Northern California fire explodes overnight

All it takes is a spark.

California's notoriously high, dry, and hot fall winds are sweeping through both northern and southern parts of the state. Right on cue, the Kincade Fire exploded in California's wine country, Sonoma County, Wednesday night. Some 9 hours later, the blaze had burned 10,000 acres, prompting nighttime evacuations. It has zero containment, according to Cal Fire, the state's fire protection agency.

Of particular interest is that the state's largest utility, PG&E, said they had intentionally (and controversially) cut off power to this region of Sonoma County earlier on Wednesday, to avoid the possibility of wind-damaged electrical towers sparking flames. The cause of this new and rapidly spreading fire is still unknown.

In a wind-whipped video posted to Facebook, Geyserville Fire Captain Joe Stewart chronicled the flames lapping on hills outside of Geyserville, a community PG&E had scheduled for power blackouts earlier that day.

"We have fires burning at extreme or dangerous rates of spread," Stewart said loudly into the wind.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

These extreme autumn winds, gusting well over 50 mph over both Northern and Southern California, aren't atypical. And that's a significant problem for Californians both now and in the future. Intentional blackouts are not a viable long-term solution to avoid massive blazes, public policy experts and scientists stress.

"We’re getting these shutoffs during run-of-the-mill events which are not rare," Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, told Mashable on Wednesday before the Kincade Fire began.

Already this fall, millions of Californians have lost power, shutting down universities and traffic lights, and sending people scurrying for fuel-powered generators.

"We're realizing how disruptive these shutoffs are," Swain added.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

What's more, though power lines can instigate horrific blazes, wind-damaged power lines have conclusively lit only four out of the 20 largest wildfires in state history. Other human causes (like the use of a hammer or car fires) and lightning strikes stoked 14 of the Golden State's worst infernos. 

California's modern fire woes are a nexus of ingredients: notably, people living (in housing they can afford) in wildfire country, climate-enhanced fires, mismanaged forests, and aging electrical infrastructure.

"It’s kind of a mess right now," said Swain.

While a warming climate doesn't cause fires — like sparks from an electrical tower might — hotter climes set the stage for vegetation that is increasingly parched and susceptible to spreading flames. Add California's powerful fall winds, and you've got a dangerous, at times catastrophic, combination.

Since 1972, the amount of land burned in California has increased fivefold, and nine of the Golden State's 10 largest fires on record have occurred since 2002, during a time the planet has continually warmed.