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The message in Sunday afternoon’s briefing about the fires at the SCU Lightning Complex was clear: Hold official warnings, and prepare to go out.
The SCU Complex Fire in parts of Santa Clara, Alameda, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties burned nearly 292,000 acres and at the time threatened the eastern edge of San Jose and the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton. The fire is currently 10 percent contained and evacuations are underway east of Morgan Hill. Police have set up a checkpoint in Thomas Grade and Dunne Road for people entering the neighborhoods.
The LNU complex fire in parts of Sonoma, Napa, Solano counties and beyond has burned more than 300,000 acres, making it the seventh most destructive fire in state history. Although it now contains 17 percent, it threatens the Sonoma County cities of Healdsburg and Guerneville.
As of early Sunday, about 32,000 people in Sonoma County were under an evacuation board alone, according to Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Misti Wood, though those orders were dropped following warnings in several areas, including Dry Creek Valley outside Healdsburg, and eastern Forestville.
The CZU complex fire has burned 63,000 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains and parts of San Mateo County, threatening the evacuation of more than 77,000 residents and threatening the University of California Santa Cruz campus. It burned 97 structures, including houses on the outskirts of the towns of Bonny Doon and Boulder Creek, threatened others on Highway 9. The fire is currently contained 5 percent and a light rain began to fall on Sunday night.
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