Firefighters increase containment ahead of scorching heat wave
Evacuation orders lifted in areas of 3 massive blazes in Bay Area
Firefighters battling three Bay Area complex wildfires, including the second- and third-largest fires in recorded California history, increased containment and lifted some evacuation orders ahead of what is expected to be a blisteringly hot Labor Day weekend.
The CZU Lightning Complex Fire, in the Santa Cruz Mountains, was 86,509 acres and 61% contained as of Saturday morning. The fire has killed one civilian and destroyed 925 singlefamily homes, six multifamily and mixed residential and commercial housing complexes, and 171 commercial buildings. The fire is the 10th most destructive in recorded state history.
Residents have been allowed back to their homes everywhere except in some parts of Bonny Doon, Cal Fire officials said.
Officials said there were still some challenges in Butano Park, and crews continued mopup operations throughout the wildfire. But they warned that dry, hot weather could present a challenge, with temperatures at higher elevations of the fire reaching the high 90s and as high as 105 degrees.
“Hydrate like champions today,” Cal Fire Chief Mark Brunton told crews at a 7 a.m. Saturday briefing.
The heat will likely lead to more smoke in the interior of the fire perimeter, so officials warned about an increase in calls for service in the coming days from fire-wary residents.
Another potential challenge came from the reopening of Highway 1, with officials at the briefing warning of increased traffic from residents escaping the heat wave, as well as what one official called “looky-loos” driving through fire-ravaged areas, at a time when residents are moving back home and PG&E crews are repairing downed power lines.
“The holiday weekend, there’s going to be a lot of people … throughout this entire fire wanting to see what happened out there,”
Brunton said. “That can be a hazard to us.”
The SCU Lightning Complex Fire in parts of Santa Clara, Alameda and Contra Costa counties and beyond is 396,624 acres and 86% contained. It has destroyed 105 structures and at times led to evacuation warnings and orders in Fremont and the outskirts east of San Jose. On Saturday morning, officials lifted all evacuation orders in Santa Clara County.
The fire, which is the second-largest in recorded state history, has been moving toward an unburned island within the fire perimeter, according to an incident update from Cal Fire.
The LNU Lightning Complex Fire in Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties is 375,209 acres and 89% contained. The fire has caused three deaths in Napa County and two deaths in Solano County. It has destroyed 1,491 structures, including 786 singlefamily homes, making it the ninth-most destructive and third-largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history.
Crews continued expanding containment zones, and many of the repopulated communities remain under an evacuation warning, according to a Cal Fire incident report.
Statewide, crews are working to contain 22 major fires and lightning complexes. Since Aug. 15, when the state was battered by a rare lightning barrage, 900 wildfires have burned 1.5 million acres, caused eight deaths and destroyed 3,300 structures. More than 10,500 people remain evacuated throughout California.