been reduced to an evacuation warning and are open for repopulation, Cal Fire said.

Evacuation orders remain in place for areas north of Occidental Road while areas south of Occidental Road have been reduced to an evacuation warning and also may be repopulated, according to the update.

In Lake County, Sheriff Brian Martin said Monday that an evacuation warning issued Friday for residents of Adams Springs, Anderson Springs, Cobb, Gifford Springs, Hobergs and Whispering Pines, and along the Ford Flat Road and Socrates Mine Road remains in effect.

It is not a mandatory evacuation order but Lake County officials want residents of the area to be prepared to evacuate should it become necessary.

Cal Fire Division Chief Jonathan Cox said that on Monday the focus for firefighters is perimeter control and structure protection, with the goal of taking advantage of a 24-hour period of more favorable weather conditions.

The fire began Wednesday night in The Geysers geothermal steamfield. It has since been pushed by winds toward Geyserville, Healdsburg and Windsor.

Cox said Monday that overnight most of the fire activity was just south of Windsor, along the Shiloh Ridge area.

“Firefighters made an aggressive stand in that area,” he said, bringing in significant resources to fight the fire.

Essick said Monday that had Windsor not been evacuated, firefighters couldn't have been as aggressive in working the incident.

“The northern area of Windsor was saved yesterday because of their efforts,” Essick said, thanking community members for following directions to evacuate. “That is truly a success story.”

The National Guard as well as firefighters from a number of neighboring states have joined the effort, bringing the total number of firefighters on the lines on Monday to 4,150, Cal Fire said.

Ryan Walburn of the National Weather Service said that, after the weekend red flag warning expired at 11 a.m. Monday, there was a window of opportunity for quieter weather this afternoon, overnight tonight and into Tuesday morning.

He said forecasters are starting to get ready for another red flag event, expected to should start midday Tuesday and continuing until Wednesday morning.

At the end of the week, he said the forecast calls for less wind, but still no sign of rain.

The weekend winds had battered the fire area. Pacific Gas and Electric, which implemented a public safety power shutoff beginning on Saturday, reported winds of 102 miles per hour in the Pine Flat area, located within the Kincade fire footprint.

Fire Chief Incident Commander Mike Blankenheim of Cal Fire said the priority for firefighters on Monday will be working on perimeter control in the area of Mount St. Helena, on the Kincade fire's northeastern corner, as well as Mark West and Shiloh Ridge, areas the fire reached on Sunday night.

He said they also will focus on structure defense in Healdsburg and Windsor.

In other news, Assistant Chief Tim Noyes of the California Highway Patrol in Sonoma County said that late Sunday night the CHP was able to reopen all of Highway 101, both northbound and southbound lanes.

However, Noyes said that the ramps in the evacuated areas will remain blocked.

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This story has been updated as of 1 a.m. Monday based on new information from PG&E. The Twin Pine community resource center also has been closed.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As millions of Californians remain out of power due to a public safety power shutoff that began on Saturday, Pacific Gas and Electric said that another weather system expected to arrive on Tuesday could warrant still another shutoff.

The company cut power to Lake and 37 other counties on Saturday evening ahead of heavy winds that battered the region overnight and on Sunday.

An estimated 965,000 customer accounts were impacted, according to a report from Mark Quinlan, PG&E's senior director of emergency preparedness and response.

Another 100,000 customers are without power due to emergent conditions with the weather event, Quinlan said.

Those numbers are related to accounts, not the actual number of impacted Californians. The Oct. 9 shutoff, which impacted about 750,000 customers, was estimated to have impacted 2 million people.

The outage that began Saturday also includes 6,145 critical facilities and 28,920 miles of overhead circuits regionwide, officials said.

Quinlan said Sunday evening that PG&E had given the all-clear to begin inspections before reenergization to some parts of Northern California and as a result had already begun to restore power to some customers.

The county of Lake reported Sunday that PG&E had provided it with information indicating that Lake County could get the all-clear between 6 and 8 a.m. Monday, at which point PG&E would start inspections with the goal of restoring power within 48 hours, depending on any damage found to electrical equipment.

However, shortly before 1 a.m. Monday, PG&E issued an update that said as wind conditions improved on Sunday afternoon it had issued the all-clear for customers in Humboldt, Siskiyou, Trinity, Northern Mendocino and portions of Lake County, and had begun safety inspections before sundown.

By 10 p.m. Sunday, more than 30,000 customers had their power restored, PG&E said.

PG&E did not specify where the all-clear in Lake County had been given, but said it was continuing to monitor conditions in Lake and other counties impacted by the “historic safety shutoff” so as to give the all-clear for the remaining customers.

As forecast, high winds hit the county hard, particularly after 12 a.m. Sunday. That prompted the Clearlake Police Department to put out a Sunday morning alert reporting that, due to the high winds, it had received numerous reports of trees and power lines down across several roads in the City.

Police urged people to use caution for fallen objects on the roadway, and to report downed trees and power lines to authorities.

PG&E’s early Monday report said maximum wind gusts around the outage area ranged from 70 miles per hour at Jarbo Gap in Butte County, to 87 miles per hour on Mount St. Helena west in Sonoma County, and 102 miles per hour on Pine Flat Road, also in Sonoma County and in the Kincade fire area.

Because of those high wind speeds, the company said damage to power equipment could be significant.

New weather event could bring another shutoff

At the same time, PG&E officials said they are monitoring a new weather system that the National Weather Service has forecast will bring more fire risk through high winds and dry conditions.

That offshore wind event, expected to arrive over the region on Tuesday, is forecast to continue until Thursday.

That new system could necessitate another shutoff, PG&E said.

It's not believed that the midweek wind event will be as strong as the one that triggered the current shutoff.

During a Sunday evening briefing, PG&E Chief Meteorologist Scott Strenfel said this incoming system appears to be weaker, adding that the “sliver of good news” is that they are not looking at any other incoming weather systems past Wednesday.

Company officials said the possible new shutoff this week could be similar in size and footprint to the current one, with PG&E beginning notifications to 600,000 customers in 35 counties who could be included on Sunday.

PG&E reported that it will “make every effort” to restore power between the two events, but the ability to do that depends on the extent of wind damage.

County officials said PG&E informed them that deenergization for the next shutoff could begin at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, ahead of the weather event expected to begin at 6 a.m.

An all-clear could come at noon on Wednesday, with the county reporting that restoration of power could take place on Friday.

On Sunday, county officials reported that they had an indication that some portions of the south county, including Hidden Valley Lake, could be excluded, but the situation could change.

A concern is whether some Lake County customers may not have their power restored between the two shutoff events.

The county of Lake said that scenario – of remaining without power over the course of both shutoffs, with no break – is a possibility.

Local governments and agencies staffed up, monitoring situation

With the outage expected to continue early into the new week, school districts around Lake County – Lakeport, Lucerne, Kelseyville, Konocti, Middletown and Upper Lake – reported that they will remain closed on Monday. If power is restored by 6 a.m. Tuesday, districts anticipate reopening. They urged people to stay tuned for followup messages.

The city of Lakeport said its Public Works and departments, and city emergency operations staff continue to monitor the situation and work to maintain all city infrastructure.

The Lakeport Police Department continues to have additional staff working to patrol and protect neighborhoods and business districts.

The city of Lakeport said it also is working in cooperation with the Lakeport Fire Protection District, which has increased staffing in the event they need to respond to emergency fire situations.

At the same time, the cities and county government are offering mutual aid to Sonoma County due to the Kincade fire. Assistance has included law enforcement personnel assisting with patrolling the vast Kincade fire evacuation area.

PG&E reported that community resource centers – where people can get water, and charge their phones and medical equipment – remain available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the current outage.

Centers in Lake County are at the Clearlake Senior Community Center, 3245 Bowers Ave.; Konocti Vista Casino, 2755 Mission Rancheria Road, Lakeport; and Upper Lake Unified School District, 725 Old Lucerne Road. The center at Twin Pine Casino & Hotel in Middletown closed Sunday.

The city of Clearlake has additionally announced that Austin Park has public wifi and restroom facilities that are available for use.

For a list of businesses that are remaining open, visit the city of Lakeport Web site.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Sunday night crash on Highway 20 east of Clearlake Oaks resulted in one fatality.

The California Highway Patrol confirmed the death, which also was reported from the scene by firefighters shortly before midnight.

The solo-vehicle crash occurred shortly before 11:30 p.m. Sunday on Highway 20 near New Long Valley Road, based on CHP report.

Two people were reported to be in the vehicle, which had major damage and was blocking the highway's eastbound lane, according to the CHP.

Northshore Fire and Cal Fire responded, with units arriving at the scene requesting an air ambulance to transport an individual with major injuries, based on radio traffic.

Over the scanner firefighters also requested a ground ambulance for one person with minor to moderate injuries.

Shortly after 11:50 p.m., incident command canceled the air ambulance and reported they were working to revive the seriously injured patient, who was reported to be the passenger.

A short time later officials confirmed the person had died, with firefighters requesting the Lake County Sheriff's Office send a coroner to respond.

Information about the cause of the wreck was not immediately available early Monday.

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NORTH COAST, Calif. – Firefighters are gaining ground on a wildland fire that began on Sunday in Mendocino County, leading to evacuations and a temporary closure of a portion of Highway 20 from Upper Lake to Ukiah.

Cal Fire said Sunday night that the Burris fire had burned 350 acres and was 20-percent contained.

It began on Sunday afternoon on Potter Valley Road and Highway 20, east of Calpella, in Mendocino County.

In response to the fire's rapid spread, Sheriff Tom Allman called for mandatory evacuations along Highway 20 east from Potter Valley Road to the Lake County line.

Evacuations warnings also are in effect for Vista Del Lago, Elledge Ranch Road, King Ranch Road, Horseshoe Circle and all of northeast Lake Mendocino in the Cold Creek Ranch area, as well as Highway 20 south to Highway 175, east of the Russian River and west of the Lake County line.

An evacuation center was opened at the Ukiah Veteran’s Hall, 2937 Seminary. A large animal evacuation center is located at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds, 1055 N. State Street, Ukiah.

For several hours on Sunday, the fire resulted in a closure of a portion of Highway 20 between Upper Lake and Ukiah.

On Sunday night the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said Highway 20 had reopened to one lane of controlled traffic in the immediate fire area. Drivers are asked to avoid Highway 20 unless it is absolutely necessary.

Assigned resources on Sunday night included 229 personnel, 21 engines, two water tenders, one helicopter, nine hand crews and four dozers, Cal Fire said.

Cal Fire said the fire's cause is under investigation.

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On Sunday, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency due to the effects of unprecedented high-wind events which have resulted in fires and evacuations across California.

The Kincade Fire in Sonoma county has burned more than 54,000 acres to date, and has led to the evacuation of almost 200,000 people and threatened hundreds of structures.

The Tick fire in Southern California has also destroyed structures, threatened homes and critical infrastructure, and caused the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.

As of today, there are over 3,000 local, state and federal personnel, including first responders, assisting with the Kincade fire alone.

“We are deploying every resource available, and are coordinating with numerous agencies as we continue to respond to these fires. It is critical that people in evacuation zones heed the warnings from officials and first responders, and have the local and state resources they need as we fight these fires,” said Gov. Newsom.

Earlier this week, the governor secured Fire Management Assistance Grants to help ensure the availability of resources to fight the Kincade and Tick fires and enable local, state and tribal agencies to recover eligible costs.

The governor has also met with first responders, health officials, and residents of Napa, Geyserville and Los Angeles this week, and held public briefings regarding the ongoing fire threats and the need to hold utilities accountable for the consequences of their decisions to shut off power for large portions of the state.

The governor announced a $75 million program for state and local governments to mitigate impacts of power shutoffs and unveil a series of new partnerships and new tools to help secure medically vulnerable populations during these events.​

A copy of Sunday's proclamation can be read below.
102719 California governor's state of emergency declaration by LakeCoNews on Scribd

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Pushed by high winds and dry conditions, the Kincade fire ballooned in size on Sunday, leading to more evacuations and a closure of a portion of Highway 101.

Cal Fire reported during a Sunday evening briefing that the fire has grown to 54,298 acres with containment cut in half, dropping to 5 percent. On Sunday morning, the fire had been at 30,000 acres.

So far, 94 structures have been confirmed destroyed and another 17 damaged, Cal Fire said.

The fire’s aggressively growing footprint is threatening 80,000 homes, officials said Sunday evening.

Sonoma County officials said that prompted the evacuations that are impacting an estimated 186,000 people, or about 36 percent of Sonoma County’s reported population. For context, that is nearly three times Lake County’s total population.

In Lake County, Sheriff Brian Martin said Sunday that evacuation warnings for the Cobb Mountain area and surrounding communities are remaining in effect.

More than 3,400 firefighters are on the lines, working along with air resources that have been key to the ongoing battle to contain the Kincade fire, which began Wednesday night in The Geysers geothermal steamfield.

Cal Fire said two firefighters were injured on Sunday. One was a minor injury, the second was more significant and required the firefighter to be airlifted to a trauma center.

Radio reports early Sunday morning recorded fire intensity picking up after 1 a.m., particularly in the interior of the fire.

An air attack unit had reported winds of 90 knots – or about 103 miles per hour – as they were flying from the Tehama unit to the fire area, and there were concerns about what those winds would do when they reached the fire area.

At about 2:40 a.m., radio reports indicated the fire was starting to head toward Healdsburg.

By 3 a.m., winds were reported to be swirling around the fire area, running ridgelines, making dozer lines too difficult to hold and cutting off roads firefighters were using to access the various sections of the fire, based on incident radio traffic.

At the same time, firefighters had reported additional spotting west of Highway 128, with an additional request for 40 additional engines of any type submitted.

The conditions led to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office issuing Nixle alerts between 2:50 and 4 a.m. reporting that the fire was heading toward Geyserville and Windsor and ordering anyone still in those evacuation areas to leave immediately. That was followed by warnings that the fire also was headed toward Healdsburg and Shiloh Ridge.

The National Weather Service reported that wind gusts on the order of 75 miles per hour were reported in the fire area. No rain is in the forecast until the end of the month, a concern due to the increasingly dry conditions.

The Kincade fire’s spread has been erratic, with long-range spotting, Cal Fire said.

A forecast Monday wind shift is expected to greatly aid the firefighting effort, decreasing the flame length and rate of spread, according to a Sunday evening briefing.

However, the fire could strengthen in its northeastern portion; additionally, officials are concerned about another high wind event forecast for Tuesday.

Fire nears Windsor; evacuations remain in place

Fire Chief Mike Blankenheim, the Kincade fire incident commander, said in a Sunday evening operational update that the predictions both for weather and fire behavior proved to be extremely accurate.

The winds began around 1 a.m. Sunday and brought the fire down from the hills and across Highway 128 at around 3 a.m., Blankenheim said.

At 11 a.m. Sunday, the fire was threatening Highway 101 between Windsor and Healdsburg. Blankenheim said Sunday evening that the fire has not crossed Highway 101.

He said the wind is lined up in a more northerly direction and has pushed straight south on the east side of Highway 101.

As of Sunday evening, the fire’s edge is reported to be somewhere just south of Windsor near Shiloh, where resources are actively engaged in perimeter control and structure defense, Blankenheim said.

Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick said all evacuations remain in place, a measure being taken to protect lives.

On Sunday, Essick said he saw the fire from the air. “This is still a very active fire.”

Essick credited firefighters for doing an amazing job of stopping the fire before it entered Windsor. He said Sunday evening that the fire appears to be at the town’s edge.

He said he also visited people in evacuation shelters on Sunday. “When we make a decision to move 180,000, it’s a decision we make for public safety,” he said.

However, he acknowledged the impact on people at the shelters. “It really puts a fine point on the impact here.”

Essick said the goal is to get people back to their homes as quickly as possible. “We are doing the right thing by keeping your out of these areas.”

He asked people to cooperate and stay out of the dangerous evacuation areas, adding that their lives are his priority.

Essick said there are more than 200 law enforcement officers patrolling the evacuation areas. Lake County agencies reported that their personnel are assisting with that effort.

As of Sunday evening, there have been no documented cases of looting or associated arrests, but Essick said they did make an arrest that morning of an individual who had entered the evacuation zone and couldn’t provide information on a residence.

Just after 5 a.m. Sunday, authorities closed Highway 101 northbound at Hopper Avenue in northern Santa Rosa and southbound Highway 101 at Cloverdale Boulevard South in Cloverdale.

Assistant Chief Tim Noyes of the California Highway Patrol said they understand the magnitude of the event and its impact on the public.

He said Sunday evening that the south end of Highway 101 had been flowing well for most of the day, and that the CHP planned to open the highway’s southbound lane completely. However, the northbound lane was to remain closed for the time being, with no estimated time of opening yet.

Sunday’s intense day of fire activity coincided with the first full day of Pacific Gas and Electric’s third public safety power shutoff of October.

The company said it is monitoring another wind event this week that has concerned fire officials and which may result in yet another power shutoff in the region.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol has closed a portion of Highway 20 in Lake and Mendocino counties and Highway 101 in Mendocino County due to a wildland fire in Potter Valley that has prompted evacuations.

The CHP said Highway 20 is closed at the junction with Highway 29 in Upper Lake and west to Highway 101.

Highway 101 at Highway 20 east is closed near Ukiah, the CHP said.

The closures are the result of the Burris fire, which began Sunday afternoon off Potter Valley Road, Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman said in a Facebook video from the scene.

Cal Fire said that as of 3:45 p.m. the fire was 250 acres and at zero-percent containment.

Allman said Cal Fire is attacking the blaze but he urged vigilance from area residents.

“We really want people to pay attention to this,” Allman said, noting winds are heading to the south and the west.

He urged people to stay off the highway if possible.

He later reported the fire had reached Highway 20 and the winds had picked up.

At about 3:30 p.m. the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order for Highway 20 to the Lake County line, including the Lake Mendocino Bridge and Del Lago areas.

Residents are directed to exit toward Highway 101 and continue north on Highway 101 as the only direction of travel will be west on Highway 20 and north on Highway 101.

At one point, radio traffic indicated the fire was running southeast on top of the ridge toward Lake County, but so far there have been no reports of it reaching Lake County.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The lights went off across Lake County and many communities in Northern and Central California on Saturday evening as Pacific Gas and Electric went forward with its third public safety power shutoff this month.

The shutoffs came hours ahead of a predicted wind event that led to a red flag warning by the National Weather Service, and which some forecasters said could be historic in proportion, with wind gusts of 80 miles per hour or more in some areas.

PG&E said it was implementing the shutoff to protect against the danger of fire.

In this latest shutoff, an estimated 940,000 customer accounts and 38 counties are impacted, the company said.

That includes all of Lake County's populated areas, or more than 37,400 customer accounts.

Throughout the day Saturday, PG&E had made a series of changes to its anticipated time of shutoff. Lake County officials and this publication received information that was at times conflicting, with times ranging anywhere from 3 to 11 p.m.

PG&E spokeswoman Deanna Contreras said the company was attempting to adjust its shutoff times in reaction to changing conditions.

During a Saturday evening press conference, Mark Quinlan, PG&E’s senior director of emergency preparedness and response, reported that at around 5 p.m. they had started to deenergize the region.

As he gave estimated shutoff start times for some areas, some commenters on the company's Facebook feed reported that their power had already gone off hours ahead of time.

Across Lake County, residents reported power starting to go off around 5:15 p.m. and continuing until about 7:30 p.m.

There were reports of winds in some parts of Lake County on Saturday evening, with heavy winds hitting the north shore beginning at around midnight and continuing early Sunday morning.

At 3 a.m. a PG&E wind map showed wind speeds of more than 20 miles per hour with guts of around 43 miles per hour near Pine Mountain, 15 miles per hour and gusts of up to 39 miles per hour near Clearlake, 31 miles per hour and 50 mile-per-hour gusts near Knoxville, and on Mount St. Helena wind gusts were measured at 55 miles per hour.

No firm estimates have yet been given by PG&E as to when power might be restored, which depends on the timing of the weather event and the possibility of damage to power equipment.

Once the wind event is over and the all-clear has been called, inspections will begin to find any damage to the electrical that could cause fires, PG&E said.

Just when the all-clear might be called also has been a matter of changing times over the past few days.

Originally it had been expected to come sometimes on Monday evening, and county officials reported that in their discussions with PG&E that had been moved up to Monday morning and then, in the last update, to Sunday afternoon.

Once it's clear that lines aren't damaged, PG&E will reenergize them in stages, with the goal of restoring the vast majority of customers within 48 hours after the weather has passed.

During this shutoff, four community resource centers are being provided to Lake County, where residents can get water, charge their phones and rest. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the shutoff.

The locations are as follows::

– Clearlake Senior Community Center, 3245 Bowers Ave., Clearlake.

– Konocti Vista Casino, 2755 Mission Rancheria Road, Lakeport.

– Twin Pine Casino & Hotel, 22223 Highway 29, Middletown.

– Upper Lake Unified School District, 725 Old Lucerne Road, Upper Lake.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The tree was small, with gnarled limbs on which grayish-green patches of lichen had made its home.

The apples, though growing plentifully, were small, some the size of large cherries. Someone should have thinned the fruit, but the tree had been neglected.

Apples filled the bowl as I picked them from the tree, a motley crew of misshapen fruit in various sizes, some with patches eaten away by yellow jackets. I didn’t hold out hope for making much from this harvest, especially since many revealed inner rot when I cut and peeled them later in the kitchen.

But I plugged away, bit by bit, till every usable scrap of apple was peeled, cleaned, and tossed in a pot. To my surprise, the yield nearly filled two pots with fruit ready to be cooked into applesauce.

Alchemy occurred with the addition of heat and just a little bit of water. The apples softened into a chunky sauce, to which the smallest touch of brown sugar was added. A light dusting of cinnamon followed.

The result was truly magical. A highly flavored, not-too-sweet, fresh-tasting, soft but chunky sauce had been formed from the humble fruit. My son said it was the best he’d ever tasted and my heart swelled with pride.

It wasn’t me, however, who deserved the credit; it was the pure taste of one of the best cooking apples on the planet, the Gravenstein. If you’ve never made sauce with them or baked them into a pie, it’s well worth seeking them out for your first experience.

This apple variety is native to Denmark, where it was discovered as a chance seedling in 1669. It was introduced to western North America in the early 1800s by Russian sea traders, who planted a tree at their Fort Ross, California, settlement.

Renowned botanist and agricultural pioneer Luther Burbank was particularly fond of the sweet-tart Gravenstein apple. Of it he said, “If the Gravenstein could be had throughout the year, no other apple need be grown.”

The U.S. Gravenstein apple crop is concentrated in western Sonoma County, specifically near the town of Sebastopol.

This amazing apple is a difficult commercial crop. They don’t store well, making them available only in season, and short stems and variable ripening times make harvesting and selling difficult.

Sadly, most commercial Gravenstein orchards have disappeared due to suburban sprawl, grape vineyards and bad economic conditions. Few growers are left.

In 2005, Slow Food USA declared the Sebastopol Gravenstein apple a heritage food and included it in their Ark of Taste, an international catalog of heritage foods in danger of extinction.

I feel grateful whenever I see Gravensteins in a store or on a tree. It’s good to know some still exist, even if in smaller quantities than in the past when they were shipped to World War II troops in the form of dried apples and applesauce.

We are in the midst of apple season, and the Gravenstein is but one of more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples. Most are harvested between August and November.

Though one would be hard-pressed to find a Gravenstein apple in October (their peak of season is in August), multiple other varieties are in season now, among them Braeburn, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith, and Red Delicious.

Apples are divided into three groups: dessert or table apples, which are bred for eating; cooking apples, such as the Gravenstein, which are bred for baking, drying and making into applesauce; and cider apples, which are typically too tart and astringent to eat fresh, but impart a rich flavor to cider.

Apples are members of the large rose family. Wild ancestors of apples known today still grow in remote mountainous regions of central Asia, such as in southern Kazakhstan and surrounding countries.

Almaty, Kazakhstan’s capital and largest city, derives its name from the Kazak word for apple, “alma.”

I particularly enjoy apples in savory applications. My mother developed a dish inspired by Alice Waters made with sweet potatoes, apples and onions sautéed together in a skillet until the apples become caramelized. It’s absolutely delicious as an unusual side dish.

Another favorite of mine is sautéed apples and purple cabbage flavored with fennel or sage. White wine vinegar and currants or raisins add acidity and sweetness, respectively, for a balanced dish. As you can imagine, this is a nice accompaniment to pork or sausages.

Apples may be cored and stuffed with a bit of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon and then baked until soft and sweet for a dessert reminiscent of apple pie, though a bit healthier. This was something that was often served in my otherwise dessert deprived childhood (and that’s not a complaint).

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is a phrase that’s said to have been coined in 19th century Wales, and it’s proven to be true to some extent. Research indicates that apples contribute to good health by reducing the risk of colon, prostrate and lung cancer.

They may also help with heart disease, weight loss, and controlling cholesterol. Compared to many other fruits and veggies, apples are relatively low in Vitamin C; however, they’re rich in other antioxidant compounds.

If an apple a day doesn’t keep the doctor away, it will at least delay him or her.

There are so many wonderful ways to use apples: in a rustic tart, for example, or baked into bread or added to butternut squash soup.

I especially enjoy baking cubed winter squash, onions and apples together with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper for a delicious and warming side dish.

Today’s recipe is for a favorite fall salad made with spinach, apples and walnuts, perfect for an autumn table.

Esther’s Fall Spinach Salad with Apples and Walnuts

Ingredients

For salad

10 cups loosely packed spinach, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
1 large red apple, chopped
1 large green apple, chopped
1 cup (about 4 ounces) your favorite Gorgonzola or bleu cheese, crumbled
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion, soaked in water 20 minutes, then drained and dried
1/3 cup dried cranberries

For apple cider vinaigrette dressing

¾ cup apple cider or juice
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper (I prefer white pepper)
¼ cup walnut oil or neutral oil of your choice

Instructions

Combine ingredients for salad in large bowl.

Whisk together ingredients for dressing, drizzle over salad, and toss to mix.

Enjoy!

Esther Oertel is a writer and passionate home cook from a family of chefs. She grew up in a restaurant, where she began creating recipes from a young age. She’s taught culinary classes in a variety of venues in Lake County and previously wrote “The Veggie Girl” column for Lake County News. Most recently she’s taught culinary classes at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa, Calif. She lives in Middletown, Calif.