SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot of helicopter dropping water on fire zone

2. Brush fire area

3. Wide shot of helicopter dropping water on fire zone

4. Wide shot of firefighters watching water drop

5. Close shot of firefighter

6. Water drop on fire zone

7. Wide shot of helicopter over fire zone

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Captain Mark Whaling, Los Angeles County fire fighter:

"You have the air show, with the helicopters dropping water or retardant depending upon what's needed at that location. And then you have the hand crews. Hand crews at the top are going to work their way down. We've got hand crews at the bottom. They're going to work their way up and they're hopefully going to pinch it off."

9. Helicopter picking up water

10. Close shot of helicopter carrying water

12. Firefighters

13. Map, pullout to close shot of firefighters

14. Close shot of firefighters discussing firefighting operations

15. Firefighters

16. Fire truck pulling away

17. Wide shot of burned out area

18. Close shot of burnt tyre

19. Wide shot of burned out area

20. SOUNDBITE: (English) Captain Mark Whaling, Los Angeles County fire fighter:

"If that wind comes up it has the potential to blow fire embers down below where the crews are working and cause the fire to flare up again."

21. Close shot of water bucket connected to helicopter being filled in pond

22. Wide shot of helicopter hovering over pond

23. Helicopter flying away

24. Wide shot of homes near fire zone

25. Home near fire zone

26. Wide shot of helicopter dropping water over fire zone

STORYLINE:

Firefighters near Los Angeles used water-dropping helicopters to help beat back a stubborn wildfire burning 30 miles (48 km) north of the city.

Local fire officials say the foothill fire burning near the city of Santa Clarita is now approximately 39 per cent contained, after scorching more than five-thousand acres of parched brush land over the weekend.

More than 1,500 firefighters were battling the foothill fire, with three treated at hospital for minor injuries.

Fire crews were working along a mountain ridge on Monday morning to prevent a flare up along the front lines where the fire was halted.

They were working to save hundreds of homes threatened by the stubborn wildfire that broke out in tinder-dry brush and raced over hillsides and through canyons in northern Los Angeles County.

Although no structures have been lost, nearly 1,600 homes have been evacuated since the fire began on Saturday.

The fire was ignited when a hawk flew into a power line, was electrocuted and its flaming body fell into brush left dry by years of little rain.

The foothill fire was one of several burning across more than 40,000 acres of California from eastern San Diego County to Yosemite National Park.

Wildfires whipped by powerful winds swept through California wine country on Monday, killing at least 10 people and injuring at least 100.

True colour images taken by equipment aboard NASA's Aqua satellite showed columns of smoke from the wildfires clouding the skies over the state.

The flames destroyed 1,500 homes and businesses and sent thousands fleeing, according to authorities.

The fires broke out nearly simultaneously and then exploded overnight, sending residents fleeing as embers rained down and flames raged around them.

Two hospitals in Santa Rosa, the largest city in the region with 175,000 people, were forced to evacuate patients.

Later in the day, fires from ruptured gas lines dotted the smoky landscapes of blackened Santa Rosa hillsides.

The large majority of the injured were treated for smoke inhalation, according to St. Joseph Health, which operates hospitals in the Santa Rosa area.

The number of injured was expected to climb as information comes in for all the other areas affected by the firestorm consuming the state.

The flames were unforgiving throughout Santa Rosa, torching block after block with little to salvage.

Hundreds of homes in the Fountain Grove area were leveled by flames so hot they melted the glass off of cars and turned aluminum wheels into liquid.

The fires throughout the region were among the deadliest in California history, and fire officials expected the number of fatalities to increase.

Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Napa, Sonoma, Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada and Yuba counties.

Authorities imposed a sunset-to-sunrise curfew in Santa Rosa, saying they were on the lookout for looters.

NASA - MUST COURTESY NASA

California - 9 October 2017

1. STILLS (2x) Satellite images of smoke from wildfires over California

2. STILL Satellite image of smoke from wildfires, annotated with placenames

Wildfires whipped by powerful winds swept through California wine country on Monday, killing at least 10 people and injuring at least 100.

True colour images taken by equipment aboard NASA's Aqua satellite showed columns of smoke from the wildfires clouding the skies over the state.

The flames destroyed 1,500 homes and businesses and sent thousands fleeing, according to authorities.

The fires broke out nearly simultaneously and then exploded overnight, sending residents fleeing as embers rained down and flames raged around them.

Two hospitals in Santa Rosa, the largest city in the region with 175,000 people, were forced to evacuate patients.

Later in the day, fires from ruptured gas lines dotted the smoky landscapes of blackened Santa Rosa hillsides.

The large majority of the injured were treated for smoke inhalation, according to St. Joseph Health, which operates hospitals in the Santa Rosa area.

The number of injured was expected to climb as information comes in for all the other areas affected by the firestorm consuming the state.

The flames were unforgiving throughout Santa Rosa, torching block after block with little to salvage.

Hundreds of homes in the Fountain Grove area were leveled by flames so hot they melted the glass off of cars and turned aluminum wheels into liquid.

The fires throughout the region were among the deadliest in California history, and fire officials expected the number of fatalities to increase.

Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Napa, Sonoma, Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada and Yuba counties.

Authorities imposed a sunset-to-sunrise curfew in Santa Rosa, saying they were on the lookout for looters.

NASA - MUST COURTESY NASA

California - 9 October 2017

1. STILLS (2x) Satellite images of smoke from wildfires over California

2. STILL Satellite image of smoke from wildfires, annotated with placenames

The flames that raced across California wine country left little more than smouldering ashes and eye-stinging smoke in their wake.

House after house was gone, with only charred debris to mark sites that were once family homes.

Newly homeless residents of Northern California took stock of their shattered lives Tuesday while the blazes that have killed at least 15 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes and businesses kept burning.

Hundreds more firefighters joined the battle against the uncontained flames.

The wildfires already rank among the five deadliest in California history, and officials expected the death toll to increase as the scope of destruction becomes clear.

Kenwood, California - 10 October 2017

1. Police tape blocking entrance to Chateau St. Jean winery entrance

2. Singed vines surrounding Chateau St. Jean sign

3. Fire truck parked in front of fire on winery property

4. Fire burns next to winery production facility

5. Flames

6. Pan down from metal wine storage containers to flames

7. Two firefighters using hand tools to cut lines around fire

8. Close of firefighter using hand tool on flames on burning brush

9. Firefighter raking brush back away from fire

10. Fire burning next to wood crates and winery equipment

11. Firefighter watching brush fire burn itself out

12. Firefighter using hose to extinguish fire

13. Firefighter with hose spraying around winery equipment

14. Grape vines in foreground, firefighter in background

15. Firefighters spraying water on winery maintenance building

16. Firefighter breaking hole into roof

17. Various of firefighter using hose

18. Two firefighters fight fire inside maintenance building

19. Firefighter poking hole through ceiling

20. Firefighter spraying water inside building

21. Smoke billowing behind vineyard

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Trombetta, Evacuated resident:

"All we've heard is that our barn is gone for sure. Which I can assume our house is also gone. It's all Facebook stuff."

23. Pan from fire station to group waiting to hear about their homes

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Trombetta, Evacuated resident:

"This fire was fast. It started in Kenwood and came up about three miles up that ridge just in no time at all."

25. People waiting near fire station to try to get word on their homes

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Trombetta, Evacuated resident:

"Just waiting to find out so I can call the insurance to see if it's a complete write-off, which I assume it is. (Reporter - have they given you any indication when you are able get back in now?) No, they have given us no indication, because it's not contained, as we speak it's not contained. They don't want to let anybody in there. I don't blame them."

27. House exterior

28. Various of officers walking around a house (checking for looters, victims)

29. Officers checking out a burned car in the drive way

30. Officers walking down drive way and leave property

HEADLINE: Winds ease but Calif. wildfire threat remains

CAPTION: A huge Southern California wildfire carved a path to the sea and burned on the beach Friday, but firefighters got a break as gusty Santa Ana winds turned into breezes. (May 3)

AP Television

Camarillo, California - May 3, 2013

1. Wide, smoke from fire billowing across fields 2. Wide, smoke obscuring sun, orange light over Pacific Coast Highway 3. Medium, road closed sign, CalTrans workers on PCH 4. Wide, orange sun and smoke

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Battalion Chief Mike Nagy, Culver City Fire Dept.:

"It's pretty unbelievable for this time of year. Yesterday where we're at was close to 100 degrees, 3% relative humidity. That's something we don't usually see along the coast this early, anytime really."

6. Tight, flames

7. Wide, red sun and hillsides ablaze

8. Tight, wildflowers in front of flames 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Battalion Chief Mike Nagy, Culver City Fire Dept.:

"It's made it's run. It's not going to go much further west. It can't.

This is about as far as it's going to go this way."

10. Tight, burning bush

11. Tight, flames and mustard flowers

12. Wide, firefighters drag hose

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Battalion Chief Mike Nagy, says defending Point Hueneme Naval Base is a priority:

"There's a lot of priorities there with their communications and the base itself. But also the utilities. We want to make sure the residents - we do what we can do to make sure they're not inconvenienced. If we can stop the power poles from burning that's what we're going to do out here."

14. Medium, firefighters spray flames with hose 15. Medium, firefighter with hose on shoulder

16. Tight, burning grass

17. Tight, firefighter with hose

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Battalion Chief Mike Nagy, Culver City Fire Dept.:

"We got out here about 11, 11:30. We were over at the college until about

3 o'clock in the morning. Then we got moved down here to PCH."

STORYLINE:

A huge Southern California wildfire carved a path to the sea and burned on the beach Friday, but firefighters got a break as gusty Santa Ana winds turned into breezes.

Temperatures remained high, but humidity levels were expected to soar as cool air moved in from the ocean and the Santa Anas retreated.

At the same time, the reversal of wind direction carried the risk of sending flames in new, dangerous directions.

The wind-whipped fire erupted Thursday in the Camarillo area, threatening as many as 4,000 homes but only damaging 15, Nash said.

The 15 1/2-square-mile blaze was only 10 percent contained on Friday, and the work of more than 900 firefighters, aided by air tankers, was just beginning.

Evacuations were lifted overnight for neighborhoods as the fire moved toward the coast. California State University, Channel Islands remained closed, and new evacuations were called for coastal canyons, Nash said.

Firefighters did not know how many homes were immediately threatened but said the area mainly included ranches, orchards, camps and vacation homes rather than dense neighborhoods. Some expensive ridge-top and canyon homes also were in the path of the flames.

By midmorning, the fire was 20 miles from Malibu, burning mostly in rugged mountains. It jumped the Pacific Coast Highway and burned on a beach shooting range of a coastal naval base. No housing structures were in immediate danger.

The fire reinforced predictions that California is in for a bad summer fire season because dry winter and spring weather has left brush tinder-dry.

In addition, the California Department of Water Resources found the water content in the snowpack was just 17 percent of normal. The snowmelt is a vital water source for the state.

More than 3,000 firefighters were battling six major wildfires on Friday in California, the state fire agency said.

The nation's largest utility said Monday it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy because it faces at least $30 billion in potential damages from lawsuits over the catastrophic wildfires in California in 2017 and 2018 that killed scores of people and destroyed thousands of homes.

The move by Pacific Gas & Electric Corp., expected by the end of the month, would be the biggest bankruptcy by a utility in U.S. history, legal experts said.

It would allow PG&E to hold off creditors and continue providing electricity and natural gas without interruption to its 16 million customers in Northern and central California while it tries to put its finances in order.

The filing would not make the lawsuits disappear, but would result in all wildfire claims being consolidated into a single proceeding before a bankruptcy judge, not a jury. That could shield the company from excessive jury verdicts, and also buy time by putting a hold on the claims.

Chapter 11 reorganization represents "the only viable option to address the company's responsibilities to its stakeholders," Richard Kelly, chairman of PG&E's board of directors, said in a statement.

State officials are investigating whether the utility's equipment sparked the deadliest, most destructive wildfire in California history, a blaze in Northern California in November that killed at least 86 people and burned down 15,000 homes.

In addition, state investigators have blamed PG&E power lines for some fires in October 2017. Authorities are also looking into the cause of a blaze that destroyed thousands of homes and killed 22 people in Santa Rosa last year.

California law requires utilities to pay damages for wildfires if their equipment caused the blazes — even if the utilities weren't negligent through, say, inadequate maintenance.

PG&E, which is the nation's largest utility by revenue and is based in San Francisco, said it is giving the required 15 days' notice that it plans to file for bankruptcy protection.

It said it will continue working with regulators and stakeholders to consider how it can safely provide energy "in an environment that continues to be challenged by climate change."

The announcement follows the resignation of chief executive Geisha Williams a day earlier.

In a Monday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said the liabilities it faces from 2017 and 2018 wildfires could exceed $30 billion, not including punitive damages, fines and penalties.

Barricades surrounded the company's headquarters in downtown San Francisco after the Chapter 11 announcement.

Before last year's disastrous fire in Northern California's Butte County, PG&E's stock stood at $47.80. But in early Monday trading it tumbled $8.48 to $9.11, its lowest level in more than 16 years. Wall Street last week slashed PG&E's credit rating to junk status.

PG&E also filed for Chapter 11 in 2001 amid rising electricity prices during California's energy crisis.

California's new governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom, said in a statement that he will make sure customers continue to receive affordable energy and that wildfire victims are treated fairly.

San Francisco - Jan. 14, 2019

1. Pan of PG&E headquarters building

++PARTALLY COVERED++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst

"So PG&E announced they intend to file for bankruptcy within two weeks basically because of liabilities created by the wildfires that have occurred in California over the last two years."

Santa Rosa, California - Oct. 9, 2017

3. Homes burning with big flames

Paradise, California - Nov. 9, 2018

4. Various scenes of destruction of Paradise after wildfire

Paradise, California - Nov. 15, 2018

5. Drone video of destroyed neighborhood

San Francisco - Jan. 14, 2019

++COVERED++

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst

"So we still don't know the full explanation for the causes of the big wildfires that occurred in Napa and Sonoma County in 2017 and in Paradise in 2018. But it does appear that PG&E's  equipment was the cause or at least a partial cause of the fires. And at this point claims from victims exceed $30 billion for the two fires combined and that's larger than PGE's current market capitalization. It's larger than the utility can reasonably bear."

San Francisco - Jan. 14, 2019

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst

"The risk of wildfires is perceived now is so great in California that it's not clear that the company could emerge from bankruptcy as a healthy firm just because markets - the bond market and the stock market - are looking at PG&E as a very risky investment because of fire."

Santa Rosa, California - Oct. 14, 2017

8. Various of PG&E workers working at scene of wildfire destruction

San Francisco - Jan. 14, 2018

++PARTALLY COVERED++

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst

"Customers are going to be impacted by the bankruptcy. They're going to be impacted - even if PG&E doesn't file for bankruptcy and we can expect to see rates go up because the liabilities of the company have gone up enormously due to these wildfires."

10. Employees walking through doors at PG&E headquarters

++PARTALLY COVERED++

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst

"The company is going to be financially strained for several years. And so you might imagine a smaller workforce as well. And that's going to also run counter to both the safety goals and the clean energy goals that California has set."

Paradise, California - Nov. 15, 2018

12. Drone video of destroyed neighborhood

San Francisco - Jan. 14, 2019

++PARTALLY COVERED++

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst

"And so I would expect to see more of this in the decades to come. This is kind of an interesting first example of climate change driving a human system of institutions and businesses and arrangements to the breaking point."

On October 7th 2019 Paris members of Extinction Rebellion blocked streets with mass sit-ins as riot police looked on.

In Berlin people blocked the Grosser Stern, a traffic circle in the middle of the German capital's Tiergarten park dominated by the landmark Victory Column, in a protest that started in the early hours.

Members of Extinction Rebellion also set up a camp outside Chancellor Angela Merkel's office ahead of what it called an "international rebellion" starting on October 7th.

Founded in Britain in 2018, the movement, also known as XR, now has chapters in some 50 countries.

***

A wildfire raged out of control along the northern edge of Los Angeles on October 11th, forcing thousands of people from their homes as firefighters battled flames from the air and on the ground.

Police Chief Michel Moore said mandatory evacuations encompassed about 100,000 people in over 20,000 homes.

Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said the fire had grown to more than 7 square miles (18 square kilometers) and at least 25 homes had been damaged.

A middle-aged man who was near where the fire was burning went into cardiac arrest and died, the chief said, but he did not have details.

The blaze erupted around 9 p.m. Thursday along the northern tier of the San Fernando Valley as powerful Santa Ana winds swept through Southern California. Smoke streamed across the city and out to sea.

Terrazas said there were sustained winds of 20-25 mph (32-40 kph) with gusts over 50 mph (80 kph) and relative humidity levels had fallen as low as 3%.

The fire erupted in Sylmar, the northernmost portion of the valley, and spread westward at a rate of 800 acres (324 hectares) an hour into Granada Hills and Porter Ranch, part of a so-called urban-wildland interface where subdivisions crowd against the foothills of the Santa Susana Mountains. The cause wasn't immediately known.

Porter Ranch, an upper middle-class suburb that was the backdrop for the 1982 movie "E.T." is no stranger to evacuations. Four years ago, a blowout at an underground natural gas well operated by Southern California Gas Co. in the neighboring Aliso Canyon storage facility drove 8,000 families from their homes.

Helicopters made repeated water drops as crews in Los Angeles attacked flames in and around homes. Water- and retardant-dropping airplanes joined the battle after daybreak. About 1,000 firefighters were on the lines.

Fire danger is high throughout Southern California after the typically dry summer and early fall, and the notorious Santa Ana winds - linked to the spread of many wildfires - bring a dangerous mix of witheringly low humidity levels and powerful gusts.

***

A spokeswoman for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Southern California says the complex has not been damaged by a nearby wildfire that has grown to more than 970 acres (392 hectares).

The fire erupted before dawn as strong winds hit Ventura County northwest of Los Angeles.

Flames are pushing through sparsely developed hills between suburban tracts. Horses are being evacuated from small ranches.

The brush fire broke out just before dawn Wednesday near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in the Simi Valley area north of Los Angeles.

Red Cross spokesman Tom Horan says people are confused and scared as they arrived at a shelter set up in a community center in the city of Thousand Oaks, some wearing masks.

They registered with shelter staff amid the banging of cots being set up and food and water being carried inside.

Horan says the shelter can accommodate about 380 evacuees during the day and about 180 overnight. Pets must be kept outside in crates.

***

Strong winds fanned new Southern California wildfires on October 31th, burning homes and forcing residents to flee their homes in a repeat of the frightening scenario already faced by tens of thousands across the state.

The latest blazes erupted in the heavily populated inland region east of Los Angeles as strong, seasonal Santa Ana winds continued to blow with gusts of up to 60 mph (96 kph) predicted to last until the evening before they fade away.

A fast-moving fire spread into the northern neighborhoods of the city of San Bernardino, forcing the evacuation of 490 homes - approximately 1,300 people, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said.

Fire Chief Don Trapp said initial assessment showed that six homes and two outbuildings were destroyed or damaged in the 200-acre (80-hectare) fire.

As winds buffeted the state this week, utilities deliberately cut power to more than a million people to prevent high winds from damaging power lines and sparking wildfires.

Southern California Edison said its safety power cuts still affected about 215,000 people by October 30th and warned that outages were under consideration for about 800,000 people.

Pacific Gas & Electric, which has staged three sweeping blackouts this week, restored power to hundreds of thousands of people Wednesday and expected to have it back for the others sometime October 31th.

The days of windstorms are not unusual for the fall season, which has seen vicious gusts propel a series of deadly and destructive California wildfires in recent years.

***

On October 31th authorities in Ventura County ordered evacuations for about 7,500 people in an area that includes roughly 1,800 buildings as the blaze threatened the small, unincorporated rural community of Somis.

Hundreds of firefighters raced to attack the blaze, which initially was fanned by moderate winds and then was fueled by tinder-dry brush in canyons. Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said more than 400 firefighting personnel were on the job. The fire grew in only a few hours to around 7,400 acres - just over 11 square miles (28 square kilometers) - before midnight.

Ventura County Fire Assistant Chief John McNeil estimated that the fire could reach around 12,000 acres before running out of fuel. Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said a small drone that appeared to be "looking at photography of the fire" interfered with aerial firefighting efforts.

***

Tourists and Venetians have donned high boots and taken to raised walkways to slosh through the high water that has hit much of the lagoon city.

Venice's tide forecast office said the water level peaked at 1.27 metres (about 4 feet 3 inches) on Novembre 12th but warned that an even higher tide was forecast for after nightfall.

The high water invaded cafes and stores.

As a precaution, authorities closed nursery schools.

San Marco Square, more usually thronged with tourists, was largely deserted.

Many hotels keep disposable knee-high plastic boots handy for tourists.

Venetians' wardrobes often include over-the-knee rubber boots.

Bad weather has dogged Italy lately, with near-daily downpours drenching much of the country.

Meteorologists predicted more heavy rain coming in late Tuesday, especially in the northeast, which includes Venice, as well as in Sicily and elsewhere in the south.

***

A picture taken from the International Space Station shows smoke stretching from the edge of Eastern Australia over the Pacific Ocean.

About 60 fires were burning around New South Wales on the morning of November 13th, with 27 uncontained while being battled by more than 1,000 firefighters, the Rural Fire Service said.

A body was found late on November 13th in a scorched forest near the town of Kempsey in northeast New South Wales, police said.

He is suspected to be a 58-year-old man who lived in a nearby shed and had not been seen since Friday when ferocious wildfires across New South Wales killed three other people and destroyed at least 150 homes.

***

Students in Berlin, Germany marched in support of the global climate strike on November 29th, joining 3,000 protests across the world.

Seventeen-year-old protester, Robin Ebelt said "the generation before us messed it up" and that he wanted to live "for another 60 years."

Fridays for Future activist, Quang Paasch said protesters needed to continue to "take to the streets" to defend the Paris Climate Agreement.

The Fridays for Future protests were originally started by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg in 2018 who was outraged by the lack of government action on climate change.

The worldwide student climate marches come a few days before the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP 25, begins on December 2nd in Madrid.

***

World leaders were arriving on December 2nd for the start of a two-week international climate conference in Madrid that seeks to step up efforts to stop global warming.

The UN is warning that the efforts so far are insufficient to overcome the “point of no return” in climate change.

The summit, which moved to the Spanish capital after Chile had to pull out amid anti-government protests, aims to put the finishing touches to the rules governing the 2015 Paris accord.

That involves creating a functioning international emissions-trading system and compensating poor countries for losses they suffer from rising sea levels and other consequences of climate change.

***

Spain's Energy and Environment Minister Teresa Ribera visited an art installation in Madrid on December 4th, which simulates pollution levels of some of the world's biggest cities.

Ribera and the Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health at the World Health Organisation, Maria Neira, walked around the "Pollution Pods" created by British artist Michael Pinsky on the sidelines of the COP25 climate change meeting.

Safe perfume blends and fog machines inside the geodesic domes imitate the air quality of some of the world's most polluted cities - London, Beijing, Sao Paulo, New Delhi - as well as one of the most pristine environments on earth, Tautra in Norway.

Ribera said experiencing the simulated environments was "impressive" and helps understand how pollution affects people's health.

***

Climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived in Madrid on December 6th to join thousands of other young people in a march to demand world leaders take real action against climate change.

Ahead of the march, Thunberg joined a sit-in protest at the conference venue in the Spanish capital.

Madrid is hosting a two-week, United Nations-sponsored talks aimed at streamlining the rules on global carbon markets and agreeing on how poor countries should be compensated for destruction largely caused by emissions from rich nations.

The talks come as scientific evidence mounts about disasters that could ensue from further global warming, including a study commissioned by 14 seafaring nations due to be published Friday that predicts that unchecked climate change could devastate fishery industries and coral reef tourism.

That could cause hundreds of billions of dollars in losses by 2050, says the report, adding that limiting global warming would lessen the economic impact for coastal countries, but that they also need to adapt to ocean changes.

The presence in Madrid of Thunberg was expected to shift the attention to demands for greater action by non-governmental organizations and a whole new generation of environment-minded activists.

Past appearances by the 16-year-old have won her plaudits from some leaders - and criticism from others who’ve taken offence at the angry tone of her speeches.

An advocate for carbon-free transportation, Thunberg travelled by train overnight from the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, where she arrived earlier this week after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States by catamaran.

That became necessary after a sudden change of venue for the COP25 summit following a wave of anti-government protests that hit Chile, the original host.

***

Climate activist Greta Thunberg said on December 6th that calls for real action against climate change were still being ignored by political leaders, despite their continuous praise of the global environmental youth movement she helped create.

The Swedish teenager was in Madrid, where United Nations-sponsored talks on climate change are underway, to join fellow young climate activists, representatives of Latin America's indigenous peoples and thousands of other protesters.

Before marching, Thunberg said at a press conference that she hoped the COP25 summit would lead to "something concrete" and "increasing awareness among people in general".

Surrounded by three other activists from Spain and Uganda, she added: "The climate crisis is still being ignored by those in power."

The 16-year-old was followed by a swarm of cameras and reporters from the very first step she took out of an overnight train from Lisbon.

The advocate of carbon-free transportation arrived in the Portuguese capital earlier this week after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States by catamaran.

During the December 2-13 talks, nearly 200 countries are meant to streamline the rules on global carbon markets and agree on how poor countries should be compensated for destruction largely caused by emissions from rich nations.

"We are tired of the praises that you keep giving the activists," she said. "We want you to act."

***

Swedish teen Greta Thunberg joined fellow young climate activists, representatives of Latin America's indigenous peoples, and thousands of other protesters in a climate march on the streets of Madrid on December 6th.

Thunberg was in Madrid, where United Nations-sponsored talks on climate change are underway.

She said that calls for real action against climate change are still being “ignored" by political leaders despite their continuous praise of the global environmental youth movement she helped create.

Amid an overwhelming level of attention from cameras and other protesters she left the march shortly after it began, getting in a red car that she's been using to move around the city.

During the Dec. 2-13 talks, nearly 200 countries are meant to streamline the rules on global carbon markets and agree on how poor countries should be compensated for destruction largely caused by emissions from rich nations.

An official directly involved in the negotiations said that despite a few setbacks, the technical negotiations were progressing, although many issues were being left for ministerial-level meetings in the summit's second and final week.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous given the sensitivity of the discussions, added that a political declaration on greater “ambition" - a buzzword at the summit - was shaping to be “difficult to achieve.”

***

Sweish climate activist Greta Thunberg says she was "very surprised" to be named Time's “person of the year”, despite becoming the figurehead of a global youth movement pressing for faster action climate change.

Leaving a UN climate conference in Madrid, Thunberg told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she wanted to dedicate the award to all young activists.

"I should not be the one to be person of the year, it should be everyone in the Fridays for Future movement because what we have done, we have done together," she told the AP by phone interview.

She is now planning to head home to Sweden for some rest during the holidays.

Thunberg said she was hopeful that the message being pushed by her and other activists - that governments need to drastically increase their efforts to combat climate change - is finally getting through.

***

Marathon international climate talks ended on December 15th with negotiators postponing until next year a key decision on how to regulate global carbon markets.

After two weeks of negotiations in Madrid on tackling global warming, delegates from almost 200 nations passed declarations calling for greater ambition in cutting planet-heating greenhouse gases and in helping poor countries that are suffering the effects of climate change.

But despite holding the longest climate talks ever in 25 nearly annual editions they left one of the thorniest issues for the next summit in Glasgow, in a year's time.

Martin Kaiser of Greenpeace Germany said in the meantime he hoped the European Union's 'Green Deal,' which proposes a net-zero emmisions target by 2050, would be implemented to "set a precedence for other economic regions" of the world.

02:57:20

00:00:00

Climate protests, arrests, in NLands, France, Germany

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Paris - 7 October 2019

1. Members of Extinction Rebellion with flags walking on bridge

2. Pan from riot police to demonstrators, UPSOUND (French) "We are Extinction Rebellion"

00:11:22

Firefighters battle southern California blaze

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Porter Ranch, California - 11 October 2019

3. Various of firefighters spraying water on flames near homes and helicopter dropping water near homes

00:23:22

New wildfire scorches area north of Los Angeles

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Simi Valley, California - 30 October 2019

4. Medium view of smoke blowing across roadway

5. Fire burning along hillside near buildings

6. Fire burning trees and brush

00:35:22

Wildfire east of Los Angeles destroys homes

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

San Bernardino, California - 31 October 2019

7. Various night views of homes burning

8. Dayside views of smoldering remains of a house

00:47:22

Hundreds battle new Southern California wildfire

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Somis, California - 31 October 2019

9. Firefighters spraying fire on mountainside

10. Fire truck next to burning mountainside

11. Fire amid trees, grass

00:59:22

St Mark's Square in Venice flooded

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Restrictions: Part must credit Gaetano Guzzardi; Part must not obscure logo

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Central Venice, Italy - 12 November 2019

12. Wide of San Marco Square flooded

13. Tourists carrying luggage through flood waters

14. Tourist wading through flood waters

15. Various of tourists walking through flooded area

01:15:22

Smoke from Australia fires visible from Space

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NASA

International Space Station - 13 November 2019

16. STILL: smoke from edge of Australia stretches over Pacific Ocean, red dots on picture indicate actively burning fires.

01:20:22

German climate activists rally at Brandenburg Gate

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Berlin - 29 November 2019

17. Various of protesters in front of Brandenburg Gate

01:31:22

Leaders arrive in Madrid as climate summit begins

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Madrid - 2 December 2019

18. New European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arriving

01:37:21

Spanish art installation recreates air pollution

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Madrid - 4 December 2019

19. Spanish Energy and Environment Minister Teresa Ribera (black coat) and Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, at the World Health Organization, Maria Neira (with a scarf) entering cell recreating the air pollution in Beijing

20. Ribera and Neira entering cell recreating the air pollution in New Delhi

21. Banner with COP25 logo and slogan (Spanish) "#TiempoDeActuar" ("Time to act")

01:50:03

Thunberg joins sit-in protest at COP25 summit

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Madrid - 6 December 2019

22. Various of Thunberg joining sit-in protest against the lack of government action to tackle climate change

01:57:24

Thunberg calls for 'real action' on climate change

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Madrid - 6 December 2019

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist

" The world leaders, the people in power, grasp the urgency of the climate crisis because right now it doesn't seem like they are."

02:10:07

Thousands join Thunberg in Madrid climate march

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Madrid - 6 December 2019

++NIGHT SHOTS++

24. Various top shots of thousands of protesters marching in Madrid near Cibeles Fountain

02:18:07

Thungberg 'very surprised' about Time award

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Location unknown - 11 December 2019

25. SOUNDBITE (English) Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist

" I should not be the one to be person of the year, it should be everyone in the Fridays for Future movement because what we have done, we have done together."

02:31:16

Frustration as COP25 ends without carbon deal

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Madrid - 15 December 2019

26. COP25 venue, sign

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Kaiser, Greenpeace Germany:

"US President (Donald) Trump and President (Jair) Bolsonaro from Brazil have undermined these negotiations here and if they are going to continue so next year, we need a different answer from strong economies like the European Union, together with China, together with India, to come up with a new narrative of hope for the young people out there."

It's a power outage waiting game for some parts of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Pacific Gas & Electric had warned residents in some areas of heavily populated Alameda and Contra Costa Counties that power could go out there starting at noon Wednesday.

California's largest utility says as many as two million people will remain without power at least through Thursday as a precaution to protect against wildfires.

Several counties North of San Francisco, including Napa and Sonoma, did lose power in the early morning hours.

But thousands of people in the East Bay are still waiting.

Residents of the Oakland Hills, where a wildfire in 1991 killed 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes, spent the morning buying bottled water, getting cash and filling their cars with gas.

But noon came and went and the power in the area remained on.

PG&E later said wind gusts in the East Bay had not yet reached problematic speeds and delayed the planned power outage late Wednesday, although they are no longer giving an exact time for the turn off.

It was otherwise business as usual in the busy Montclair neighborhood at the foot of the Oakland Hills as restaurants  coffee shops and clothing stores remained open.

Some larger businesses, like grocery stores, rented large power generators in order to stay open once PG&E's electricity finally does goes out as expected.

Oakland, California - 9 October 2019

1. Montclair neighborhood at the foot of Oakland Hills

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Tianna Paschel, Oakland Resident (living in power outage zone):

"It's just kind of scary. It feels worse than Y2K. We don't know how long. We don't know if we're actually affected. My two kids, their school situation keeps moving every second. It's not clear if we need to pack for a week and go out of town or what to do. So I'm just trying to make sure we have water, food, charging stations and gas."

3. Paschel loads bottled water into car

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Tianna Paschel, Oakland Resident (living in power outage zone):

"You can't play around with the loss of life. I think that they are appropriately in hot water because of what has already happened and transpired over the last few seasons. For me, this is a major inconvenience in my life as a parent but also, if it saves a life, I'm not going to complain about it."

5. Large power generator trailer parked outside grocery store

6. Power cables run into grocery store

7. Man pushed grocery cart out of store

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Matt Gochman, Oakland Resident (living in power outage zone):

"Just picking up some last minute water supplies because I realize the implications of the power being off. I just heard that actually tap water may be off when the power goes off. So want to prepare. We don't know how many days it's going to be."

9. Gochman loads cases of bottled water into car

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Matt Gochman, Oakland Resident (living in power outage zone):

"The danger of wildfires is serious. On the other hand, turning off the power is going to probably kill some people, elderly people, people with medical issues so yeah it's hard to know. But they need to fix their infrastructure that's for sure."

11. Another customer puts bag of ice in his trunk

12. Pedestrians walk by businesses still open

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Naomi Lockyer, Oakland Clothing Store Owner (in power outage zone):

"Oh it's horrible right? If there's no power we can't be open. We could be without sales for one day, two days, three days. Also, I have people coming into work because I can't stay all day. So if I have someone coming into work and then they've made the trip to work and then I have to close because the power is out, I still have to pay them so it's a tough situation."

14. Lockyer folds clothes

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Naomi Lockyer, Oakland Clothing Store Owner (in power outage zone):

"It seems kind of like punishment to me for everyone's suing them because of the fires, which I get, but it seems like they're going a bit overboard."

16. Pinwheel outside store spins in the wind

It's a power outage waiting game for some parts of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Pacific Gas & Electric had warned residents in some areas of heavily populated Alameda and Contra Costa Counties that power could go out there starting at noon Wednesday.

California's largest utility says as many as two million people will remain without power at least through Thursday as a precaution to protect against wildfires.

Several counties North of San Francisco, including Napa and Sonoma, did lose power in the early morning hours.

But thousands of people in the East Bay are still waiting.

Residents of the Oakland Hills, where a wildfire in 1991 killed 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes, spent the morning buying bottled water, getting cash and filling their cars with gas.

But noon came and went and the power in the area remained on.

PG&E later said wind gusts in the East Bay had not yet reached problematic speeds and delayed the planned power outage late Wednesday, although they are no longer giving an exact time for the turn off.

It was otherwise business as usual in the busy Montclair neighborhood at the foot of the Oakland Hills as restaurants  coffee shops and clothing stores remained open.

Some larger businesses, like grocery stores, rented large power generators in order to stay open once PG&E's electricity finally does goes out as expected.

Oakland, California - 9 October 2019

1. Montclair neighborhood at the foot of Oakland Hills

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Tianna Paschel, Oakland Resident (living in power outage zone):

"It's just kind of scary. It feels worse than Y2K. We don't know how long. We don't know if we're actually affected. My two kids, their school situation keeps moving every second. It's not clear if we need to pack for a week and go out of town or what to do. So I'm just trying to make sure we have water, food, charging stations and gas."

3. Paschel loads bottled water into car

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Tianna Paschel, Oakland Resident (living in power outage zone):

"You can't play around with the loss of life. I think that they are appropriately in hot water because of what has already happened and transpired over the last few seasons. For me, this is a major inconvenience in my life as a parent but also, if it saves a life, I'm not going to complain about it."

5. Large power generator trailer parked outside grocery store

6. Power cables run into grocery store

7. Man pushed grocery cart out of store

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Matt Gochman, Oakland Resident (living in power outage zone):

"Just picking up some last minute water supplies because I realize the implications of the power being off. I just heard that actually tap water may be off when the power goes off. So want to prepare. We don't know how many days it's going to be."

9. Gochman loads cases of bottled water into car

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Matt Gochman, Oakland Resident (living in power outage zone):

"The danger of wildfires is serious. On the other hand, turning off the power is going to probably kill some people, elderly people, people with medical issues so yeah it's hard to know. But they need to fix their infrastructure that's for sure."

11. Another customer puts bag of ice in his trunk

12. Pedestrians walk by businesses still open

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Naomi Lockyer, Oakland Clothing Store Owner (in power outage zone):

"Oh it's horrible right? If there's no power we can't be open. We could be without sales for one day, two days, three days. Also, I have people coming into work because I can't stay all day. So if I have someone coming into work and then they've made the trip to work and then I have to close because the power is out, I still have to pay them so it's a tough situation."

14. Lockyer folds clothes

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Naomi Lockyer, Oakland Clothing Store Owner (in power outage zone):

"It seems kind of like punishment to me for everyone's suing them because of the fires, which I get, but it seems like they're going a bit overboard."

16. Pinwheel outside store spins in the wind

More than a dozen wildfires whipped by powerful winds swept through California wine country on Monday, killing at least 10 people, destroying more than 1,500 homes and businesses and sending thousands fleeing.

Flames raged unchecked through high-end resorts, grocery stores and tree-lined neighbourhoods and were burning "at explosive rates" because of 50 miles per hour (80 kph) winds, according to the state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The fires broke out nearly simultaneously and then exploded overnight, sending residents fleeing as embers rained down and flames raged around them.

The ferocity of the flames forced authorities to focus primarily on getting people out safely, even if it meant abandoning structures to the fire.

Two hospitals in Santa Rosa, the largest city in the region with 175,000 people, were forced to evacuate patients.

Later in the day, fires from ruptured gas lines dotted the smoky landscapes of blackened Santa Rosa hillsides.

The fire area covered more than 100 square miles (160 square kilometers) over eight counties.

Some of the largest blazes were in Napa and Sonoma counties, home to dozens of wineries that attract tourists from around the world.

Those fires sent smoke as far south as San Francisco, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) away.

Fires also burned in Yuba, Butte and Nevada counties - all north of the state capital.

The scale of the fires prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency in Napa, Sonoma, Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada and Yuba counties.

Authorities imposed a sunset-to-sunrise curfew in Santa Rosa, saying they were on the lookout for looters,

The fires throughout the region were among the deadliest in California history, and fire officials expected the number of fatalities to increase.

It was unusual to have so many fires take off at the same time, fire officials said, though October has generally been the most destructive time of year for California wildfires.

Napa, California - October 9, 2017

1. Signorello winery destroyed by wildfire

2. Fire burns around main entrance to gutted winery

3. Pan from pool and deck seating to burned winery

4. Fire burns up side of row of charred wine bottles

5. Close up of blackened wine bottles

6. Melted bottles on another rack

7. Private residence next to winery in flames

8. Smoking wooden fence in front of grape vines

Sonoma, California - October 9, 2017

9. Smoke fills air above Gundlach Bundschu Winery

10. Flames rising above Gunlach Bundschu

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Willis, Maintenance Worker - Gundlach Bundschu Winery

"It's right behind the main office. It's working its way down the hillside. What can I say? It's slowly working its way in."

12. Smoke rises above Gunlach Bundschu vineyards

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Willis, Maintenance Worker - Gundlach Bundschu Winery

"We had a fire truck come in. Gave us pointers on what to do and then they left and went on to another property. Other than that, we haven't seen anybody. There's so much going that the resources are short. Contractor brought his water truck in to stand by for us. We're hoping for the best."

14. Willis talks with contractor

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Willis, Maintenance Worker - Gundlach Bundschu Winery

"Everybody's been coming by wanting to help. There's not a whole bunch to do. They just keep coming by checking on us, offering us food, water, whatever. The community's been remarkable."

16. Scorched earth in front of Nicholson Ranch Winery

17. Owner's residence at Nicholson Ranch destroyed, winery was sparred

18. Dairy processing plant in wine country destroyed

19. Smoke rising from dairy farm

20. American flag flies in front of smoking vineyard

A wind-whipped wildfire roared through a northern California town threatened by a devastating blaze, wiping out more than 100 houses and businesses and forcing thousands of people to flee, authorities said on Monday.

The fire seemed to be calming on Sunday before gusts kicked up the flames that tore through neighbourhoods in Lower Lake, a rural town about 145 kilometres (90 miles) north of San Francisco.

No one was injured, but it reached the town's Main Street and damaged the post office, a winery, an antiques store, a historic firehouse and the local Habitat for Humanity office.

The blaze was one of 11 large wildfires in the state, where high temperatures and parched conditions brought on by a five-year drought raised the risk of fire.

In central California, a two-day-old wildfire destroyed 12 structures, damaged others and threatened 200 houses.

Last September, one of California's most destructive wildfires ravaged a series of small towns near Lower Lake, whose residents were forced to evacuate.

Four people were killed and more than 1,300 properties in nearby communities were destroyed.

Lower Lake, where the new fire struck, is a town of about 1,300 that attracts working-class families and retirees with housing prices lower than the San Francisco Bay Area.

The fire broke out on Saturday afternoon and expanded to nearly 13 square kilometres (five square miles) as it fed on bone-dry vegetation.

Besides the wind, temperatures of around 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) hindered firefighters as they struggled to get a handle on the largely out-of-control blaze.

Residents who thought conditions were improving on Sunday went on errands in town and came back to towering flames and smoke.

Some used hoses or water from their pools to try to protect their houses.

At least 175 structures were destroyed.

Lower Lake, California - August 15, 2016

1. Sign reading (English) "No trespassing" in front of smoldering remains of a house

2. Various of fire damage to houses

3. Mark Giberson, resident who lost house and a storage unit, talking on mobile phone in front of his destroyed storage unit, which housed antique musical instruments and other valuable memorabilia

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Giberson, resident who lost house and a storage unit:

"I lost a collection of California history in there, and then also, about five houses down this way, I had another old house built in 1888, and that's gone too."

5. Close of burnt out vehicle with Giberson standing next to it

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Giberson, resident who lost house and a storage unit:

"I haven't quite lost it (his composure) yet over the whole thing. Pretty much my whole life was inside that building there."

7. Various of firefighters spraying water on smouldering remains of house

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jody Barnes, resident whose house was not destroyed:

"It's so beyond tragic. There was no way to save these homes. They all burnt in a row up there. The winery burned - places I've known for many years and knew the people who owned these places."

9. Flames on hill side

10. Firefighters with smoke in background

11. Various of firefighters

12. Helicopter filling bucket with water from lake

13. Helicopters in the sky

14. Tracking shot of helicopter collecting water and moving towards smoke in the distance

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Paul Lowenthal, assistant fire marshal and public information officer:

"In this particular case, we had everything. We had grass burning, we had vegetation burning, homes, businesses, a fire that moved into downtown Lower Lake. So we had everything. Propane tank explosions. It's really been a combined effort of our forces in the air and on the ground to get this out as quickly as possible."

16. Firefighters walking

17. Firefighter walking past burnt out truck

18. Firefighter extinguishing fire

19. Burnt vehicle with firefighters in background

20. Various of firefighters working

21. Pacific Gas and Electric Company workers repairing damage to utilities infrastructure

California's biggest utility cut power to more than a million people Wednesday for what could be days on end in the most sweeping effort in state history to prevent wildfires caused by windblown power lines.

The unpopular move sparked a run on supplies at stores and came after two years of catastrophic fires sent Pacific Gas & Electric into bankruptcy and forced it to take more aggressive steps to prevent blazes.

The drastic measure caused a wave of impacts, from long lines at supermarkets and hardware stores to backups at traffic lights that had gone dark.

Schools and universities canceled classes, offices were closed and many businesses were shuttered.

Friedman's Home Improvement store in Sonoma lost power Wednesday, but remained open with a limited amount electricity from generators.

Employees with flashlights and head lamps took customers into the darkened store to buy batteries, power cords and flashlights. Electrical generators were sold out.

Sonoma resident Rick Lachmiller came to Friedman's Wednesday morning to buy extension cords for his generator after his home lost power around 1 am.

"People have refrigerators full of food. Restaurants have restaurants full of food. And a lot of them don't have backup generators. It leaves this whole community scrambling around trying to save their food or their job or whatever it is," Lachmiller said.

Store president and co-owner Barry Friedman, said it was a challenge to serve its customers and helps its employees, many of whom have childcare issues because schools are closed.

Judy Fontana, who works at a catering company, was one of many residents working on laptops at an auditorium at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall because her home and office didn't have electricity.

"Wind is going to happen, and now we're going to have days and days with inconvenience and this is not sustainable," Fontana said.  "We're all losing money. A lot of people are impacted. A lot of businesses are closed today because there's no power. So it's affecting a lot more than anyone thought it would."

Kathy Squizzato and her husband Raymond Segat were visiting Sonoma Valley from Vancouver and did not know about the shutoffs until after they arrived. They were drinking wine at a tasting room off the Sonoma Plaza.

"We didn't know anything about the power outage, so this morning we changed all our plans because we don't have enough gas in the car," Squizzato said. "We decided to cancel everything, walk down into town here and see what's happening. And luckily for us there's a wine tasting area, Zina Hyde, open."

More than 500,000 customers in Northern California were without power, the utility said, and about 300,000 more outages were planned later to prevent its equipment from sparking wildfires during winds forecast to build. About 2 million people were expected to be affected for up to several days.

The utility planned to shut off power in parts of 34 northern and central California counties to reduce the chance of fierce winds knocking down or toppling trees into power lines during a siege of dry, gusty weather.

Gusts of 35 mph to 45 mph (56-72 kph) were forecast to sweep a vast swath of the state, from the San Francisco Bay Area to the agricultural Central Valley and especially in the Sierra Nevada foothills, where a November wildfire blamed on PG&E transmission

Sonoma, California. - 9 October 2019

1. Wide view of cars driving through intersection with traffic lights off

2. Close view of traffic lights not working

3. Wide view of closed gas station

4. Close view of closed sign posted on restaurant front door

5. Exterior of Friedman's Home Improvement store

6. Store sign with generator in background

7. Backup generator running outside store

8. Friedman's salesperson uses flashlight to help customer find batteries

9. Employee answering phone in the dark

10. Cashier checks out customer in darkened store.

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Barry Friedman, President and co owner, Friedman's:

"We do have a backup generator, and the generator only operates the point of sale. We do want to be open for our customers. So we actually have our team members escorting through customers with flashlights to ensure that they are able to get what they need."

12. Customers line up to enter store

13. Cashier checks out customer in darkened store

14. Rick Lachmiller looks for extension cords with phone light in dark store

15. Rick Lachmiller outside store shows extension cords he bought

16. Close view of extension cords

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Rick Lachmiller, Sonoma resident:

"People have refrigerators full of food. Restaurants have restaurants full of food. And a lot of them don't have backup generators. It leaves this whole community scrambling around trying to save their food or their job or whatever it is."

18. Various of residents working on laptops at resource charging center

19. Close view of power cords plugged into power strip

20. Ruby Fontana working on laptop in charging center

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Ruby Fontana, Sonoma resident:

"Wind is going to happen, and now we're going to have days and days with inconvenience and this is not sustainable. We're all losing money. A lot of people are impacted. A lot of businesses are closed today because there's no power. So it's affecting a lot more than anyone thought it would."

22. Restaurant manager pours wine for Kathy Squizzato and husband Raymond Segat

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Kathy Squizzato, Canadian tourist:

"We didn't know anything about the power outage, so this morning we changed all our plans because we don't have enough gas in the car. We decided to cancel everything, walk down into town here and see what's happening. And luckily for us there's a wine tasting area, Zina Hyde, open."

24. Close view of restaurant sign and dining area

The largest utility in the United States said Monday it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy because it faces at least 30 billion US dollars in potential damages from lawsuits over the catastrophic wildfires in California in 2017 and 2018 that killed scores of people and destroyed thousands of homes.

The move by Pacific Gas & Electric Corp., expected by the end of the month, would be the biggest bankruptcy by a utility in U.S. history, legal experts said.

It would allow PG&E to hold off creditors and continue providing electricity and natural gas without interruption to its 16 million customers in Northern and central California while it tries to put its finances in order.

The filing would not make the lawsuits disappear, but would result in all wildfire claims being consolidated into a single proceeding before a bankruptcy judge, not a jury.

That could shield the company from excessive jury verdicts and buy time by putting a hold on the claims.

Chapter 11 reorganization represents "the only viable option to address the company's responsibilities to its stakeholders," Richard Kelly, chairman of PG&E's board of directors, said in a statement.

"The Chapter 11 process allows us to work with these many constituents in one court-supervised forum to comprehensively address our potential liabilities and to implement appropriate changes."

State officials are investigating whether the utility's equipment sparked the deadliest, most destructive wildfire in California history, a November Northern California blaze that killed at least 86 people and burned down 15,000 homes.

State investigators have also blamed PG&E power lines for some fires in October 2017.

Authorities are also looking into the cause of a blaze that destroyed thousands of homes and killed 22 people in Santa Rosa last year.

California law requires utilities to pay damages for wildfires if their equipment caused the blazes - even if the utilities weren't negligent through, say, inadequate maintenance.

PG&E, which is the nation's largest utility by revenue and is based in San Francisco, said it is giving the required 15 days' notice that it plans to file for bankruptcy protection.

It said it will continue working with regulators and stakeholders to consider how it can safely provide energy "in an environment that continues to be challenged by climate change."

San Francisco, California - 14 January 2019

1. Low angle, tilt-down shot of PG&E headquarters building

2. Employees walking through doors at PG&E headquarters

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst:

"So PG&E announced they intend to file for bankruptcy within two weeks basically because of liabilities created by the wildfires that have occurred in California over the last two years."

4. Cutaway wide of Wara talking

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst:

"We still don't know the full explanation for the causes of the big wildfires that occurred in Napa and Sonoma County in 2017 and in Paradise in 2018. But it does appear that PG&E's equipment was the cause or at least a partial cause of the fires. And at this point claims from victims exceed $30 billion for the two fires combined and that's larger than PGE's current market capitalization. It's larger than the utility can reasonably bear."

ARCHIVE: Paradise, California - 9 November 2018

6. Various of destruction in Paradise after wildfire

San Francisco, California - 14 January 2019

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst:

"The risk of wildfires is perceived now is so great in California that it's not clear that the company could emerge from bankruptcy as a healthy firm just because markets - the bond market and the stock market - are looking at PG&E as a very risky investment because of fire."

ARCHIVE: Paradise, California - 15 November 2018

++MUTE++

8. Drone video of destroyed neighbourhood

San Francisco, California - 14 January 2019

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst:

"PG&E serves about 70 percent of the state of California and a large fraction of the population of California. And I think the reality is that customers are going to be impacted by the bankruptcy. They're going to be impacted actually whether PG&E - even if PG&E doesn't file for bankruptcy and we can expect to see rates go up because the liabilities of the company have gone up enormously due to these wildfires."

ARCHIVE: Santa Rosa, California - 9 October 2017

10. Homes burning with big flames

San Francisco, California - 14 January 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst:

"One could imagine in the aftermath of a bankruptcy a real effort to cost cutting because the company is going to be financially strained for several years. And so you might imagine a smaller workforce as well. And that's going to also run counter to both the safety goals and the clean energy goals that California has set."

ARCHIVE: Santa Rosa, California - 14 October 2017

12. Various of PG&E workers working at scene of wildfire destruction

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

San Francisco, California - 14 January 2019

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst:

"And so I would expect to see more of this in the decades to come. This is kind of an interesting first example of climate change driving a human system of institutions and businesses and arrangements to the breaking point."

ARCHIVE: Santa Rosa, California - 10 November 2017

++MUTE++

14. Aerial footage of destroyed homes in Santa Rosa

The nation's largest utility said Monday it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy because it faces at least $30 billion in potential damages from lawsuits over the catastrophic wildfires in California in 2017 and 2018 that killed scores of people and destroyed thousands of homes.

The move by Pacific Gas & Electric Corp., expected by the end of the month, would be the biggest bankruptcy by a utility in U.S. history, legal experts said.

It would allow PG&E to hold off creditors and continue providing electricity and natural gas without interruption to its 16 million customers in Northern and central California while it tries to put its finances in order.

The filing would not make the lawsuits disappear, but would result in all wildfire claims being consolidated into a single proceeding before a bankruptcy judge, not a jury. That could shield the company from excessive jury verdicts, and also buy time by putting a hold on the claims.

Chapter 11 reorganization represents "the only viable option to address the company's responsibilities to its stakeholders," Richard Kelly, chairman of PG&E's board of directors, said in a statement.

State officials are investigating whether the utility's equipment sparked the deadliest, most destructive wildfire in California history, a blaze in Northern California in November that killed at least 86 people and burned down 15,000 homes.

In addition, state investigators have blamed PG&E power lines for some fires in October 2017. Authorities are also looking into the cause of a blaze that destroyed thousands of homes and killed 22 people in Santa Rosa last year.

California law requires utilities to pay damages for wildfires if their equipment caused the blazes — even if the utilities weren't negligent through, say, inadequate maintenance.

PG&E, which is the nation's largest utility by revenue and is based in San Francisco, said it is giving the required 15 days' notice that it plans to file for bankruptcy protection.

It said it will continue working with regulators and stakeholders to consider how it can safely provide energy "in an environment that continues to be challenged by climate change."

The announcement follows the resignation of chief executive Geisha Williams a day earlier.

In a Monday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said the liabilities it faces from 2017 and 2018 wildfires could exceed $30 billion, not including punitive damages, fines and penalties.

Barricades surrounded the company's headquarters in downtown San Francisco after the Chapter 11 announcement.

Before last year's disastrous fire in Northern California's Butte County, PG&E's stock stood at $47.80. But in early Monday trading it tumbled $8.48 to $9.11, its lowest level in more than 16 years. Wall Street last week slashed PG&E's credit rating to junk status.

PG&E also filed for Chapter 11 in 2001 amid rising electricity prices during California's energy crisis.

California's new governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom, said in a statement that he will make sure customers continue to receive affordable energy and that wildfire victims are treated fairly.

San Francisco - Jan. 14, 2019

1. Pan of PG&E headquarters building

2. Employees walking through doors at PG&E headquarters

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst:

"So PG&E announced they intend to file for bankruptcy within two weeks basically because of liabilities created by the wildfires that have occurred in California over the last two years."

4. Wide shot of Michael Wara

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst:

"So we still don't know the full explanation for the causes of the big wildfires that occurred in Napa and Sonoma County in 2017 and in Paradise in 2018. But it does appear that PG&E's equipment was the cause or at least a partial cause of the fires. And at this point claims from victims exceed $30 billion for the two fires combined and that's larger than PGE's current market capitalization. It's larger than the utility can reasonably bear."

Paradise, California - Nov. 9, 2018

6. Various scenes of destruction of Paradise after wildfire

San Francisco - Jan. 14, 2019

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst:

"The risk of wildfires is perceived now is so great in California that it's not clear that the company could emerge from bankruptcy as a healthy firm just because markets - the bond market and the stock market - are looking at PG&E as a very risky investment because of fire."

Paradise, California - Nov. 15, 2018

++MUTE AT SOURCE++

8. Drone video of destroyed neighborhood

San Francisco - Jan. 14, 2019

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst:

"the territory PG&E serves about 70 percent of the state of California and a large fraction of the population of California. And I think the reality is that customers are going to be impacted by the bankruptcy. They're going to be impacted actually whether PG&E - even if PG&E doesn't file for bankruptcy and we can expect to see rates go up because the liabilities of the company have gone up enormously due to these wildfires."

Santa Rosa, California - Oct. 9, 2017

10. Homes burning with big flames

San Francisco - Jan. 14, 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst:

"one could imagine in the aftermath of a bankruptcy a real effort to cost cutting because the company is going to be financially strained for several years. And so you might imagine a smaller workforce as well. And that's going to also run counter to both the safety goals and the clean energy goals that California has set."

Santa Rosa, California - Oct. 14, 2017

12. Various of PG&E workers working at scene of wildfire destruction

San Francisco - Jan. 14, 2019

SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Wara, Stanford University energy policy analyst:

"And so I would expect to see more of this in the decades to come. This is kind of an interesting first example of climate change driving a human system of institutions and businesses and arrangements to the breaking point."

Santa Rosa, California - Nov. 10, 2017

++MUTE AT SOURCE++

14. Aerial footage of destroyed homes in Santa Rosa

Pacific Gas & Electric said Monday it will plead guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2018 fire in Northern California that killed 84 people and decimated three towns.

The utility said in a statement it will also admit to a single count of unlawfully starting a fire.

Under a plea agreement with the Butte County District Attorney’s office, PG&E will pay the maximum fine of about $4 million.

The company has also agreed to fund efforts to restore access to water for the next five years for residents impacted by the loss of a canal destroyed by the fire.

"Our equipment started the fire. Those are the facts, and with this plea agreement we accept responsibility for our role in the fire," PG&E CEO and President Bill Johnson said.

The blaze that destroyed the towns of Paradise, Magalia and Concow was started by sparks from a PG&E transmission line that failed on November 8, 2018, state investigators concluded.

Butte County officials have said 85 people died in the Camp Fire. It wasn’t immediately clear why PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 counts of manslaughter instead of 85.

The utility filed for bankruptcy in 2018 as it faced billions of dollars in claims from people who lost family members, homes and businesses in wildfires in 2017 and 2018.

The utility has been struggling to emerge from one of the most complex bankruptcy cases in U.S. history and a deadline has been set for it to do so by June 30.

The Nov. 8, 2018 was fanned quickly by strong winds, forcing thousands of people to quickly flee as they tried to escape in their cars as flames from the narrow canyon communities. Survivors described caravans of vehicles engulfed by flames.

The dead were found in burned-out cars, in the smoldering ruins of their homes and next to their vehicles, apparently overcome by smoke and flames before they could get inside them.

In some cases, all that remained of the dead were charred fragments of bone so small that investigators used a wire basket to sift and sort them.

ARCHIVE - Paradise, California – 9 November 2018

1. Wide view of firefighters battling house fire

2. Wide view of firefighters battling house fire

3. Various of burned out cars along the highway

4. Medium view of smoldering structure after wildfire

ARCHIVE - Paradise, California - 12 November 2018

5. Various of coroner team searching through remains of home and car

ARCHIVE - Paradise, California - 16 October 2019

6. Various of crews from Pacific Gas and Electric working on construction of underground power lines

US officials ordered 2,000 people to evacuate their homes and businesses in Northern California wine country on Thursday after a wildfire exploded in size, fueled by powerful winds that prompted utilities throughout the state to impose electrical blackouts to prevent fires.

The entire community of Geyserville and nearby residents were told to leave after the fire in the Sonoma County wine region north of San Francisco grew to more than 15 square miles (39 square kilometers).

Among those fleeing the flames was 81-year-old Harry Bosworth, who awoke before sunrise to find a firetruck and firefighters in his driveway. As he and his wife drove off, flames surrounded their driveway and their barn caught fire.

"I could see the fire coming, so we got the heck out of there," Bosworth said.

The fire started on Wednesday night near the Geysers, the world's largest geothermal field where nearly two dozen power plants draw steam from more than 350 mountain wells to create electricity.

Mike Parkes, incident commander with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said the cause of the blaze was not yet known but it was fueled overnight by 60 mph (95 kph) winds.

Geyserville, California - 24 October 2019

1. Police in front of road closure in Geyserville

2. Geyserville road sign

3. Isaac Hale sits on top of his SUV near road closure checkpoint

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Isaac Hale, Geyserville wildfire evacuee:

"Well around 6:30 the Highway Patrol showed up banging on a door, ordering everyone to evacuate because the fire was so close. It started around 10:30 last night and at that time was like 500 acres. And by the time I woke up this morning was a lot more - about than 10,000, I believe."

5. Cars driving by road closed sign

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Isaac Hale, Geyserville wildfire evacuee:

"A lot of people I know lost their houses in previous fires and I know four people who already lost their houses in this one. And it's just it's a real big reality check."

7. Hale standing next to his SUV

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Isaac Hale, Geyserville wildfire evacuee:

"I'm not quite sure what started this fire. I don't think that's what started it. But I mean, they're (PG&E) trying to be accountable for things that happened in the past, which I think is good. But at the same time, these outages are affecting a lot of other people, too."

9. Ted Elliott stands by his truck near road closure checkpoint

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Ted Elliott, Geyserville wildfire evacuee:

"At midnight, they had a voluntary evacuation and we stayed. And then at 6:15 they said we had to evacuate. So we left. We're staying at a hotel tonight in Healdsburg and we'll see how it plays out."

11. Elliot shows stuff he took after being evacuated

12. Pan from suitcase to gas container

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Ted Elliott, Geyserville wildfire evacuee:

"You know, I think since the fires are an issue, everybody has to try to do what they can. I think that people feeling inconvenienced is, is I guess part of the new normal. It'd sure be nice if stuff didn't start on fire, and I don't think the piling on PG&E is necessarily the answer."

14. Sherry Van Gelder talks with husband and neighbor near road closure checkpoint

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Sherry Van Gelder, Geyserville wildfire evacuee:

"And at 1:30 in the morning, I woke up and the mountain was on fire. And so I woke up my husband and we checked it out and it was across the river."

16. Van Gelder stands with bike near road closure

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Sherry Van Gelder, Geyserville wildfire evacuee:

"You know we'd like to move, of course. But where are you going to move? There is disaster everywhere. So I guess we have to stick it out. Also, you know, if we sold our house, we couldn't afford anything else in this area"

18. Fire tanker truck drives by

California's biggest utility cut power to more than a million people Wednesday for what could be days on end in the most sweeping effort in state history to prevent wildfires caused by windblown power lines.

The unpopular move sparked a run on supplies at stores and came after two years of catastrophic fires sent Pacific Gas & Electric into bankruptcy and forced it to take more aggressive steps to prevent blazes.

The drastic measure caused a wave of impacts, from long lines at supermarkets and hardware stores to backups at traffic lights that had gone dark.

Schools and universities canceled classes, offices were closed and many businesses were shuttered.

Friedman's Home Improvement store in Sonoma lost power Wednesday, but remained open with a limited amount electricity from generators.

Employees with flashlights and head lamps took customers into the darkened store to buy batteries, power cords and flashlights. Electrical generators were sold out.

Sonoma resident Rick Lachmiller came to Friedman's Wednesday morning to buy extension cords for his generator after his home lost power around 1 am.

"People have refrigerators full of food. Restaurants have restaurants full of food. And a lot of them don't have backup generators.

It leaves this whole community scrambling around trying to save their food or their job or whatever it is," Lachmiller said.

Store president and co-owner Barry Friedman, said it was a challenge to serve its customers and helps its employees, many of whom have childcare issues because schools are closed.

Ruby Fontana, who works at a catering company, was one of many residents working on laptops at an auditorium at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall because her home and office didn't have electricity.

"Wind is going to happen, and now we're going to have days and days with inconvenience and this is not sustainable," Fontana said.  "We're all losing money. A lot of people are impacted. A lot of businesses are closed today because there's no power. So it's affecting a lot more than anyone thought it would."

Kathy Squizzato and her husband Raymond Segat were visiting Sonoma Valley from Vancouver and did not know about the shutoffs until after they arrived. They were drinking wine at a tasting room off the Sonoma Plaza.

"We didn't know anything about the power outage, so this morning we changed all our plans because we don't have enough gas in the car," Squizzato said. "We decided to cancel everything, walk down into town here and see what's happening. And luckily for us there's a wine tasting area, Zina Hyde, open."

More than 500,000 customers in Northern California were without power, the utility said, and about 300,000 more outages were planned later to prevent its equipment from sparking wildfires during winds forecast to build.

About 2 million people were expected to be affected for up to several days.

The utility planned to shut off power in parts of 34 northern and central California counties to reduce the chance of fierce winds knocking down or toppling trees into power lines during a siege of dry, gusty weather.

Gusts of 35 mph to 45 mph (56-72 kph) were forecast to sweep a vast swath of the state, from the San Francisco Bay Area to the agricultural Central Valley and especially in the Sierra Nevada foothills, where a November wildfire blamed on PG&E transmission

Sonoma, California. - 9 October 2019

1. Wide view of cars driving through intersection with traffic lights off

2. Close view of traffic lights not working

3. Restaurant manager pours wine for Kathy Squizzato and husband Raymond Segat

++PARTIALLY COVERED++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Kathy Squizzato, Canadian tourist:

"We didn't know anything about the power outage, so this morning we changed all our plans because we don't have enough gas in the car. We decided to cancel everything, walk down into town here and see what's happening. And luckily for us there's a wine tasting area, Zina Hyde, open."

5. Close view of restaurant sign and dining area

6. Exterior of Friedman's Home Improvement store

7. Store sign with generator in background

8. Friedman's salesperson uses flashlight to help customer find batteries

9. Backup generator running outside store

10. Cashier checks out customer in darkened store.

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11. SOUNDBITE (English) Barry Friedman, President and co owner, Friedman's:

"We do have a backup generator, and the generator only operates the point of sale. We do want to be open for our customers. So we actually have our team members escorting through customers with flashlights to ensure that they are able to get what they need."

12. Rick Lachmiller looks for extension cords with phone light in dark store

++PARTIALLY COVERED++

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Rick Lachmiller, Sonoma resident:

"People have refrigerators full of food. Restaurants have restaurants full of food. And a lot of them don't have backup generators. It leaves this whole community scrambling around trying to save their food or their job or whatever it is."

14. Various of residents working on laptops at resource charging center

15. Ruby Fontana working on laptop in charging center

16. Close view of power cords plugged into power strip

++PARTIALLY COVERED++

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Ruby Fontana, Sonoma resident:

"A lot of people are impacted. A lot of businesses are closed today because there's no power. So it's affecting a lot more than anyone thought it would."

18. Close view of closed sign posted on restaurant front door

California's biggest utility cut power to more than a million people Wednesday for what could be days on end in the most sweeping effort in state history to prevent wildfires caused by windblown power lines.

The unpopular move sparked a run on supplies at stores and came after two years of catastrophic fires sent Pacific Gas & Electric into bankruptcy and forced it to take more aggressive steps to prevent blazes.

The drastic measure caused a wave of impacts, from long lines at supermarkets and hardware stores to backups at traffic lights that had gone dark.

Schools and universities canceled classes, offices were closed and many businesses were shuttered.

Friedman's Home Improvement store in Sonoma lost power Wednesday, but remained open with a limited amount electricity from generators.

Employees with flashlights and head lamps took customers into the darkened store to buy batteries, power cords and flashlights. Electrical generators were sold out.

Sonoma resident Rick Lachmiller came to Friedman's Wednesday morning to buy extension cords for his generator after his home lost power around 1 am.

"People have refrigerators full of food. Restaurants have restaurants full of food. And a lot of them don't have backup generators. It leaves this whole community scrambling around trying to save their food or their job or whatever it is," Lachmiller said.

Store president and co-owner Barry Friedman, said it was a challenge to serve its customers and helps its employees, many of whom have childcare issues because schools are closed.

Ruby Fontana, who works at a catering company, was one of many residents working on laptops at an auditorium at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall because her home and office didn't have electricity.

"Wind is going to happen, and now we're going to have days and days with inconvenience and this is not sustainable," Fontana said.  "We're all losing money. A lot of people are impacted. A lot of businesses are closed today because there's no power. So it's affecting a lot more than anyone thought it would."

Kathy Squizzato and her husband Raymond Segat were visiting Sonoma Valley from Vancouver and did not know about the shutoffs until after they arrived. They were drinking wine at a tasting room off the Sonoma Plaza.

"We didn't know anything about the power outage, so this morning we changed all our plans because we don't have enough gas in the car," Squizzato said. "We decided to cancel everything, walk down into town here and see what's happening. And luckily for us there's a wine tasting area, Zina Hyde, open."

More than 500,000 customers in Northern California were without power, the utility said, and about 300,000 more outages were planned later to prevent its equipment from sparking wildfires during winds forecast to build. About 2 million people were expected to be affected for up to several days.

The utility planned to shut off power in parts of 34 northern and central California counties to reduce the chance of fierce winds knocking down or toppling trees into power lines during a siege of dry, gusty weather.

Gusts of 35 mph to 45 mph (56-72 kph) were forecast to sweep a vast swath of the state, from the San Francisco Bay Area to the agricultural Central Valley and especially in the Sierra Nevada foothills, where a November wildfire blamed on PG&E transmission

Sonoma, California. - 9 October 2019

1. Wide view of cars driving through intersection with traffic lights off

2. Close view of traffic lights not working

3. Wide view of closed gas station

4. Close view of closed sign posted on restaurant front door

5. Exterior of Friedman's Home Improvement store

6. Store sign with generator in background

7. Backup generator running outside store

8. Friedman's salesperson uses flashlight to help customer find batteries

9. Employee answering phone in the dark

10. Cashier checks out customer in darkened store.

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Barry Friedman, President and co owner, Friedman's:

"We do have a backup generator, and the generator only operates the point of sale. We do want to be open for our customers. So we actually have our team members escorting through customers with flashlights to ensure that they are able to get what they need."

12. Customers line up to enter store

13. Cashier checks out customer in darkened store

14. Rick Lachmiller looks for extension cords with phone light in dark store

15. Rick Lachmiller outside store shows extension cords he bought

16. Close view of extension cords

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Rick Lachmiller, Sonoma resident:

"People have refrigerators full of food. Restaurants have restaurants full of food. And a lot of them don't have backup generators. It leaves this whole community scrambling around trying to save their food or their job or whatever it is."

18. Various of residents working on laptops at resource charging center

19. Close view of power cords plugged into power strip

20. Ruby Fontana working on laptop in charging center

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Ruby Fontana, Sonoma resident:

"Wind is going to happen, and now we're going to have days and days with inconvenience and this is not sustainable. We're all losing money. A lot of people are impacted. A lot of businesses are closed today because there's no power. So it's affecting a lot more than anyone thought it would."

22. Restaurant manager pours wine for Kathy Squizzato and husband Raymond Segat

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Kathy Squizzato, Canadian tourist:

"We didn't know anything about the power outage, so this morning we changed all our plans because we don't have enough gas in the car. We decided to cancel everything, walk down into town here and see what's happening. And luckily for us there's a wine tasting area, Zina Hyde, open."

24. Close view of restaurant sign and dining area

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus126690

The California Public Utilities Commission voted Wednesday to open an investigation into pre-emptive power outages that blacked out large parts of the state for much of October as strong winds sparked fears of wildfires.

The decision came after hearing from the public on the many hardships the blackouts caused for residents.

The state's largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., initiated multiple rounds of shut-offs and plunged nearly 2-point-5 million people into darkness throughout northern and central California.

Some of the outages lasted for several days.

PG&E officials insisted on the shut-offs for public safety, but infuriated residents and a parade of public officials.

Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric also shut off power but to far fewer people.

The outages raised concerns about whether the utilities properly balanced the need to provide reliable service with public safety and were properly planned and executed.

CPUC President Marybel Batjer ordered the investigation last month and the five-member commission gave its approval given the public frustration.

The outages were astonishing for a state that is one of the economic powerhouses in the world.

People made frantic dashes for cash and gas as businesses watched their goods spoil.

Some elderly and disabled people were trapped in their apartments with elevators out of service.

PG&E initiated five rounds of blackouts, with the smallest affecting about 30,000 people and the largest affecting nearly 2.5 million.

Residents in San Francisco suburbs and in Northern California wine country were without power for days.

Bill Johnson, CEO of Pacific Gas & Electric, said the outages were the right call and kept people safe, although a transmission line in Sonoma County that was not powered off malfunctioned minutes before a wildfire erupted last month, forcing about 180 thousand people to evacuate.

The company is in bankruptcy and faces 30 billion dollars in liabilities after its equipment was found to have started several deadly wildfires in 2017 and 2018, including the year-old Camp Fire that killed 85 in Paradise.

San Francisco - 13 November 2019

1. Various state building and utilities commission hearing room

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++VIDEO SHOT OFF MONITOR AS INCOMING ++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Marybel Batjer, President, California Public Utilities Commission:

"Item 2 is an order instituting an investigation to determine whether California's investor-owned utilities prioritized safety and complied with the commission's regulations and requirements with respect to their public safety power shut off or PSPS events."

3. Wide shot of commission's chambers

++PARTIALLY COVERED++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Will Abrams, Sonoma County Fire Victim:

"I think part of what goes through folks' minds as they look at these events are the safety implications obviously and the financial implications. I've had friends come to me who lost substantial sums of money due to the power outages."

++PARTIALLY COVERED++

5. SOUNDBITE (English)  Mayor Reinette Senum, (D) Nevada City:

"The effects that we had were, we had mom and pop stores that were closed down, that includes grocery stores and restaurants were heavily affected. Our farmers, our deliveries, our elderly, our disabled, our Airbnbs,  our hotels, our medical facilities, our schools, our ranchers, people were not only without power but they're also without water. They were without sewage, without being able to make any phone calls or receive code red. They couldn't even make a 911 call. They were literally sent back into the dark ages."

Orinda, California - 10 October 2019

6. "PG&E Killed Our Sunshine" sign on business closed due to outage

Oakland, California - 9 October 2019

7. Various power generator outside grocery store to keep it open during outage

Santa Rosa, California - 9 October 2019

8. Various businesses use headlamps to work during blackout

++VIDEO SHOT OFF MONITOR AS INCOMING ++

San Francisco - 13 November 2019

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Marybel Batjer, President, California Public Utilities Commission:

"These sustained PSPS events cannot be the new normal for California. The frequency and scope of the PSPS events of 2019 impacted communities and in a profound way. It is imperative that we do more to mitigate wildfire risk and reduce the use of PSPS in the future."

10. Hearing attendees watch proceedings

11. Commission votes to open investigation

12. Wide shot of chamber including Commission President live from Sacramento via teleconference

LEADIN :

California Wine Country is working to lure tourists back to its wineries, hotels and restaurants as it recovers from devastating wildfires.

More than 40 people were killed, nearly 9,000 buildings destroyed and the wine tourism shut down, which impacted hugely on the region's main source of revenue.

STORYLINE :

Tourists board the Napa Valley wine train, heading to see the vineyards and tasting rooms of california wine country.

"The train is running. The wine is flowing. And we're on our way" says Jim Kilpatrick, a visitor from Texas.

The tourists are a welcome sight for a region still recovering from devastating wildfires that shut down wineries, hotels and restaurants during their busiest month.

"In spite of the local disasters that have occurred in the area, I've decided to come support Napa and stay Napa Strong" says Tanya Thomas, wine country tourist.

The wildfire outbreak in early October killed more than 40 people and destroyed nearly 9,000 homes and other buildings in Napa and Sonoma counties.

Despite widespread devastation, only a small number of the region's 1,200 wineries were badly damaged.

And there was little impact to wine production since 90 percent of the grapes were picked before the fires broke out.

"No wineries really lost much wine from this vintage. It was really more of the impact the fires had on people's psyches. They thought the Napa Valley was burning and they canceled their trips. That's really been the most impact for us" explains Michael Honig, chairman of Napa Valley Vintners.

Most vineyards were spared due to their high moisture content, and some even helped save surrounding structures by acting as fire breaks.

But many operators are now grappling with other long-term effects from the fires: making up for losses from being closed at the busiest time of year, assessing the impact of smoke and other environmental damage on this year's vintage, and persuading tourists to return after weeks of news coverage of the fires' devastation.

Hotels have seen a steep decline in guests. Many rooms are now filled with fire evacuees and emergency responders who pay discounted rates.

Bill Blum is the manager at MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa in Sonoma.

"Spend money at our local restaurants and shops. Buy Sonoma wine. Stay at our hotels. That's really one of the best ways you can really help."

Frank Figone says his olive oil business was shut down for nine days. Many of his clients' olive orchards were destroyed. And his retail shop is seeing a lot less foot traffic.

"We always save for the rainy day. But in this case we're not really saving for firestorms. And it's had a tremendous financial impact on us."

Higher-end restaurants such as Sonoma's Cafe La Haye are also feeling squeezed by the loss of out-of-town visitors.

"Those people that lost their homes still need their incomes, so tourism is a way to help those fire victims. And nobody should be afraid to visit and see the beauty that surrounds us here.'" says owner Saul Gropman.

Now the push is on to lure visitors back to the three counties, which together saw more than $3.7 billion in tourism spending in 2016.

The state's tourism commission, Visit California, is spending $2 million on an advertising campaign to encourage visitors to return.

Napa, California - Nov. 1, 2017

1. Napa Valley Wine Train arrives at station

2. Tourists board wine train

3. Tourists sip wine, eat in wine train

4. Couple clink wine glasses

5. Server takes orders from tourists on wine train

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Jim Kilpatrick, tourist from Texas (script below)

"The train is running. The wine is flowing. And we're on our way."

St. Helena, California - Nov. 1, 2017

7. Wine train tourists take vineyard tour at V. Sattui Winery

8. Tourists walking in vineyard

9. Tourists walk toward winery

10. Guests taste wine at winery bar

11. Tanya Thomas tastes wine at bar

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Tanya Thomas, wine country tourist

"In spite of the local disasters that have occurred in the area, I've decided to come support Napa and stay Napa Strong."

Santa Rosa, California - Oct. 9, 2017

13. Various of houses burning

Santa Rosa, California - Nov. 10, 2017

14. Aerial footage of destroyed homes in Santa Rosa

Napa, California - Oct. 10, 2017

15. Various of charred remains of Signorello Winery

16. Burned wine bottles

Rutherford, California - Nov. 1, 2017

17. Drone video of Honig Winery

18. Michael Honig points out grapes in vineyard

19. Wine grapes hanging on vine

20. Honig in warehouse with barrels of wine

21. Worker uses rake to put pressed grapes in container

22. Rake combing pressed grapes

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Honig, chairman of Napa Valley Vintners, CEO of Honig Vineyard and Winery

"No wineries really lost much wine from this vintage. It was really more of the impact the fires had on people's psyches. They thought the Napa Valley was burning and they cancelled their trips. That's really been the most impact for us."

24. Drone shot of vineyards in Napa Valley

25. Two men taste wine in nearly empty tasting room patio

26. Guests talk with wine server

Sonoma, California - Oct. 31, 2017

27. Bill Blum shows deluxe suite at MacArthur Place Hotel

28. Blum walks outside suite to bathtub

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Bill Blum, manager, MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa

"Spend money at our local restaurants and shops. Buy Sonoma wine. Stay at our hotels. That's really one of the best ways you can really help, get the destination back on track."

30. Frank Figone uses forklift to move crate of olives

31. Olives pour out of crate into olive oil processor

32. Olives moving up conveyer belt on processor

33. Figone shows bottles of family olive oil

34. Close-up of Figone olive oil bottles

35. Figone looks at olives moving through crushing machine

36. Crushed olives stirred in machinery

37. SOUNDBITE (English) Frank Figone, owner of Figone's Olive Oil Co.

"We always save for the rainy day. But in this case we're not really saving for firestorms. And it's had a tremendous financial impact on us."

38. Saul Gropman sets counter at Cafe La Haye

39. Cook fills bowls with dessert

40. SOUNDBITE (English) Saul Gropman, owner of Cafe La Haye

"Those people that lost their homes still need their incomes, so tourism is a way to help those fire victims."

41. Cook uses blow torch device on bowls of dessert

42. SOUNDBITE (English) Saul Gropman, owner of Cafe La Haye

"Amongst the devastation there is still so much beauty here in Sonoma Valley and around Sonoma and Napa. And nobody should be afraid to visit and see the beauty that surrounds us here."

St. Helena, California - Nov. 1, 2017

43. Wine train tourists in tasting room of V. Sattui winery

44. Jim Kilpatrick drinks glass of wine

45. Tour guide talks to guests

46. Couple clinks glasses before drinking

Napa, California - Nov. 1, 2017

47. Welcome to Napa Valley road sign