A small earthquake has rattled a Northern California wine region where a huge wildfire was burning, the United States Geological Survey confirmed.

The USGS reported the quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.2 struck at 12:34 p.m. Sunday near the Geysers.

(TNS) - Like nomads, thousands of people fleeing the ferocious 75,000-acre Kincade Fire have been migrating south — town to town — trying to stay a step ahead of the destructive blaze that has been steadily expanding since it broke out near Geyserville last Wednesday night.

Many of the more than 180,000 evacuees moved into the homes of family and friends to await news of when they can safely return, hopefully to homes that are still standing. But many others have had to sleep in evacuation centers, their cars and RVs, county fairgrounds and even campgrounds. Hotels across the region have been booked solid by fire refugees.

(TNS) — The cantilevered palaces of Los Angeles' elite were under siege. "Apocalypse bags" were packed. LeBron James fled with his family and couldn't find a hotel room. News copters filmed the fire copters, as drivers on the 405 Freeway sailed through the fiery vortex and lived to Instagram it.

The Getty fire broke out along the freeway by Getty Center Drive after 1:30 a.m. Monday and blew up to more than 600 acres under Santa Ana winds, destroying eight homes and damaging five in Brentwood. Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate some of the priciest enclaves on Earth.

California governor Gavin Newsom announced a new state-wide system, created in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey, that will provide California residents with an early warning for coming earthquakes. Part of the system is an emergency messaging system that sends text warnings, similar to those that cell phone users already get for floods and missing persons. The other component of the system is a new app called MyShake, which will give people “tens of seconds” advance notice before a quake strikes. If you are in a house, that might be enough time to get to a safe spot away from falling furniture. If you are on the road, it may be enough time to pull off the road or stop before a bridge or tunnel.

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This story was updated at 5:30 a.m. Monday. Check back for the latest information.

Firefighters are battling several major wildfires across California, including an explosive Sonoma County blaze that has engulfed 54.000 acres, the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reports.

(TNS) — A growing brush fire was threatening thousands of homes in Brentwood and other Westside hillside communities, burning several structures and prompting widespread evacuations early Monday.

The Getty fire broke out shortly before 2 a.m. along the 405 Freeway near the Getty Center and spread to the south and west, rapidly burning 400 acres and sending people fleeing from their homes in the dark. About 3,300 homes were under mandatory evacuation orders.

(TNS) — A fast-moving wildfire ignited late Wednesday in a remote, mountainous stretch of northeastern Sonoma County, rapidly growing to an estimated 5,000 acres amid intense winds and prompting evacuations outside Geyserville.

The fire is burning near The Geysers geothermal plant in the Mayacamas Mountains and the glow of flames is visible throughout the area.

(TNS) - California residents face up to 10 years of widespread, precautionary forced power shut-offs until Pacific Gas & Electric Corp., the bankrupt utility giant, will be able to prevent its power transmission lines from sparking fires, the company’s top official said.

The sobering projection came from company Chief Executive William D. Johnson at an emergency meeting Friday of the California Public Utilities Commission in San Francisco.

(TNS) - This week marks 30 years since the massive 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake hit the Bay Area, killing 63 people, injuring nearly 4,000 and causing extensive damage that left thousands homeless.

Generally, people in this part of the state are not too concerned about quakes. Should they be?

Earthquakes, big and small, are a common occurrence in California. Residents hear reports of them all the time – most recently the 4.5 magnitude quake that hit near Pleasant Grove on Monday. The reports are usually just far enough away from the Yuba-Sutter area that residents tend to think things like that won’t happen here.

(TNS) — In the aftermath of the Loma Prieta 6.9 temblor and its aftershocks in Northern California, hundreds of underground utility pipes began “bleeding” out the region’s water supply.