Thousands of burns raging through Northern California killed at least five people this week, including a Pacific Gas & Electric worker who helped first responders and a pilot on a water supply mission who was killed in an accident.
Three civilians have died in Napa Valley and one in Solano County, Cal Fire said in an update. It was not immediately clear if the employee of the power company was included in the count of citizens.
At least 30 civilians and firefighters were injured in the fires, which also destroyed hundreds of structures and threatened hundreds of homes. Thousands of residents have been evacuated and at least two people are missing.
“Please keep the family and PG&E in your thoughts and prayers,” Cal Fire said in a statement, adding the PG&E employee was taken to hospital after being found unresponsive in his car, according to KPIX-TV in the Bay Area. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
“If you’re in denial about climate change, then come to California,” California Govin Newsom said during an address to the Democratic National Conference Thursday, after re-recording his speech to talk about the fires.
CALIFORNIA GOV. NEWSOMSAYS 367 WILDFIRES, 23 BY MAJOR, FOLLOW BURNJE IN STATEWIDE EMERGENCY
Several fires burning in Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Lake and Yolo Counties, collectively known as the LNU complex fires, were triggered Monday by lightning strike and grew Thursday by 60% from 131,000 acres to 215,000 acres by 6 p.m., according to the San Francisco Kronyk.
Flames from the fires of the LNU Lightning Complex erupted on Interstate 80 in Vacaville, California, on Wednesday, August 19, 2020. The highway was closed in both directions shortly thereafter. Fire crews in the region crawled to contain dozens of burns that erupted through lightning strikes as a statewide heat wave passed. (AP Photo / Noah Berger)
The Hennessey Fire, the largest of the group, has grown to 192,000 acres with zero percent content, Cal Fire said.
NEWSOM SCORCHES TRUMP IN ABBREVIATED DNC EXHIBITION AS WILDFIRES RAGE
Still, Chief Fire Chief Charlie Blankenheim of Cal Fire Division said firefighters are making solid progress. “We’re doing really well,” he said Thursday. “We are fairly confident that we will stop the spread and hopefully there will be no more pressure in Vacaville, we will be able to keep it where it is, and we will prevent more structures from being lost.”
More than two dozen major fires have burned the state, estimating the fire capacity in California, sparked by the unusual lightning siege that caused nearly 11,000 strikes over several days.
Over 10,000 firefighters are on the front lines, but firefighters responsible for each of the major fire complexes say they are strapped for resources. Some firefighters worked 72-hour shifts instead of the normal 24-hour shift. The state has requested 375 engines and crew from other states.
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“That leaves our firefighters who have been at the front since this weekend a chance to take some rest,” said Daniel Berlant, an assistant deputy director at the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
