Firefighters are battling historic blazes across the California, with 1.4 million acres already torched by the fires.
Dry weather and lightning strikes have sparked wildfires across California. Source: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protectio
More than 7,000 blazes have hit California this year, a 63% jump from 2019, according to Governor Gavin Newsom. The burned acreage is now 25 times larger than a year ago. Firefighters are currently battling 625 blazes. There are almost certainly more fires burning than the official statistics show due to limited aircraft monitoring capacity.
The fires forcing thousands to flee their homes are far from under control. A conflagration known as the LNU Lightning Complex near Napa, the second biggest fire so far reported in modern California history, has burned over 350,000 acres and is 22% contained. The SCU Lightning Complex near San Jose has burned 347,000 acres and is only 10% contained, according to Cal Fire.
“The size and complexity of this fire is not one we’ve seen in times past,” Shawna Jones, unit chief for the Sonoma Lake Napa unit of Cal Fire, said. “It’s still going to take time to put this fire out.”