California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a statewide emergency as wildfires and extreme weather conditions forced almost 200,000 people from their homes. He said in a statement Sunday that officials are deploying ``every resource available'' to respond to the wildfires, including a large blaze in Northern California's wine country driven by powerful winds. Smoke from a second wildfire in the San Francisco Bay Area briefly halted traffic on a bridge. The flames came dangerously close to homes in Vallejo. In the south, a wildfire in the Santa Clarita area north of Los Angeles has destroyed 18 structures, threatened homes and critical infrastructure. A small wildfire broke out Sunday morning near Vallejo (vuh-LAY'-ho) with flames coming dangerously close to homes and forcing a college to evacuate at the northeast end of San Francisco Bay. A live broadcast on KGO-TV shows the fire on both sides of Interstate 80 and homeowners using hoses on a hillside to try and fight it. The fire forced the freeway to close and the California State University Maritime Academy to issue an evacuation order. The wildfire halted traffic at the Carquinez Bridge toll booth as the freeway became shrouded in thick smoke. Vallejo is 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) south of Geyserville where a massive wildfire forced 180,000 people to flee their communities.
