A wind-driven wildfire roared across a swath of northern California wine country on Thursday, prompting the evacuation of some 2,000 Sonoma County residents, including the entire town of Geyserville, where about a dozen homes were destroyed.
The Kincade fire was the most severe of several blazes raging throughout California as utility companies cut off electricity to nearly 200,000 homes and businesses across the state in precautionary outages to reduce wildfire risks from high winds.
The Sonoma County blaze erupted late Wednesday night and by Thursday morning had scorched some 10,000 acres (4,047 hectares), the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported, as firefighters struggled to contain the spreading flames.
