California authorities order 50,000 evacuations, millions face power outages over severe winds and extreme fire danger

Darryl Bush/The Press Democrat via Associated Press

• California authorities on Saturday ordered 50,000 evacuations in towns near a massive Northern California wildfire.
• Pacific Gas & Electric also announced power shut-offs for roughly 2.35 million people due to forecasts of severe winds and extreme fire danger.
• Some gusts this weekend might reach 75 mph or higher as part of a "historic" wind event, the National Weather Service said.
• No cause has been determined for any of the current fires, but PG&E said a 230,000-volt transmission line near Geyserville had malfunctioned minutes before that fire erupted Wednesday night.
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Authorities ordered at least 50,000 residents to evacuate towns near a massive Northern California wildfire Saturday, and the state's largest utility announced power shut-offs for an estimated 2.35 million people due to forecasts of severe winds and extreme fire danger.

Two previous blackouts in recent weeks were carried out amid concern that gusty winds could disrupt or knock down power lines and spark devastating wildfires.See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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