Californian officials warned on Saturday that "historic and extreme" wind conditions were set to fan raging wildfires in the north of the state as millions of residents face power cuts. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency as the so-called Kincade Fire spread to 23,700 acres (9,591 hectares) after breaking out on Wednesday in the Sonoma wine region.

The blaze, which is burning in remote steep terrain, has destroyed about 50 structures and forced the evacuation of the small community of Geyserville and of nearby vineyard operations.

"This is definitely an event that we're calling historic and extreme," David King, meteorologist for the US National Weather Service, told Saturday's Los Angeles Times.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019