Tag: SMUD

WE BEGIN WITH BREAKING NEWS. WE’RE FOLLOWING THREE BREAKING NEWS STORIES RIGHT NOW. FIRES BURNING IN SACRAMENTO AND STANISLAUS COUNTY, AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITHOUT POWER IN PLACER COUNTY. LET’S SHOW YOU A LOOK RIGHT NOW. PG&E OUTAGE MAP. MORE THAN 5000 CUSTOMERS IN ROCKLIN AND LINCOLN DON’T HAVE POWER. YOU SEE IT RIGHT THERE ON THIS MAP. NO WORD ON WHAT CAUSED THE OUTAGE. PG&E DOES HOPE TO HAVE POWER BACK ON AROUND 11 THIS MORNING. ACTUALLY, MIKE, LET ME JUST TELL YOU, WE GOT AN EMAIL JUST INTO OUR NEWSROOM WITHIN A FEW MOMENTS AGO, AND WE’RE HEARING FROM PG&E THAT THEY HAVE RESTORED POWER TO ABOUT 1300 OF THOSE CUSTOMERS SO FAR. BUT THEY ARE AGAIN EXPECTING FULL RESTORATION, AS YOU MENTIONED, AT ABOUT 1045. SO AGAIN, THAT JUST COMING INTO THE KCRA THREE NEWSROOM MOMENTS AGO. ALSO, THIS IS COMING AFTER DOZENS OF LIGHTNING STRIKES LIGHT UP THE SKY EARLY THIS MORNING. THIS IS A LOOK AT SOME OF THE LIGHTNING WE CAUGHT OVER DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO. NOW THOSE LIGHTNING STORMS MADE THEIR WAY UP THE VALLEY ON THE LEFT. YOU SEE RIGHT THERE VIDEO STRIKES. THIS IS COMING FROM OUR SUTTER BUTTE SKY CAMERA. AND FOLLOWING THE THUNDERSTORM, SEVERAL FIRES ACTUALLY POPPED UP IN THE VALLEY AND THE FOOTHILLS. THIS IS VIDEO OUR CREWS CAPTURED JUST MOMENTS AGO OF A 400 ACRE FIRE BURNING. RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CONFIRM IF THIS FIRE WAS STARTED BY LIGHTNING, BUT IT IS BURNING RIGHT NEAR HIGHWAY FOUR AND DUTTON ROAD. IT’S WEST OF COPPEROPOLIS IN STANISLAUS COUNTY. 400 ACRES HAVE BURNED SO FAR. NO OFFICIAL WORD ON WHAT STARTED IT. BUT WE DO KNOW LIGHTNING AGAIN WAS SEEN IN THAT AREA. NOW TAKE A LOOK. HERE ON THE LEFT YOU SEE VIDEO FROM THE FOWLER PEAK CAMERA THAT SHOWS WHEN THAT FIRE STARTED. ON THE RIGHT. WE HAVE A LIVE LOOK OF THE FIRE THAT’S BEEN VERY ACTIVE AND IT JUST CONTINUES TO GROW THERE. AND OF COURSE WE HAVE SEEN THE WIND WHIPPING THAT FIRE. OF COURSE. AND OF COURSE, YOU SEE THE FLAMES HERE, JUST HOW MUCH SMOKE THIS FIRE IS PUTTING UP. LET’S HEAD RIGHT OVER NOW TO TRAFFIC EXPERT BRIAN HICKEY TO SEE MORE ABOUT HOW THIS FIRE IS IMPACTING THE ROADS. YEAH, WE’LL STICK WITH THIS SHOT HERE FOR A MINUTE TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT IS WHAT CREWS ARE DEALING WITH OUT THERE. THIS FIRE IS BURNING ON BOTH SIDES OF HIGHWAY FOUR. THIS IS WEST OF COPPEROPOLIS, WHERE THEY HAVE THE ROAD SHUT DOWN AT HORSESHOE LANE, HORSESHOE DRIVE THERE, AND THEN OVER ON THE WEST END OF THIS INCIDENT AT MILTON ROAD, THEY HAVE IT SHUT DOWN AND YOU CAN SEE THERE HIGHWAY FOUR CLEARLY WHY THEY HAVE THE ROAD SHUT DOWN. THE HAZARD OF FLAMES RIGHT UP TO THE SHOULDER. AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE SMOKE THAT IS CONTINUING TO DRIFT ACROSS THE HIGHWAY THERE, OBSCURING VISION UP AHEAD. AND AGAIN, THIS IS JUST ONE OF SEVERAL FIRES THAT CREWS ARE BATTLING, BUT THIS ONE SO FAR APPEARS TO BE THE LARGEST ONE ACROSS THE REGION. THIS ONE JUST WEST OF COPPEROPOLIS. SO HERE’S THE MAP. OUR PHOTOGRAPHER PAUL WESTBROOK, PROVIDING THESE PICTURES TO US. THANK YOU PAUL. AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, HILTON MILTON ROAD. EXCUSE ME, IS WHERE THE WEST SIDE OF THIS CLOSURE IS SET UP. AND THEN HORSESHOE DRIVE ON THE EAST SIDE JUST WEST OF COPPEROPOLIS. AND IT’S THIS AREA RIGHT IN HERE AROUND DUTTON ROAD AND TELEGRAPH CITY, WHERE THIS FIRE CONTINUES TO BURN. ANOTHER ONE HAS SHUT DOWN IONE ROAD. WE’RE GOING TO CHECK IN WITH LETICIA ORDAZ IN JUST A MOMENT. BUT HIGHWAY 16 TO IONE IS SHUT DOWN. THIS IS WHAT THAT FIRE LOOKED LIKE EARLIER THIS MORNING AS IT KICKED UP RIGHT HERE AND STARTED DRIFTING OFF TO THE NORTH. AND AGAIN, IF YOU’RE IN RANCHO MARIETTA, YOU’RE PROBABLY SMELLING SMOKE FROM THIS ONE. AND WE’LL HAVE A GROUND VIEW. LOOK AT THAT ONE HERE IN JUST A MOMENT. BUT FOR NOW, FOR OUR COMMUTERS, INTERSTATE 80 THROUGH ANTELOPE ROAD, YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE WIND WHIPPING AROUND IN THE TREES THERE. TRAFFIC HAS REALLY LIGHTENED UP ON THE 80 CORRIDOR WITH JUST A MINOR SLOWDOWNS RIGHT AT THE CAPITAL CITY. FREEWAY 50 IS LOOKING GOOD. FIVE CLEAR AND THEN 99 STILL A LITTLE SLOW AS YOU MAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH FLORIN ROAD AND THEN ALSO SOUTHBOUND 99 NEAR FRENCH CAMP. DELAY POPPING UP THERE. TRAVEL TIMES THOUGH 80. A 13 MINUTE RIDE OUT OF ROSEVILLE 50. BACK IN THE GREEN AT 17 MINUTES, 99 JUST INTO THE YOLO. IT’S ONLY 14 MINUTES FROM ELK GROVE AND I-5. A 12 MINUTE RIDE BACK TO YOU. ALL RIGHT, BRIAN, THANK YOU. WE ALSO HAVE TEAM COVERAGE ON A THIRD FIRE BURNING OFF OF HIGHWAY 16 IN IONE. AND YOU JUST HEARD BRIAN TALK ABOUT THAT? THAT’S IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY. METEOROLOGIST KELLY CURRAN IS TRACKING THOSE CONDITIONS. BUT FIRST LET’S BEGIN WITH LETICIA ORDAZ LIVE AT THAT FIRE BURNING OFF HIGHWAY 16 RIGHT NOW. LETICIA. GOOD MORNING, MIKE AND BRANDI. YES, THE WINDS ARE REALLY WHIPPING AROUND HERE IN THE JACKSON AREA. WE SEE A NUMBER OF FIRE CREWS OUT HERE DOING SOME STRUCTURE PROTECTION. OUT HERE. WE ARE TOLD BY SAC METRO FIRE THAT ONE HOME IS BEING THREATENED BY THE FLAMES. YOU CAN SEE THEY’RE OFFERING A NUMBER OF FIREFIGHTERS OUT HERE TRYING TO PROTECT THAT STRUCTURE. BUT IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AROUND, YOU CAN SEE JUST HOW MANY ACRES HAVE BURNED OUT HERE. WE’RE BEING TOLD BY SAC METRO FIRE THAT 2 TO 3 FIRES SPARKED OUT HERE EARLIER THIS MORNING, AND CREWS ARE WORKING TO GET A HANDLE ON THEM. AT THIS POINT, THEY DON’T KNOW THE EXACT CAUSE. THEY KNOW THAT LIGHTNING WAS IN THE AREA, BUT THEY ARE NOT CONFIRMING THAT. THAT’S WHAT CAUSED THESE SPOT FIRES OUT HERE. FIRE OFFICIALS SAY THEY WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION. THEY’RE CONTINUING TO PUT OUT HOT SPOTS. YEAH. THE WIND IS REALLY BECOMING AN ISSUE OUT HERE. BUT CREWS SAY THEY ARE CONFIDENT THEY’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET THE HANDLE OF THESE SPOT FIRES AND THAT THEY SHOULD BE OUT SOMETIME THIS MORNING. BUT CREWS ARE OUT HERE IN FULL EFFECT TRYING TO GET THIS SITUATION UNDER CONTROL IN THE AREA. WE’RE TOLD 8 TO 10 ENGINES FROM SAC METRO FIRE ARE OUT HERE TRYING TO STOP THE FORWARD PROGRESS. WE ALSO HAVE CAL FIRE CREWS THAT ARE OUT HERE. WE HAVE A BATTALION CHIEF, ONE WATER TENDER AND AGAIN, CREWS CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE EXACTLY WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE. BUT RIGHT NOW THE PRIORITY IS JUST TO GET OUT THOSE HOT SPOTS SO YOU CAN SEE SOMEONE OUT HERE IN A PAIR OF SHORTS OUT HERE, JUST PUTTING WATER OVER SOME OF THESE HOT SPOTS, TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT IT DOESN’T SPARK AGAIN OR EVEN JUMP THE HIGHWAY. RIGHT NOW, IT’S ONLY STAYED ON ONE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AS WE SPEAK. WE DON’T KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY ACRES BURNED, BUT WE KNOW THAT THIS AREA HAS PRETTY MUCH BLACKENED. AND THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES OUT HERE. THIS MORNING. WE KNOW THAT NO ONE WAS HURT REPORTING LIVE OUT HERE IN IONE. LETICIA ORDAZ KCRA THREE NEWS. YEAH, WE OFTEN SEE THAT PEOPLE JUST DOING ANYTHING THEY CAN TO TRY AND PROTECT THEIR HOMES, THEIR PROPERTY.