Sonoma County residents whose neighborhoods have been ravaged by wildfires over the past few years say they're concerned that this week's intense heat wave – coupled with California's ongoing drought – could create conditions conducive to another fire.
The 2,600-resident Oakmont retirement community sits in a valley on Highway 12 between two mountain ranges badly scarred by wildfires dating back to 2017. "I was thinking of moving to Oregon or…an island in Washington state," Tony Raab joked.
Raab and his wife, Marcia, have lived at Oakmont for several years.
"Get ready to evacuate," he warned. What done it, what, three times?"
Marcia worries about the drought and how bone dry everything is.
"Well, it just makes the danger greater," she told KCBS Radio.
Marcia Leepdu, another Oakmont resident, watched the flames burn up in the hills in 2019. Whenever the heat reaches the high 90s here, a distinct possibility this week, it brings jarring memories to her mind.
"What does come to mind, especially after experiencing the evacuations and what we’ve experienced already," she said. "If you look on the hills you can see the evidence of that."
No major winds are predicted for this week.
PG&E says it’s does not plan any public safety power shutoffs, however, the state is asking Bay Area residents to conserve power during critical afternoon and early evening times.
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