Lightning could hinder firefighters
Containment of the sprawling Caldor and Dixie wildfires continues to grow, but firefighters were concerned Thursday that dry lightning could spark new wildfires and bring erratic winds that would drive existing fires.
A red flag warning was issued Thursday by the National Weather Service for most of Northern California. In the Bay Area, it encompassed the North Bay mountains, East Bay hills and Mount Diablo area from 5 p.m. Thursday through 11 a.m. Friday. Similar warnings were issued in the Sacramento Valley, northern San Joaquin Valley and the coastal ranges.
The warning also encompassed the northern Sierra Nevada, southern Cascades and foothills, including the areas where the Dixie and Caldor fires are still raging. That warning was set for 11 p.m. Thursday through 11 p.m. Friday, when lightning and gusty winds could push the spread of the fires, which are burning through tinder-dry brush.
Shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday, Northern California meteorologists were already reporting lightning strikes over Colusa, San Joaquin and Madera counties. Additional “cloud to cloud” lightning strikes — those that don’t reach the earth — were recorded off the Marin coast, National Weather Service officials said on Twitter. Some drizzle and rain fell in the Bay Area.
“We are aware of the possibility of changing weather conditions, but it’s difficult to say what will happen,” said Robert Foxworthy, a Cal Fire spokesperson. “But we are preparing.”
Those preparations include sending extra crews and equipment, when available, to areas where lightning strikes could start new fires. Two of those crews have been sent to the Mount Tamalpais area, he said.
Despite the red flag warning, dry lightning is no certainty, Foxworthy said. Previous warnings of dry lightning this fire season have mostly failed to materialize or weren’t widespread. And firefighters are hoping that’s the case this time around as well.
Last year, a mid-August lightning storm started more than 600 fires that burned roughly 2 million acres in Northern California, including the CZU, LNU and SCU fires, which encircled the Bay Area, destroyed more than 3,000 structures and killed seven people.
Officials said they were optimistic the changing weather would not cause a similar outbreak of fires.
“This is not anticipated to be a repeat of the August 2020 dry lightning event,” the weather service said in an email.
As firefighters braced for the possibility of lightning fires and gusty winds, they continued to make progress on the Caldor and Dixie fires.
The Caldor Fire, which started Aug. 14, leveled the town of Grizzly Flats and began a march toward Lake Tahoe before being steered away from South Lake Tahoe, was 53% contained Thursday evening and had burned through 218,405 acres. Firefighters on Thursday worked on the southern edge of the fire perimeter near Kirkwood ski resort to respond to hot spots and to keep the fire north of Highway 88, Cal Fire officials said in a Thursday evening incident update.
The fire also remained active 40 miles away in the western end of El Dorado County, where firefighters were focused on snuffing spot fires and protecting houses.
Farther north, the Dixie Fire — the second largest in state history — had burned through 928,741acres in Plumas, Lassen, Butte, Tehama and Shasta counties. Containment increased to 59% on Thursday, but the blaze continues to spread and threaten communities. Authorities evacuated Old Station in Shasta County on Wednesday night as the winds picked up and flames spread through treetops and dry brush. Hand crews and fire engines were redirected to protect the communities of Hat Creek and Old Station, where firefighters built and reinforced lines, Cal Fire officials said.