CLOSE to 200,000 Northern California residents in the United States, many of them left in the dark by a third power shutdown in a month, have been ordered to leave their homes as historic winds fueled an explosion of wildfires in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The state’s largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), shut off power to an estimated 2.3 million people across 38 counties starting Saturday evening in an effort to avoid having its equipment spark fires amid dry conditions and powerful winds.

Authorities imposed mandatory evacuations for 180,000 residents in Sonoma County, best known for its wine production. “This is the largest evacuation that any of us … can remember,” the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office tweeted Sunday.

More than 3,400 firefighters with 352 engines and 10 helicopters were battling the Sonoma County blaze, which had destroyed 94 structures. No fatalities have been reported.

(SD-Agencies)