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Live Bay Area fire updates: California’s ‘historic lightning siege’ has sparked at least 367 blazes
3 wildfires of 10,000+ acres currently burning out of control around Bay Area
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From Wine Country to the Peninsula, residents awoke in the early hours of Wednesday morning with urgent orders to flee the wildfires that have raged out of control around the region since Sunday.
Three major fires were burning in the Bay Area, and crews were stretched too thin to take anything but life-saving measures, meaning dozens of structures have been engulfed in flames as their inhabitants fled for safety. In total, the blazes had grown to more than 130,000 acres by Wednesday morning, with little containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The same conditions that have plagued fire crews the past two days continued to hamper their efforts Wednesday. Hot temperatures and low humidity combined with higher winds Tuesday and the steep, treacherous terrain on which much of the blazes are being fought, has added to the complexity of corralling the flames.
At least 22,000 residents in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties have been forced to evacuate, while the number of evacuees in Sonoma County was “in excess of 10,000,” the county’s director of emergency management, Chris Godley, said Wednesday.
We’re bringing you the latest updates below. Explore the map to see where fires are currently burning.
Thousands of lightning strikes, hundreds of fires — Update, 11:30 a.m.
Since thunderstorms first rolled into the region Sunday evening, there have been at least 10,800 lightning strikes across California, fire officials said.
“Over the past 72 hours, California has experienced a historic lightning siege,” Cal Fire chief Jeremy Rahn said at a Wednesday morning briefing.
Those bolts sparked at least 367 fires around the state, Rahn said, squeezing resources to contain all the outbreaks.
There were also two new evacuation orders for areas in SCU Complex fires and the LNU Complex fires, both of which were believed to be ignited by those lightning strikes.
Bay Area air quality takes a dive — Update, 10:45 a.m.
The haze of wildfire smoke that blanketed Bay Area skies Wednesday resulted in some of the world’s worst air quality.
In the immediate vicinity and downwind of the largest blazes, the air quality index rose north of 300, while it was over 100 for much of the region. An AQI between 101-150 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, while anything above 150 could result in adverse health effects for anyone outside breathing in the air.
In San Jose, there were frequent reading above 200 on Wednesday. In San Francisco and Oakland, the AQI was over 100 and, in some places, over 150. Closest to the fires, there were readings above 500 just north of Vacaville and some above 300 in the Santa Cruz mountains.
For comparison, some the worst readings elsewhere around the globe Wednesday topped out around 150, in scattered areas of India, South America and Africa.
The heavy smoke prompted a “Spare The Air” warning across the region that will stay in place through “at least” Thursday, with some East Bay cities expected to be impacted the hardest.
Our staff photographer Jose Carlos Fajardo captured the orange-hued scene in Antioch.
From a ranch to a Walmart parking lot — Update, 10:15 a.m.
FELTON — Under a hazy orange sky, Taylor Craig was sitting on the stoop of his Coleman RV in a Walmart across town from where he evacuated in the middle of the night from his 11-acre ranch on Pleasant Valley Road.
He never received an evacuation warning on his phone, and no announcements were made from the fire vehicles rushing down the road when he saw. But from the time he saw the orange glow over the ridge at about midnight, the fire had whipped into his neighbor’s property in about 15 minutes. And suddenly, he and his family were running for their lives.
He didn’t have time to evacuate the goats, chickens, horses, and llama on the property, but a neighbor and friend tore through his place on a skid steer, breaking down fences to let the animals run free.
Craig said he’s never seen so many days in a row as hot as this, and worries what that means for this fire and future fires.
“I’m a climate refugee,” he pondered in the Walmart parking lot. Walmart employees were nearby, handing out water, snacks and masks to other evacuees who had gathered. “And these people are too, whether they know it or not.”
Fleeing Boulder Creek — Update, 10:10 a.m.
FELTON — The Thomas family of Boulder Creek was camped out in their RV at the parking lot at Safeway in Felton after evacuating Tuesday night. Ryan Thomas said they got no official warning.
“Just got a text from a friend — load up and go!” Thomas said. “We don’t know where it is. There’s not a lot of informatino.
It took them half an hour to navigate the traffic jam heading seven miles south on Highway 9 from Boulder Creek to Felton after getting the evacuation warning at 10:30 p.m.
“The traffic was just stopped,” Thomas said. “It was a big traffic jam.”
His wife, Jennifer, said they had just minutes to grab what they could and leave. They had a bin of important papers, but other things got left behind in the scramble to evacuate.
“I don’t have a hairbrush,” she said.
Still, Jennifer Thomas said, they consider themselves lucky. A friend’s house burned down last night. But the Thomases are safe in their RV with their two daughters, Natalee, 13, and Shelly, 10, their two dogs, Buddy and Chunky, two cats and bearded dragon, Wasobe.
— John Woolfolk
Learning from past experiences — Update, 9:50 a.m.
VACAVILLE — Paul Loustaunau fled his Arlene Drive home around 4:30 a.m., awaken by sirens. He woke his neighbors and wasn’t waiting for evacuation orders.
“You learn from the previous fires the dos and don’ts,” he said from a WalMart parking lot across town, as ash fell from the sky.
His house is fine but he knows three families who lost their homes.
“It’s crazy but everyone is safe,” he said.
At least 50 structures had burned to the ground in the LNU Complex Fires by Wednesday morning, with many more damaged or threatened by the flames as they continued to burn uncontrolled into the afternoon.
— David DeBolt
Additional evacuations in Napa County — Update, 9:40 a.m.
Officials expanded mandatory evacuation orders to include a stretch of Highway 121 just north of the city of Napa, from Wooden Valley Road to the Silverado Trail.
Additional immediate evacuation orders were issued further northwest: Pope Valley Road from Aetna Springs Road to Chiles Pope Valley Road; Aetna Springs Road from Pope Valley to dead end; Butts Canyon Road from Aetna Springs Road to the Lake County line; and James Creek Road from Butts Canyon Road to the dead end.
Flames enter Armstrong Redwoods State Park — Update, 9:15 a.m.
Two blazes that are part of the LNU Lightning Complex have grown large enough to garner formal names: the Meyers Fire, which had burned 2,500 acres Wednesday morning, and the Wallbridge Fire, which had burned 1,500 acres.
Embers from those fires jumped the border into Armstrong Redwoods State Park on Wednesday, which is home to the Bohemian Grove, an infamous high-society gathering place.
Both blazes prompted additional evacuation orders Wednesday morning: all areas east of the Bohemian Highway; north of Graton Road and Harrison Grade Road; west of Harrison Grade Road, Green Valley Road and Highway 116; south of the Russian River; east and north of Highway 116; west of Martinelli Road; east of the Russian River; north of River Road; west of Trenton Healdsburg Road and Eastside Road; and south of the western dead end of Windsor River Road.
Sonoma County officials are working on setting up an evacuation center at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, which they hope to have up and running Wednesday morning.
Click here to view a map of Sonoma County evacuation zones.
More mandatory evacuations outside Vacaville — Update, 8:45 a.m.
More residences were in the path of the flames raging on the outskirts of Vacaville, leading to additional mandatory evacuation orders for parts of Solano County.
Southwest of Vacaville, Rockville Road, Suisun Valley Road, Gordon Valley Road, Wooden Valley Road, Clayton Road and Mankas Corner were all added to the list of mandatory evacuations for the LNU Lightning Complex.
CZU August Lightning Complex — Update, 7 a.m.
In San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, officials were going door-to-door in the dark Wednesday morning to get residents out of the path of the CZU August Lightning Complex fires, which had grown to 10,000 acres by Wednesday morning. More than 22,000 Peninsula and Santa Cruz County residents have already evacuated, with more expected as the fire continues to burn.
“Last night we saw a major increase in fire activity in both San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties,” CalFire Deputy Chief Jonathan Cox said at an update Wednesday morning. “And we saw several of the fires merge together and make a significant run into Santa Cruz County.”
The fires have left buildings in ashes in their wake, but officials weren’t yet sure how many structures had been destroyed.
SCU Lightning Complex — Update, 7 a.m.
The SCU Lightning Complex, which includes about 20 fires in Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, more than doubled in size overnight. It had grown to 85,000 acres and was still just 5% contained, fire officials said Wednesday morning.
It hadn’t yet reached any structures but about 1,400 were under threat from the flames Wednesday morning.
There were mandatory evacuations in place in parts of Santa Clara, Alameda and Contra Costa counties (see below). There were also evacuation warnings issued in the eastern San Jose foothills.
LNU Lightning Complex — Update, 7 a.m.
Near Vacaville, the LNU Lightning Complex fires engulfed another 14,000 acres overnight, growing in total size to more than 46,000 acres across Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties. In its path, the inferno, consumed and destroyed multiple rural residences. At least 50 structures were destroyed, including multiple homes, and another 50 had been damaged, with 1,900 others under threat, fire officials said Wednesday morning.
As the Hennessey Fire, the largest of the blazes in the LNU Lightning Complex, raced eastward across the Napa-Solano county line, residents on the western outskirts of Vacaville were forced to flee with little more than the clothes on their backs.
There were multiple reports of people trapped in the fire’s path, requiring air rescue, as well as numerous structures destroyed. At least one woman was forced to abandon many of her farm animals as the blaze encroached on her property.
Christa Haefer, a 32-year Solano County resident, called it the worst fire she’d seen on her side of the Yolo county line.
“We’ve been through a lot of fires in the area. Nothing like this,” Haefer said.
Four residents suffered injuries, fire officials said, including reports of second- and third-degree burns.
As of Tuesday night, mandatory evacuations orders were in place practically from Highway 128 to Interstate 505.
Officials managing both fires expected further evacuations Wednesday.
Latest mandatory evacuations — Update, 7 a.m.
In San Mateo County, there were mandatory evacuations in place on South Skyline Boulevard near Highway 9; the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve; the Middleton Tract Area; Portola Redwoods State Park; and the Portola Heights community. In Santa Cruz, the evacuation orders spanned all of Empire Grade Road, from Felton Empire north; all of Pine Flat Road; all of Ice Cream Grade; and Bonny Doon Road, between Pine Flat Road, Martin Road and nearby side streets.
In Sonoma County, the evacuations included east of Sewell Road and King Ridge Road; north of Old Cazadero Road and Austin Creek; west of East Austin Creek and Wal Bridge Road; and south of Stewarts Point Skaggs Springs Road. In Napa County, the mandatory evacuations spanned Highway 128 from Chiles Pope Valley Road to Lower Chiles Valley Road and Chiles Pope Valley Road from Highway 128 to Lower Chiles Valley Road; all of Hennessey Ridge Road; from Moskowite Corner to Wooden Valley Road; Atlas Peak from the 2400 block down; from Lomo Vista and Soda Canyon Road to their ends; all of Steele Canyon Road from Highway 128; and Wragg Canyon Road from Highway 128.
In Santa Clara County, north of Highway 130 to the county line was under evacuation orders, as were residents west of San Antonio Valley Road; west of Mines Road to the county line; east of 3 Springs Road and Mt. Hampton Road; and south of the Santa Clara County line. Evacuations in Alameda County spanned Welch Creek Road; Frank Raines Park to Mines Road; and Del Puerto Canyon Road to Mines Road. In Contra Costa County, all of Morgan Territoy and the Marsh Creek mobile home park were forced to evacuate, as well as those on Marsh Creek Road from Round Valley to Morgan Territory.
Check back for updates.
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