Briefing on the largest California fires

August 22, 2020 | 7:36 p.m. PDT

Saturday, on the seventh day after a 72-hour lightning bust started hundreds of wildfires in California, firefighters are stretched thin attempting to suppress the blazes and protect residents and property. Shortages of personnel, fire apparatus, and aircraft are showing up statewide.

(To see all of the articles on Wildfire Today about the lightning-caused wildfires in California, including the most recent, click HERE.)

Nearly 12,000 firefighters are battling over 20 major fires and complexes of fires in California, most of which were started by about 12,000 lightning strikes. There have been 560 new fires in the last week, primarily a result of the lightning. Firefighters contained a large majority of the blazes, but in spite of their best efforts, over 771,000 acres had burned through Friday prompting evacuations of 175,000 residents. About 96 percent of CAL FIRE’s engines are committed throughout the state. The fires have killed at least five people and injured 33.

Governor Gavin Newsom said in a news conference Friday that he has requested the assistance of Australian and Canadian firefighters.

We’ve also reached out across the border into Canada for resources and support. And many of you up here recall, I think it was 2017, the support that we were provided and the support we provided in turn of some of the best wildfire firefighters in the world from Australia. We also have requests out for that talent as well.

The ability for the U.S. to send firefighters to assist Australia and New Zealand is authorized in a formal agreement under the Emergency Wildfire Suppression Act. Last winter the U.S. sent over 150 firefighters to assist with bushfires in Australia, and has been the recipient of assistance from down under on several occasions.

The Monterey Herald reported that due to the River and Carmel Fires prospective visitors to Monterey County have been asked to delay their travel plans. A joint statement released from U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta and four local politicians said, “We also ask anyone considering travel to Monterey County to delay your travel plans. This will ensure that already limited local resources are not strained.”

LNU Lightning Complex

• Updated August 22, 2020 at 7:24 p.m. PDT, Aug. 22
• Location: North Bay
• Counties: Napa, Lake, Yolo, Solano, Sonoma
• Administrative Unit: CAL FIRE Sonoma-Lake-Napa
• Acres: 314,207. The largest fire in the complex is the Hennessey Fire, 261,793. The Walbridge Fire west of Healdsburg is 50,069, and the Meyers Fire on the coast north of Jenner is 2,345.
• Structures destroyed: 560
• Personnel assigned: 1,429
• Evacuation information:  CAL FIRE LNU Twitter page
• Notes: Significant fire growth is expected Saturday. Extreme fire behavior with short and long range spotting are continuing to challenge firefighting efforts. Fires that merged to become the Hennessey Fire include Gamble, Green, Spanish, 5-10, Morgan, and Markley Fires.

SCU Lightning Complex

• Updated August 22, 2020 at 7:25 p.m. PDT, Aug. 22
• Location: South Bay
• Counties: Santa Clara, Alameda, Stanislaus, Contra Costa, San Joaquin
• Administrative Unit: CAL FIRE Santa Clara
• Acres: 291,968
• Structures destroyed: 5
• Personnel assigned: 1,179
• Evacuation information:  CAL FIRE SCU Twitter page
• Notes:  Fire activity is expected to increase Saturday when the inversion lifts and smoke clears. The complex is comprised of approximately 20 separate fires broken into three zones; the Canyon Zone, the Calaveras Zone, and the Deer Zone.

CZU August Lightning

• Updated August 22, 2020 at 7:27 p.m. PDT, Aug. 22
• Location: South Bay
• Counties: San Mateo, Santa Cruz
• Administrative Unit: CAL FIRE San Mateo-Santa Cruz
• Acres: 63,000
• Structures destroyed: 97
• Personnel assigned: 1,157
• Evacuation information: CAL FIRE CZU Twitter page
• Notes: Continued hot and dry weather is predicted for the remainder of the weekend and into next week. Damage Inspection Teams have begun to survey areas where fire activity has diminished and it safe to do so. Firefighting resources are limited due to the number of fires burning throughout California. Visibility reduced due to smoke has been hampering aircraft operations. Approximately 77,000 people have been evacuated.

River, Carmel, and Dolan Fires

• Updated August 22, 2020 at 7:27 p.m. PDT, Aug. 22
• Location: Five miles south of Salinas, near Pine Canyon Rd. and River Rd.
• Counties: Monterey
• Administrative Unit: CAL FIRE San Benito-Monterey
• Acres: 47,773
• Structures destroyed: 16
• Personnel assigned: 967
• Evacuation information: CAL FIRE San Benito-Monterey Twitter page, and see maps produced by Monterey County here.
• Notes:

The Carmel Fire 2 miles southwest of the River Fire has burned 6,695 acres.

The Dolan Fire on the coast 10 miles south of Big Sur has spread to 8,500 acres on private land and the Los Padres National Forest.

August Complex

• Updated August 22, 2020 at 7:34 p.m. PDT, Aug. 22
• Location: 18 miles southwest of Red Bluff
• Counties: Tehama, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Trinity
• Administrative Unit: Mendocino National Forest and CAL FIRE
• Acres: 160,005
• Structures destroyed: 10
• Personnel assigned: 357
• Evacuation information:
• Notes: The Complex, comprised of 20 fires, grew by over 31,000 acres August 21. The two largest in the Complex are the Doe (120,875 acres) and Glade (86,028 acres). A Structure Damage Assessment Team has been ordered. Firefighters in a remote location were resupplied with a four-day supply of food via four motorized GPS-guided parachutes which descended through smoke.