Evacuations ordered in Yolo County as LNU Lightning Complex continues to burn
Calmer weather conditions continue to benefit crews battling the LNU Lightning Complex, the most destructive wildfire incident among the hundreds that have sparked in California since mid-August.
But volatile fire activity on Wednesday afternoon caused flames to jump Highway 16 and force mandatory evacuations in the northwest corner of Yolo County, the Winters Police Department announced about 4:30 p.m. on social media. Evacuations were ordered for Yolo County zones 1 and 2, at Cache Creek Regional Park and near Rumsey. Also, an evacuation warning advisory was issued for county zone 3.
The fire complex burning mainly in Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties in the North Bay area has destroyed nearly 980 structures, damaged 256 more and killed at least five people, Cal Fire says. Another 30,000 buildings, many of them homes, are still considered at risk.
But after exploding in the middle of the night one week ago, and reaching 350,000 acres Monday evening, growth has slowed with the assistance of milder winds. Cal Fire reports the LNU Complex at 357,000 acres as of a 4 p.m. Wednesday incident report and says it is now 33% contained.
More than 2,200 fire personnel are assigned to the blaze, currently the third-largest recorded in state history. The second-largest, the SCU Lightning Complex on the southeast side of the Bay Area, is also still actively burning, reported by Cal Fire at over 365,000 acres Wednesday afternoon.
The LNU Complex is made up of several fires, some of which have merged. The two biggest are the Hennessey Fire, burning just a few acres shy of 300,000 in Napa and Lake counties, at 33% containment; and the 55,000-acre Walbridge Fire, west of Healdsburg in Sonoma County, which was 19% contained.
Numerous evacuation orders, advisories and road closures remain in place, mostly across those three counties. The fire has also impacted the western parts of Yolo and Solano counties, including a frightening push last week near Vacaville and a brief leap over Interstate 80 near Fairfield.
The fire is still impacting air quality in the capital region, according to local air officials. SpareTheAir.com, which is operated by the Sacramento Metropolitan, El Dorado, Feather River, Placer and Yolo-Solano air districts, showed AQI readings in the “moderate” to “unhealthy for sensitive groups” ranges across the greater Sacramento area shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday.
But Spare The Air’s forecasts predicted AQI readings from 151 to 200, considered unhealthy for the general population, later in the day. Similar conditions are expected to continue across the region through Sunday. Air quality is expected to be slightly better in Sacramento County than in Yolo, Solano and Placer counties.
The LNU Fire sparked in the early hours of Aug. 17 during a freakishly powerful thunderstorm system that pelted the greater Bay Area and much of Northern California with thousands of lightning strikes.
It was a dry thunderstorm system, meaning very little rain fell despite the lightning and wind. Powerful gusts flared the fire up late at night Aug. 18 into the early hours of Aug. 19, prompting sudden overnight evacuations in the west Vacaville and Fairfield areas.
Another round of thunderstorms this Monday prompted concerns from fire and weather officials, but ultimately passed by the LNU and SCU complexes without any cloud-to-ground lightning strikes reinvigorating either massive wildfire. The recent storm did spark at least 10 new fire incidents farther to the north and to the east.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Cal Fire officials say recent lightning has sparked several hundred wildfires, about two dozen of them considered major incidents.
The agency, in a recent infographic, shared some staggering statistics: The state was hit with 13,000 lightning strikes between Aug. 15 and midday Tuesday. Those lightning strikes started over 650 new wildfires, which have burned more than 1.25 million acres — about 2,000 square miles — since then. At least seven people have died from the fires statewide, Cal Fire says.
Cal Fire continues to advise California residents, amid a suddenly brutal wildfire season, to be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 8:16 AM.
