Wind fuels wildfires in California

Authorities ordered as many as 50,000 people to evacuate their homes after fires broke out in the Santa Clarita, Calif., area. Firefighters had only contained 5 percent of the flames by Thursday night.

What’s the damage? The fire has reportedly destroyed six homes and is expected to continue burning through Friday. Authorities have not reported any injuries so far. Southern California Edison is considering cutting off power to more than 386,000 customers to prevent more fires as the strong Santa Ana winds continue to blow. Pacific Gas and Electric also said a planned power outage as early as Saturday could affect parts of 33 counties in the San Francisco Bay Area and the surrounding region.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about the backlash PG&E received over earlier planned blackouts.