Latest news with #SomersvilleFire
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
Brush fire prompts evacuation warnings in Antioch, injures one
A brush fire broke out in Antioch near Black Diamond Mines on Wednesday evening, injuring one person. The blaze, known as the Somersville Fire, sparked at 7:28 p.m. at Somersville Road and James Donlon Boulevard, Cal Fire said. Within two hours, the fire had grown to more than 200 acres. One person was transported from the fire for minor injuries, the Contra Costa Fire Protection District said. An evacuation warning was initially issued for an area just east of the fire but was lifted shortly before 10 p.m., according to fire officials. Police opened an evacuation point at Canal Park in Antioch, fire officials said. The Bay Area Air District issued an air quality advisory in response to the fire, saying the blaze was 'expected to impact air quality in eastern Contra Costa County. ... Conditions can change rapidly and the amount and location of smoke at ground level is hard to predict.' The district planned to monitor conditions to assess whether air quality would be impacted Thursday. The cause of the fire, which was almost completely contained Thursday, was under investigation, Cal Fire said.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
Here's how many people in the Bay Area could be affected by PG&E's potential power outages
Pacific Gas & Electric customers in Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties could see scheduled power shutoffs Thursday through this weekend in anticipation of gusty weather. PG&E announced Wednesday that 647 customers in Alameda County, 276 customers in Contra Costa County and 48 customers in Santa Clara County could be affected by 'public safety power shutoffs.' The proactive power outages will be determined based on weather conditions in each location, PG&E said, with forecasts predicting windy weather and dry vegetation raising concerns about fire risk. On Thursday, a deepening upper-level low over the Pacific Northwest will induce a stronger onshore flow into the Bay Area, dragging cooler air inland and whipping up gusts across the region. Temperatures are expected to be cooler Thursday through the weekend. Inland temperatures by Friday and Saturday are expected to be 10 to 15 degrees below average, with even parts of the Central Valley struggling to reach the 80s. 'PG&E initiates PSPS when the fire-weather forecast is severe enough that people's safety, lives, homes and businesses may be in danger of wildfires,' PG&E said in a statement. 'Our overarching goal is to stop catastrophic wildfires by proactively turning off power in targeted areas when extreme weather threatens our electric grid.' On Wednesday, a grass fire in Antioch broke out in the evening, prompting evacuations that were later lifted by 10 p.m. The blaze, known as the Somersville Fire, injured one person. PG&E will have centers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties — at Costco in Livermore and Balfour-Guthrie Park in Southern Brentwood — for affected customers, where there will be power and air conditioning, the utility said.
