Some 180,000 people were ordered to evacuate due to the fire that affects northern San Francisco , said the sheriff's office in the US county of Sonoma, where the flames have already swept over 12,000 hectares.
According to the California Fire Department (Cal Fire), the fire, which began on Wednesday night, was contained at just 10% this Sunday morning, amid exceptional weather conditions that encourage its spread.
In Santa Rosa, the main city of Sonoma County, tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes due to the advance of the fire, which has also caused major power outages in the state of California.
Specialists are worried about very strong winds, even described as "potentially historic" north of San Francisco, the US weather services warned in a tweet. Wind gusts can reach up to 130 km / h.
"This is really an event we call historical and extreme," American meteorologist David King told the Los Angeles Times . According to meteorologists, winds will continue until Monday morning.
Meanwhile, California's main energy company, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E), announced plans to cut gas and electricity to 940,000 consumers, a preventative measure that could affect some 2 million people, according to reports from local media
Further south of California, most evacuation notices have been lifted . The flames had forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes near Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
Know more