SANTA ROSA, California (AP) Firefighters battled destructive wildfires north of San Francisco and in western neighborhoods of Los Angeles on Monday, trying to beat back flames that forced thousands to flee their homes.
Easing winds offered a chance of improved conditions for firefighters trying to control a huge fire in Sonoma County wine country north of San Francisco, but forecasters warned that another round of strong wind gusts could hit the area on Tuesday.
The fire has been burning since Wednesday, has grown to 85 square miles, destroyed 94 buildings and threatens 80,000 buildings, including parts of the city of Santa Rosa, state fire authorities said Sunday night.
In Los Angeles, a fire erupted before dawn Monday on the west side of Sepulveda Pass, where Interstate 405 passes through the Santa Monica Mountains, and roared up slopes into wealthy neighborhoods, threatening thousands of homes. Several homes could be seen burning and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James tweeted that he and his family had to evacuate his home.
Mount Saint Marys University evacuated 450 students from its Chalon campus near Getty Center arts and cultural complex. The Getty was built with special fire protection features and Los Angeles fire department Capt. Erik Scott said it was not threatened.
The prospect of more winds in Northern California raised the possibility that some of the millions of people who had been on track to get their electricity back after it was turned off in an effort to prevent utility equipment from sparking fires may not have power restored before another possible round of shut-offs.
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. notified more than 1.2 million people that they may have their electricity shut off for what could be the third time in a week and the fourth time this month.
PG&E and other utilities in the state have been shutting off power in certain areas to prevent fires during strong winds.
Fire conditions statewide made California a tinderbox, said Jonathan Cox, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Of the states 58 counties, 43 were under red flag warnings for high fire danger Sunday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in response to the wildfires, powered by gusts that reached more than 102 mph.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, two grass fires briefly halted traffic on an interstate bridge. The flames came dangerously close to homes in Vallejo. Another grass fire closed a stretch of interstate that cut through the state capital as smoke obstructed drivers.
In the south, firefighters patrolled an area burned by a wildfire last week in Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles, to make sure winds didnt cause it to rekindle. Eighteen structures were destroyed by the Tick Fire.
To prevent power lines from sparking in high winds and setting off more blazes up north, PG&E said Sunday that power was out to 965,000 customers and another 100,000 have lost electricity because of strong gusts, bringing the number of residents impacted by blackouts to nearly 2.7 million people.
The biggest evacuation was in Northern Californias Sonoma County where 180,000 people were told to pack up and leave. Some evacuating early Sunday had done so two years ago, when devastating wildfires swept through Sonoma and Napa and neighboring counties, killing 44 people.
At an evacuation center at Napa Valley College, Francisco Alvarado, 15, said he, two younger brothers and his parents decided to vacate their Calistoga home in advance of evacuation orders. Two years ago, the family had to flee, but in the middle of the night.
