A raging wildfire that forced massive evacuations in Northern California scorched thousands of acres in hours -- and is expected to keep growing.
The Kincade Fire ignited Wednesday night in Sonoma County, and burned 16,000 acres by Thursday night. It was fueled in part by high winds that had already prompted California electric utilities to intentionally cut power to thousands of residents.
The blaze had claimed 49 structures by Thursday afternoon, Cal Fire said. It was unclear how many of those lost were homes.
Approximately 1,300 personnel are fighting the fire, which was 5% contained.
While the winds had started to die down by Thursday afternoon, officials said, an estimated 2,000 residents were still under evacuation orders.
Among the communities under mandatory evacuation order was the entirety of Geyserville, about 80 miles north of San Francisco. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office told residents Thursday morning to leave after the fire crossed Highway 128, heading west.