100-M.P.H. Winds Slam Bay Area : Child Dies, 300,000 Lose Power, Trucks and Trees Go Flying

Hurricane-force winds wreaked havoc across Northern California today, claiming at least one life, overturning trucks, toppling trees, ripping boats from their moorings, stalling the return of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and cutting power to more than 300,000 customers.

Authorities said Oli Ashgar, 3, died this morning when his family’s apartment was set on fire by an overturned candle that had been lit because of a power failure blamed on the winds.

His parents and three siblings escaped with their lives, although the father, Suliman, was hospitalized with second- and third-degree burns.

One man hit on the head by a falling tree branch in downtown San Jose was described as in serious condition at San Jose Medical Center.

“We’ve got downed power lines all over the place,” said Dennis Maguire, a dispatcher with the California Department of Forestry in Auburn. “There are trees falling into houses, and it’s an emergency situation.”

Winds were clocked at 102 m.p.h. atop Mt. Diablo 40 miles east of San Francisco, said meteorologist Mike Pechner. Hurricane-force winds are 74 m.p.h. or greater.

‘Debris Everywhere’

“Sonoma looks like a war zone or disaster area,” said Sandy Hanson, a 40-year resident of the town, who said she had never before experienced winds that strong. “There is debris everywhere. Our fences and trees are down.

“It was weird. We had an outdoor refrigerator, and the wind blew the door open and spilled food all over the yard.”

The gusts left boats adrift along Richardson Bay and San Francisco Bay, the Coast Guard said. Winds howled through the waterfront, leaving heaps of debris, signs and odd hunks of metal in the streets. One boat sank at Sausalito, and several others broke loose from their moorings and were sent adrift. The Coast Guard plucked some people off their boats.

A barge near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge was blown over and dumped its load of rocks near one of the span’s towers, the Coast Guard said. The bridge was not damaged.

Pacific Gas & Electric said more than 302,000 customers were blacked out by downed power lines and utility poles that crashed into houses and across highways and set off small fires Wednesday night and early today.

Crews fought the savage winds to restore power that blinked out in communities that included 100,000 homes and businesses from Marin to Eureka; 110,000 customers in San Francisco and the surrounding region, 20,000 in Watsonville, Santa Cruz and San Jose and 72,000 from Stockton in the San Joaquin Valley northward into the Sacramento Valley, said Ron Rutowski, PG&E; spokesman.

Planes Damaged

Thousands of customers remained without service in Cupertino, Milpitas, Santa Cruz, Stockton, Half Moon Bay and Sonoma County by midday, Rutowski said.

Four small planes at Petaluma City Airport were severely damaged on the ground. One was flipped over by the wind and landed on top of another aircraft, airport manager Bill Graham said. Two others were flipped over on their backs.