Most Evacuation Orders Lifted as Kincade Fire Containment Grows to 65%

Updated Thursday, Oct. 31, at 7:25 p.m.

The Sonoma County blaze that forced more than 180,000 to flee their homes has not grown in size since Wednesday — and firefighters were able to increase containment from 45% to 60% overnight, Cal Fire said Thursday.

Winds have died down since they peaked again Tuesday night following the weekend's severe wind event, finally allowing fire crews working overnight to increase containment of the Kincade Fire significantly, holding the burn area to 77,758 acres. The blaze has destroyed at least 349 structures, including 165 residential buildings, and still threatens 1,630 structures.

State fire officials say while the conditions are still very dry, the forecast shows more favorable weather over the next week, making it easier to fight the blaze.

"Our biggest enemy is the wind. And there’s no wind in the next seven-to-10-day forecast," Cal Fire Division Chief Jonathan Cox said Thursday. "So that really gives us the opportunity. We can get a lot of work done under normal conditions."

Firefighters now plan to focus on reinforcing containment lines and scaling down operations in the area, which includes sending some firefighters home or to Southern California to help with fires there.

Cal Fire hopes to have the Kincade Fire fully contained by Nov. 7.

More than 5,200 personnel and nearly a dozen agencies are working the fire. Four first responders have been injured battling the blaze, including a serious injury to a private wildland firefighter that took place on Sunday.

There have been no reported fatalities or civilian injuries.

Most residents in Sonoma County who had to flee their homes on Friday and Saturday were given the all-clear to go home Wednesday.

The Kincade Fire broke out just over a week ago on the night of Oct. 23 in The Geysers area of Sonoma County and was driven by wind gusts of up to 80 mph. The fire spread quickly and forced evacuation orders for Geyserville, Healdsburg and Windsor. On Sunday, evacuation orders were expanded to include parts of Santa Rosa and Sebastopol.

Some areas remain under evacuation orders and some under evacuation warnings. Check here for the latest updates on evacuation warnings and orders.

Firefighters succeeded at keeping the blaze from engulfing the town of Windsor. Sonoma County Fire District Deputy Chief Matt Gustafson was part of a welcoming party for residents returning home Wednesday evening. Many in the community had already experienced the impact of the Tubbs Fire two years ago.

"It’s just really important. A lot of people have been displaced from the Tubbs Fire ... really their lives have changed. And so it's just great to have some celebration that it’s not going to happen again," Gustafson said.

"It's real heartwarming to see that. Fire agencies from all over the state came up to help us. And their whole priority has been Sonoma County."

The North Bay fires tore through wine country two years ago, killing 44 people and destroying more than 21,000 homes. The Tubbs Fire alone killed 22 of those people.

Meanwhile, PG&E says most of its 960,000 customers who lost electricity Saturday in the latest round of power shutoffs — undertaken by the utility to prevent its equipment from sparking wildfires — have since had it restored. Crews plan to inspect power lines and restore electricity to more customers Thursday.

PG&E equipment has been found responsible for sparking wildfires, including the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County. That blaze became the deadliest and most destructive in modern California history, killing 85 people and destroying nearly 14,000 homes.

KQED's Ted Goldberg, Julie Small and Michelle Wiley contributed to this report.