Evacuations ordered for 50,000 more Sonoma County residents as Kincade fire grows
HEALDSBURG, Calif. - Fifty thousand more Sonoma County residents were ordered to leave their homes Saturday as the Kincade fire grew to 25,000 acres and firefighters struggled to get more control over the blaze before powerful winds kicked up in the afternoon.
At a morning news conference, Sheriff Mark Essick asked residents of Healdsburg and Windsor south of the fire zone "to start evacuating now" and to be out of the area by 4 p.m. Essick urged anyone physically unable to evacuate on their own to call 911 for help.
The sheriff emphasized that it was important for the evacuation to be complete before preventive power outages took effect.
By Saturday night, winds are expected to pick up considerably.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we
