California fires force thousands to flee, governor asks for help
LOS ANGELES, Aug 22 (AFP) - Some of California's largest ever fires raged across the state Saturday, forcing tens of thousands from their homes as the governor called for international help to fight the blazes.
About 12,000 lightning strikes hit across the state in 72 hours, officials said, sparking the fires that left thick smoke blanketing large areas of central and northern California.
“We simply haven't seen anything like this in many, many years,” California governor Gavin Newsom said on Friday.
The two largest blazes -dubbed the SCU Lightening Complex and the LNU Lightening Complex -- had burned a total of just under 600,000 acres and nearly 500 structures. Wineries in the famed Napa and Sonoma regions, which are still reeling from blazes in recent years, are under threat by the SCU Complex -- the 10th largest fire recorded.
Five deaths have been linked to the latest flare-ups, with four bodies recovered on Thursday, including three from a burned house in a rural area of Napa County.
Nature reserves were also ravaged. The Big Basin Redwoods State Park said in a statement that some of its historic buildings had been destroyed by flames. The park, where giant redwood trees of well over 500 years old can be found, was “extensively damaged” it said.
Scorching temperatures and bone-dry conditions had spurred the flames.