Some 119,000 people have evacuated the raging fires statewide following mandatory orders and issued warnings, Govin Newsom said Friday.
Up to 560 fires are burning across the state after a flash of lightning strikes this week, he said. Nearly every fire department source in California has fought the blaze – among the largest in state history.
Of the hundreds of fires that burn, at least 22 are large. The wildfires have burned a total of 915,000 acres in total, Cal Fire said.
“These fires are draining our resources and stressing our staff,” he said. “We have more than 12,000 firefighters now actively working to suppress these larger complex fires.”
The two largest wildfires are the LNU Lightning Complex and the SCU Lightning Complex in Northern California.
The LNU Lightning Complex Fire, which burned 302,388 acres across Napa, Lake, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties, is now the second largest fire in state history, according to Cal Fire data.
“Extreme fire behavior with short and long range pot remains the challenge of arson efforts. Fires continue to run in multiple directions and affect multiple communities,” Cal Fire said in a statement.
The governor said additional firefighting assistance came from neighboring states, including 10 engines from Arizona, 25 from Oregon, and five from Texas and Nevada.
While thousands of firefighters are battling the blaze – some at 24-hour shifts – there are too many fires and insufficient resources to prevent more homes from being set on fire.
One of the reasons for the lack of resources is that there are fewer prisoners due to early release during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Moving firefighters “are an integral part of our firefighting operations,” said Cal Fire communications officer Christine McMorrow. The early releases have meant that there are 600 less inclusive firefighters available this fire season compared to last year.
Homeowner defends home with sprinklers on roof
The LNU fire alone destroyed about 480 structures, including many homes, in the Northern Bay Area and Central Valley, Cal Fire said.
Jason Passalacqua told the station that he worked all day and night to trim trees and put sprinklers on the roof of his house in front of the fire.
“It’s scary at the end of the day and it’s under nobody’s control,” he said.
Wildfires in California have caused more deaths and destruction this year than in any of 2019. Last year alone, they burned a total of 260,000 acres and killed three people in the state, according to Cal Fire.
Air quality levels in California’s Bay Area and Central Valley are lower than anywhere else, including locations that are generally considered the worst air quality such as India and eastern China.
At least four deaths were reported Thursday as a result of the LNU fire – the largest burn in the state. It consists of at least 11 smaller fires that spread across five counties in Northern California. Three of the dead are from Napa County and one is from Solano County. In addition to the dead, four other people were injured, Cal Fire said Thursday.
Big Basin Redwoods State Park, the oldest state park in California, has been extensively damaged by arson, officials said.
CNN’s Sarah Moon, Stella Chan, Alex Meeks, Brandon Miller, Cheri Mossburg, Jon Passantino, Dan Simon and Holly Yan contributed to this report.
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