Firefighters and state officials continue to battle two major wildfires that broke out in California's Los Angeles and Sonoma Counties on Thursday as a total of nine wildfires are still ablaze throughout the state. The Kincade Fire in Sonoma County has burned roughly 16,000 acres, tearing through vineyards and forests near the town of Geyserville and destroying 49 structures as of Thursday night, according to Cal Fire. At the same time, Los Angeles County was hit for the second time in two weeks as the named Tick Fire exploded in Santa Clarita. Fueled by strong winds, the Tick Fire burned about 3,950 acres in just a few hours, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said. A Friday morning update from Cal Fire reported the Tick Fire has burned 4,300 acres and is only 5% contained. Over 50,000 Los Angeles County residents have been forced to evacuate, and more than 18 million people in southern California are currently under red flag warnings as extremely critical fire conditions are forecasted to persist into the weekend, state officials report. Images in the slideshow above depict some of the property damage caused by both the Kincade and Tick Fires. This a developing story that will continue to be updated. See also: |