Firefighters gaining more ground against the 3 largest Bay Area wildfires
Midpen rangers hold the CZU Lightning Complex fire at Old Haul Road near Pescadero Creek (Courtesy of Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District)
Firefighters battling three massive wildfires circling the Bay Area are facing a weekend of dry, hot conditions - the ingredients for critical fire weather - but made progress overnight on the blazes, Cal Fire said Saturday morning.
SCU Complex:
The SCU Lightning Complex is 86 percent contained at 396,624 acres, and full containment is expected by Sept. 12, Cal Fire said Saturday.
Overnight, the fire continued to creep through areas of unburnt brush, assisted by the nightly drop in humidity and warmer temperatures, according to Cal Fire. On Saturday, fire crews will continue to strengthen control lines.
Lightning on Aug. 16 sparked the SCU blazes, burning in Santa
Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced and San Benito counties.
Two people have died and three people have been injured in the fires. The SCU complex has destroyed 105 structures.
CZU Complex:
In Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, the CZU Lightning Complex
was 61 percent contained at 86,509 acres on Saturday morning, Cal Fire said.
One person has died and another injured since the fires were sparked Aug. 16. The blazes have destroyed 925 homes, three multiple residential buildings and 174 commercial or mixed commercial buildings.
More than 7,600 structures remain threatened and about 1,800 people have been evacuated. A resource and local assistance center for residents affected by the fires is located at Kaiser Permanente Arena Pescadero Elementary School, 140 Front Street, Santa Cruz 620 North St. in Pescadero.
LNU Complex:
The LNU Lightning Complex burning in North Bay counties reached 89 percent containment by Saturday morning, at 375,209 acres, Cal Fire overnight, firefighters saw limited growth on the Walbridge and Hennessey fires, and many areas remain under an evacuation warning. As with the other two blazes, crews are continuing to work containment lines and fire suppression repair teams remain active.
Five people have died and four others have been injured since the fires were sparked Aug. 17 and spread across Napa, Solano, Lake and Yolo Counties.
Nearly 1,500 structures have been destroyed and 1,350 are threatened, Cal Fire said.