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There have been at least 10,800 lightning strikes across California in the past 72 hours, sparking at least 367 fires around the state. Officials are calling it "a historic lightning siege." #CaliforniaFires https://bayareane.ws/326Mb95
With unrelenting heat and low humidity, the air quality in the Bay Area was the worst on the planet at times today. (An air quality index between 101-150 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, while anything above 150 could result in adverse health effects for anyone.)
In San Jose, there were frequent readings above 200 on Wednesday. Here's a video taken near downtown San Jose earlier this morning. https://twitter.com/i/status/1296155688058490881
In San Francisco and Oakland, the AQI was over 100 and, in some places, over 150. Closest to the fires, there were readings above 500 just north of Vacaville and some above 300 in the Santa Cruz mountains. https://twitter.com/jcfphotog/status/1296140887966142464
Because of the fires, at least 22,000 residents in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties fell under mandatory evacuation orders, while the number in Sonoma County was "in excess of 10,000," the county’s director of emergency management, Chris Godley, said. https://bayareane.ws/326Mb95
There are too many fires burning to give them each their own name, so fire officials have resorted to lumping dozens of fires together: the #CZULightningComplex in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties and the #SCULightningComplex in Santa Clara, Contra Costa and Alameda counties.
Meanwhile, near Vacaville, the #LNULightningComplex fires engulfed another 14,000 acres overnight, growing in total size to more than 46,000 acres across Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.
Flames in the #LNULightningComplex grew large enough to garner formal names: The largest two being the Hennessey and Gamble fires in Napa County. https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/lnu-lightning-complex-includes-hennessey-gamble-15-10-spanish-markley-13-4-11-16/
With 367 wildfires, officials say all Californians should be ready to evacuate. "Residents have to have their bags packed up with your nose facing out your driveway so you can leave quickly. Everybody should be ready to go," a Cal Fire official said. https://bayareane.ws/2Ef1tAm
