Nearly 11,000 lightning strikes documented during a 72-hour period have led to the heaviest spate of thunderstorms to hit California in over a decade, igniting 367 individual fires.?
Almost two dozen of them have grown into major conflagrations, authorities said.As wildfires continue to rage in California, satellite imagery shows the state covered in smoke.?
More than 300,000 acres are currently on fire. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA's Suomi NPP satellite has captured images of the aftermath of a series of lightning strikes that ignited several fires across northern California.?
California Fire Department said there were 578 firefighters engaged in fighting the complex of 20 separate blazes that have been broken into threezones; the Canyon Zone, the Calaveras Zone, and the Deer Zone.
Also Read: Arctic Fires In 2020: Deadly Arctic Wildfires Are Causing Record-Breaking Pollution
"The fires range in size from 14 acres, the Beach Fire, all the way up to the largest of these fires, the Canyon Zone fire which is a complex of six fires, that is a total of 10,000 acres and 0% contained," NASA said in a recent update regarding the fires. "The Loyalton fire, currently the largest fire in California, located near the Tahoe National Forest and near the border with Nevada is 43,444 acres in size and 10% contained."??
'In the year 2020, California has already seen 5,762 incidents affecting 204,481 acres (319 sq. miles). That is more than quadruple the number of acres burned in 2019 per CAL Fire. More than 22,000 residents have now been asked to evacuate ahead of the spreading fires near San Mateo and Santa Cruz', wrote NASA.?
Also Read: Pictures Show Australian Bush Coming Back To Life After Devastating Wildfires
The hot, dry conditions are expected to continue at least into the weekend, providing perfect conditions for more wildfire outbreaks.?California Governor Gavin Newsom, declared a state of emergency due to the fires, on Tuesday.?
According to voanews, largest active fire is the Ohlone Fire, which started August 16. The fire, which is also 0% contained, has already burned over 97,000 acres of land, or almost 400 square kilometers.?
?Newsom declared a statewide emergency Tuesday, making it easier to obtain federal resources.¡°We are deploying every resource available to keep communities safe as California battles fires across the state during these extreme weather conditions,¡± Newson said in a press release.?
?¡°California and its federal and local partners are working in lockstep to meet the challenge and remain vigilant in the face of continued dangerous weather conditions.¡±
The other active fire is the SCU lightning Complex fire (85,000 acres burned) and then the LNU lightning complex fire.?
The LNU complex of fires burned largely unchecked across some 46,000 acres (18,615 hectares) of hills and mountains around Fairfield and the neighbouring town of Vacaville, late Tuesday and early Wednesday. At least 50 homes and other structures were destroyed and another 50 damaged, CalFire said.
Thousands of residents were under mandatory evacuation orders in four-county area stricken by a cluster of nine wind-driven fires collectively dubbed the LNU Complex, which was triggered by lightning.??
Also Read: Wildfires Have Reportedly Engulfed Parts Of Siberia & The Lockdown Is Making It Worse