Forest fires in northern California are now number two, as total fires burn nearly one million acres

A massive wildfire in Northern California became the second largest in state history, as it and hundreds of other fires have now burned nearly a million acres.

The LNU Lightning Complex fire that burns in five counties – Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Yolo and Stanislaus – has spread to more than 314,000 acres, officials said on Saturday. It was 15% content.

“This entire LNU complex is now the second largest wildland fire in state history,” said Sean Kavanaugh, incident commander at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection ( Cal Fire). The biggest wildfire was the Mendocino complex which burned more than 459,000 acres in 2018.

The fire at the LNU complex destroyed 560 structures and damaged 125 others.

Many of the fires raging across the state have been sparked by a large number of lightning strikes as California is in the grip of a heat wave.

“In 1987, throughout the year, there were approximately 11,000 lightning fires,” Cal Fire spokesman Jeremy Rahn said at Saturday’s press conference. “For the moment, it is more than 12,000”.

More than 100 of the lightning strikes took place on Friday.

The state now has more than 585 wildfires, which have burned nearly a million acres, Rahn said.

Cal Fire deputy assistant manager Daniel Berlant said on Friday that the fires had burned more than 771,000 acres, which he said is “about the size of the state of Rhode Island.”

Over 13,700 firefighters are battling nearly two dozen fires or major complexes.

The National Guard has been activated and will provide helicopter support and a dozen crews of 20, Rahn said.

The LNU Lightning Complex fire claimed the lives of at least four people, including three in Napa County who were found in a residence on Wednesday and recovered Thursday. The fourth death was in Solano County, according to Cal Fire.

In addition, a Pacific Gas & Utility worker died while cleaning up infrastructure around a fire complex to make it safe for first responders, Cal Fire said in a statement Thursday. Cal Fire spokeswoman Heather Williams said Friday it would be up to local authorities to link the death to the LNU blaze.

Another person, a helicopter pilot, died after crashing Wednesday morning while carrying water drops, officials said. This death was linked to the Hills fire in Fresno County.

More than 115,000 Californians have been evacuated, Cal Fire Incident Commander Nick Truax said at a press conference Friday.

California Governor Gavin Newsom told Friday’s press conference that the fires “are stretching our resources, stressing our staff.” He said the state would receive a federal grant “to help ensure the availability of vital resources” to fight forest fires.

The governor also requested 375 fire trucks from other states. So far, the governors of Arizona, Nevada and Texas have agreed to send crews and support, Newsom said.