US: Thousands remain under evacuation orders due to wildfires in California August 30 /update 5

Event

Firefighters in California began to bring two of the largest wildfires sparked by lightning burning in the San Francisco Bay area of California under control on Sunday, August 30, but around 60,000 people remain under evacuation orders. Firefighters managed to bring the LNU Lightning Complex fire in the Napa and Sonoma Valley areas up to 56 percent contained on Sunday, up from 41 percent contained on Saturday, August 29. The containment of the SCU Lightning Complex fire to the south of the bay also rose from 40 percent on Saturday to 50 percent on Sunday. However, both fires still cover areas of over 375,000 acres (157,757 hectares). A CalFire spokesperson stated that more than 60,000 residents remained displaced by the fires as of Sunday, although they hoped a number of evacuation orders would soon be lifted.

Further spread of the fires is likely in the near term. An emergency response presence and localized transportation disruptions, namely road closures, should be anticipated in the affected areas.

Context

During a recent spate of dry lightning, the heaviest seen in California in over a decade, nearly 14,000 lightning strikes sparked hundreds of fires in central and northern California Since August 15, many of which merged into larger conflagrations. Seven fatalities have been confirmed as a result of the fires and nearly 25000 homes and other structures have been destroyed. Air quality in the region has also been significantly reduced due to the fires.

Advice

Those in the vicinity of the fires are advised to monitor the situation, avoid the area, and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.