The wildfires in California are some of the worst in state history.
More than 12,000 firefighters aided by helicopters and air tankers on Friday
SAN FRANCISCO — Lightning-sparked wildfires in Northern California exploded in size Friday to become some of the largest in state history, forcing thousands to flee and destroying hundreds of homes and other structures as reinforcements began arriving to help weary firefighters.
More than 12,000 firefighters aided by helicopters and air tankers are battling wildfires throughout California. Three groups of fires, called complexes, burning north, east and south of San Francisco have together scorched 780 square miles, destroyed more than 500 structures and killed five people.
More than 140,000 people are under evacuation orders.
The blazes, coming during a heat wave that has seen temperatures top 100 degrees, are taxing the state’s firefighting capacity, but assistance from throughout the country was beginning to arrive, with 10 states sending fire crews, engines and aircraft to help, Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
The number of personnel assigned to the sprawling LNU Complex — a cluster of blazes burning in the heart of wine country north of San Francisco — doubled to more than 1,000 firefighters Friday, he said.
“We have more people, but it’s not enough. We have more air support, but it’s still not enough, and that’s why we need support from our federal partners,” Mr. Newsom said.
Mr. Newsom thanked President Donald Trump’s administration for its help a day after pushing back on Mr. Trump’s criticism of the state’s wildfire prevention work, saying he has a “strong personal relationship with the president.”
“While he may make statements publicly, the working relationship privately has been a very effective one,” Mr. Newsom said.
There are 560 fires burning in the state, many small and remote, but there are about two dozen major fires, mainly in Northern California. Many blazes were sparked by thousands of lightning strikes earlier in the week.
Tens of thousands of homes were threatened by flames that drove through dense and bone-dry trees and brush. Some fires doubled in size within 24 hours, fire officials said.
With firefighting resources tight, homes in remote, hard-to-get-to places burned unattended. Cal Fire Chief Mark Brunton pleaded with residents to quit battling fires on their own, saying that just causes more problems for the professionals.