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Wildfires Across California Force Tens of Thousands to Flee

The wind-fueled fires have affected suburbs near Los Angeles and wine country in Northern California.

Wind-fueled fires across California forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes Thursday. In Northern California, authorities ordered 2,000 people to evacuate as the Kincade fire grew to over 15 square miles in Sonoma County, California. Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which has come under fire in recent weeks for preemptively shutting off power to help combat wildfires, reported a problem with a transmission tower near the area that the fire ignited, but it’s unclear if the malfunction started the blaze. There are two other fires spreading throughout Southern California, forcing at least 40,000 people out of northern Los Angeles suburbs. The AP reports that several homes burned in the Santa Clarita area, with the fires spreading as a result of strong winds with gusts up to about 40 mph. Officials said there have been no reported injuries, but it’s unclear how many homes have burned so far.