“I think it’s wrong that only one company makes the game 'Monopoly.' ”— Steven Wright The light at the end of the utilities’ tunnel has been shut off for the hundreds of thousands of California residents who have recently lost their power, been evacuated from their homes, or worse. The...
Chico Didn't Burn but Fire Brought New Way of Life
CHICO — Amber Blood got to Chico on Nov. 8, 2018, wearing pink slacks and her favorite white peacoat. It was all she had left. Blood was among tens of thousands forced to flee as a wildfire roared through Paradise and nearby communities in Northern California, killing 85 people and...
Paradise Rebuilds but Is It Any Safer a Year After Wildfire?
PARADISE — There was "no way in hell" Victoria Sinclaire was rebuilding in Paradise. She'd thought she was going to die during the six hours it took her to escape the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. The town where she'd raised her family was nearly wiped out,...
Flames, Gear and Risks of Photographing California Wildfires
By Marcio Sanchez Associated Press SANTA PAULA — It's ironic, but momentarily forgetting some of my safety gear ended up saving my life. It happened as I drove late Thursday into the heart of a wildfire that had erupted near the city of Santa Paula, a two-hour drive west of...
Wildfire Erupts Near Reagan Library in Southern California
SIMI VALLEY — A new wildfire erupted Wednesday in wind-whipped Southern California, forcing the evacuation of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and nearby homes, as both ends of the state struggled with blazes, dangerously gusty weather and deliberate blackouts. The brush fire broke out just before dawn in the Simi...
Bigger, Longer Blackouts Could Lie Ahead Across California
SAN FRANCISCO — A wildfire in California wine country that may have been caused by a high-voltage transmission line called into question Pacific Gas & Electric's strategy of selectively cutting off power in windy weather to prevent blazes, and could force it to resort to even bigger blackouts affecting millions...
PG&E Admits It May Have Ignited Sonoma Fire
LOS ANGELES — Pacific Gas & Electric admitted its electrical equipment may have ignited a ruinous wildfire spreading across the California wine country, despite blackouts imposed across the region to prevent blazes. The disclosure came as firefighters simultaneously battled flames in both Northern and Southern California: the fire amid Sonoma...
Fire Erupts as Californians Hit With 2nd Round of Blackouts
GEYSERVILLE — A Northern California wildfire exploded in size early Thursday amid dangerous winds that prompted PG&E to impose electrical blackouts to prevent fires. Authorities ordered the entire community of Geyserville to evacuate after the fire in the Sonoma County wine region north of San Francisco grew to more than...
Do California Power Shutoffs Work? Hard to Know, Experts Say
SAN FRANCISCO — Millions of Californians spent part of the week in the dark in an unprecedented effort by the state's large electrical utilities to prevent another devastating wildfire. It was the fifth time Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has preemptively cut the power but by far the largest to...
Mandatory Evacuations Lifted on Briceburg Fire
With firefighters gaining control of the Briceburg Fire, Cal Fire and the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office lifted mandatory evacuation orders and fire advisements at 1 p.m. Friday. However, Highway 140 is closed from 15 miles east of Mariposa at the top of Briceburg Grade to Savages Trading Post. Officials advise...