Wildfires Raging in California Escalate Crises for State
- More than 50,000 evacuated as blazes burn 500,000 acres
- Combination of events is ‘unprecedented’ amid pandemic
The LNU Lightning Complex fire burns a hillside along Interstate 80 during widespread wildfires in Vacaville, California, U.S., on Aug. 19.
Photographer: Philip Pacheco/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Californians are in their sixth month of sheltering in place because of a pandemic that’s killed more than 11,000 residents. Now raging wildfires are forcing people to flee their homes at a moment’s notice.
More than 50,000 residents have been evacuated as blazes rage across the state, burning over 500,000 acres, according to Cal Fire. In Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties north of San Francisco, the LNU Lightning Complex fire has more than doubled in size to at least 131,000 acres, threatening an estimated 25,000 structures.