90,000 people to evacuate over wildfires in California

LOS ANGELES -- Around 90,000 residents were ordered to leave their homes as of Saturday evening, as wildfires, dubbed the Kincade Fire, rage in Sonoma County in northern California.

According to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a main electricity power supplier in California, has begun to shut off power in most of Sonoma County.

"A prolonged outage may reduce our ability to warn you in the event of an emergency. This is an Evacuation Order, evacuate now," said the Sheriff's Office in a statement.

The Kincade Fire that started on Wednesday night has been scorching over 25,455 acres (10,300 hectares) by Saturday evening with only 10 percent containment. At least 77 structures were destroyed and 14 structures were damaged by the blaze.

Around 2,830 firefighters with 10 helicopters, 251 engines and 50 dozers are on the fire line, according to the update of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The state fire department said firefighters face steep terrain in remote areas, and will continue to mitigate structure threats and find opportunities to construct control lines.

"A Red Flag warning begins at 8:00 p.m. tonight (0300 GMT). Winds out of the Northeast at 25-40 mph (40-64 kph) are forecasted with gusts reaching 70-80 mph (113-129 kph). Strong offshore winds and low humidity will create critical fire weather conditions," the department said.

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday declared a state of emergency for Sonoma county and Los Angeles counties.