Lonely Planet Friday
October 25, 2019 T: 582-7800 | F: 582-7044 www.arubatoday.com Page 13
Aruba’s ONLY English newspaper
Thousands ordered to leave as Northern California fire rages By JOCELYN GECKER and NOAH BERGER Associated Press GEYSERVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Officials ordered 2,000 people to evacuate their homes and businesses in Northern California wine country Thursday after a wildfire exploded in size, fueled by powerful winds that prompted utilities throughout the state to impose electrical blackouts to prevent fires. The entire community of Geyserville and nearby residents were told to leave after the fire in the Sonoma County wine region north of San Francisco grew to more than 15 square miles (39 square kilometers). Among those fleeing the flames was 81-yearold Harry Bosworth, who awoke before sunrise to find a firetruck and firefighters in his driveway. As he and his wife drove off, flames surrounded their driveway and their barn caught fire. “I could see the fire coming, so we got the heck out of there,” Bosworth said. The fire started Wednesday night near the Geysers, the world’s largest geother-
Vines surround a burning building as the Kincade Fire burns through the Jimtown community of unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019. Associated Press
mal field where nearly two dozen power plants draw steam from more than 350 mountain wells to create electricity, said Mike Parkes, incident commander with the California Department
of Forestry and Fire Protection. The cause of the blaze was not yet known, he said, but it was fueled overnight by 60 mph (95 kph) winds. The rugged terrain was hard to access, he said,
and by Thursday afternoon, the blaze raged on the outskirts of Geyserville. There were no immediate reports of any injuries. Authorities did not yet know how many buildings were
destroyed. Some people were refusing to leave despite the dangers, Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick said. Continued on Page 3