LOS ANGELES — The wildfires burning across California and the rolling blackouts to prevent power lines from igniting additional blazes are putting a crimp on business at auto dealerships in hard-hit areas. But so far, the state's peak fire season has yet to spin out of control in urban areas, where the impact could be much greater.
A brush fire driven by strong Santa Ana winds broke out in West Los Angeles on Monday near Santa Monica, prompting widespread evacuations on hillsides adjacent to busy Interstate 405, state and local officials said. The blaze threatened thousands of structures, including some of the priciest homes in the Los Angeles area.
The Getty fire, named for its proximity to the Getty Center arts complex, was burning across 618 acres, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. As of late Monday, it had destroyed eight buildings and damaged six others, and it was 5 percent contained as firefighters cleared the perimeter. There were no reports of deaths or serious injuries.
American Honda's North American headquarters, just off I-405 in Torrance, is about 20 miles south of the Getty fire. The automaker said in a statement to Automotive News that the headquarters was not affected, and that the Honda Performance Development in Santa Clarita, near the fading Tick fire, was operating normally.
Dealerships, on the other hand, have been affected by the fires and fire-prevention measures, such as the decision by private electricity providers in California to cut energy to millions of customers in areas at high risk related to heat and wind.
"Honda and Acura dealerships in Northern and Southern California have been impacted by power losses, road closures and smoke. These events have impacted dealership personnel, some of whom have been evacuated from their homes, and reduced customer traffic in stores," said Matt Sloustcher, public relations manager at the Acura brand.
"American Honda's thoughts and sympathies are with everyone affected by wildfires across California," he said in the statement. "We are monitoring the situation closely to support our associates and dealer partners impacted by these events."
Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Orange County, was operating normally and no major fires have been reported in the area. A spokesman said the automaker was aware of one Northern California store that closed for lack of power.
Dublin Hyundai, east of San Francisco, closed Sunday. It's normally open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to its website.
Further to the north, the Kincade fire near Sacramento erupted Wednesday last week, and private utility Pacific Gas and Electric cut power over the weekend to nearly 1 million customers across a broad swath of Northern California as a precaution.
Hyundai said it expects a small sales impact statewide from the power outages, evacuations and road closures caused by fire and prevention measures. The impact could get worse if new fires proliferate.
Mazda North America Operations, also based in Orange County, said in an email that several dealerships did suffer a loss of business due to power outages but that it had no reports of damage to stores or employee property.
Mitsubishi Motors North America, which is moving its headquarters from Orange County to Nashville, said Hayward Mitsubishi in the San Francisco Bay area lost power on Saturday and had another power issue on Tuesday. In Southern California, the Santa Clarita fire had not affected its dealers because of distance.
Kia Motors America, also headquartered in Orange County, didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The California New Car Dealers Association declined to comment.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a news conference Monday that firefighters had put down dozens of fires over the course of a single day, and quick-strike teams were positioned throughout the state to jump on blazes once they start.
Contrary to popular belief, Newsom said, the peak of the California fire season is not during summer months but in October and November. That's because of the arrival of sustained high winds that vastly increase the risk of fires igniting dry vegetation and moving quickly, compounded by the lack of rain.
"The winds are the most vexing and most [complex] part of our suppression and prevention challenges," he said, flanked by top public safety officials. Newsom said winds had somewhat subsided Monday but would kick up again midweek. November would likely present even bigger challenges. "We're entering the peak part of the season," he said.
Karl Brauer, executive publisher of Autotrader and Kelly Blue Book, said that while California's natural disasters never seem to end, the overall impact on auto purchases over the medium-term is negligible.
"These sorts of issues seem to have a short-lived impact at worst," he said in an email. "I would be surprised if a significant number of California residents altered their automotive purchase plans based on the fires the state is currently experiencing. It might be a slower sales week due to the fires, but monthly sales should show minimal, if any, decline driven by this factor alone."
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