Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

39 minutes ago

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

4 hours ago

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

5 hours ago

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

5 hours ago

Paramount Settles With Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Interview for $16 Million

5 hours ago

Republicans Tee up House Vote on Trump Bill, Outcome Uncertain

5 hours ago

What’s Next for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs After His Sex Trafficking Trial?

5 hours ago

Dalai Lama Says He Will Be Reincarnated, Trust Will Identify Successor

6 hours ago
Northern California Wildfires Threatening Thousands of Homes
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
August 20, 2020

Share

VACAVILLE — Wildfires raged through Northern California on Thursday, threatening thousands of homes and blackening the skies near San Francisco as crews struggled to surround them despite steep terrain and blistering heat.

In central California, a pilot on a water dropping mission in western Fresno County died Wednesday morning when his helicopter crashed about an hour from New Coalinga Municipal Airport.

The fires, many caused by lightning and sometimes pushed by strong winds, had burned hundreds of thousands of acres as they chewed through brushland, rural areas, canyon country and dense forest to the north, east and south of San Francisco. Fires also carved their way through the wine country and the Sierra Nevada.

In addition to about two dozen major blazes, small fires kept erupting, though most were quickly stopped.

In central California, a pilot on a water dropping mission in western Fresno County died Wednesday morning when his helicopter crashed about an hour from New Coalinga Municipal Airport.

The pilot, whose name has not been released, was working with Guardian Helicopters, based in Fillmore, which had a contract with the state fire agency to provide emergency services on a call-when-needed basis, said Zoe Keliher, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board.

A Pacific Gas & Electric utility worker died while assisting first responders at a fire in the Vacaville area between San Francisco and Sacramento but circumstances were not clear. The utility confirmed the death but gave no details, KPIX-TV reported.

The worker was found in a vehicle and CPR was performed but he was pronounced dead at a hospital, said a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection statement.

Hundreds of fires have erupted since the start of the week as a heat wave accompanied by humid air created a dangerous mix of triple-digit temperatures and thunderstorms that flashed lightning.

Photo of a CalFire crew
A CalFire crew from Coulterville takes a break while fighting the River Fire near Salinas, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Two Fires in Solano County Prompted Evacuation Orders for 8,000 Residents

California had recorded nearly 11,000 strikes in 72 hours, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.

Two fires in Solano County prompted evacuation orders for 8,000 residents near the Russian River Wednesday and residents of Healdsburg, which has a population of about 12,000, were warned late Wednesday night to be ready to flee.

Ash and smoke filled the air in San Francisco from at least seven fires — known as the LNU Lightning Complex — that had burned more than 100 buildings, including some homes, and threatened 25,000 others in Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Yolo and Solano counties.

Fire officials said there was “extreme fire behavior.”

“Fires are making runs in multiple directions and impacting multiple communities. A critically dry airmass is moving over the area bringing strong winds,” a Cal Fire statement said Wednesday night.

Four people had been injured, Cal Fire reported, but didn’t supply details except to say they weren’t firefighters.

Travis Air Force Base ordered non-mission essential personnel to evacuate, officials said.

Residents in nearby Vacaville, a city of about 100,000, were roused before dawn Wednesday by orders to flee.

Police and firefighters went door-to-door in a frantic scramble to warn residents to evacuate as flames encroached.

Karen Hansen had fled late Tuesday as flames approached her small farm.

The Family Fled With Some Animals but Had to Leave Two Beloved Horses

“The whole sky was red orange and it was coming over the hill there and it was massive. I’ve never seen anything like it and it only took a few minutes to get here,” she said.

In eastern San Francisco Bay, a cluster of 20 separate lightning-sparked fires called the SCU Lightning Complex threatened about 3,800 buildings in Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.

The family fled with some animals but had to leave two beloved horses. They returned Wednesday to find the house and barn destroyed, but Hansen was thrilled to see that her horses had survived.

“I’m not upset about the house. I’m just happy that my horses and animals are alive and my daughter,” she said.

John Gardiner, 60, stayed up all night after receiving an alert from a neighbor of oncoming fire just before midnight Wednesday.

“It was incredible — things swirling, winds just whipping through like a howling, ripping sound and then you could hear explosions going off,” he said. “You can taste smoke in your mouth.”

His house survived — for the moment.

In eastern San Francisco Bay, a cluster of 20 separate lightning-sparked fires called the SCU Lightning Complex threatened about 3,800 buildings in Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.

Five to seven people were injured in one of the fires in Stanislaus County, Sheriff Jeff Dirkse told the Sacramento Bee.

One had major burn injuries and all were taken by ambulance for treatment, he said.

Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires jump Interstate 80 in Vacaville, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. The highway was closed in both directions shortly afterward. Fire crews across the region scrambled to contain dozens of wildfires sparked by lightning strikes as a statewide heat wave continues. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Some Firefighters Were Working 72-Hour Shifts Instead of the Usual 24 Hours

Someone evacuating on Monday had reported that workers at an illegal marijuana farm were still at the ranch but he couldn’t confirm if any were among the patients.

In addition, Cal Fire said two “first responders” to the fires had been injured but didn’t release details.

Fire crews were hampered by dense, dry brush in steep country, by smoke and haze that trapped heat, and by winds that at times gusted to 30 mph, Cal Fire reported. They spent Wednesday struggling to prevent flames from reaching buildings.

To the south of San Francisco in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, about 22,000 people were ordered to evacuate because of a fire burning in dense wooded parkland that threatened communities, Cal Fire spokesman Jonathan Cox said.

At least 20 homes had burned, fire officials said.

Resources were strapped, he said, given the number of fires burning in California.

Some firefighters were working 72-hour shifts instead of the usual 24 hours.

“We’re in the unfortunate position where firefighters are going to be spending several days out on the fire line,” Cox said. “It’s grueling, it’s exhausting.”

In Southern California, an 8-day-old blaze near Lake Hughes in northern Los Angeles County mountains continued to be a threat to 4,570 structures after destroying 21 buildings. It was 38% contained.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to Conditions to Finalize 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Man Arrested for Suspected Arson Hours After Separate Wildfire

DON'T MISS

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

DON'T MISS

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

DON'T MISS

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

DON'T MISS

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Wildfire Prompts Advisory in Three Rivers Area

DON'T MISS

O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’

UP NEXT

California Republicans Send Message to Trump: Deport Criminals, Not Our Vital Workers

UP NEXT

CA Rolls Back Its Landmark Environmental Law to Speed Housing Construction

UP NEXT

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

Buying a Home With Solar? Beware of CA Bill Written by Former Utility Co. Exec

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Sues Los Angeles Over Immigration Enforcement

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

Immigration Raids Leave Crops Unharvested, California Farms at Risk

UP NEXT

CA’s Population Shrank in Trump’s First Immigration Crackdown. It Could Happen Again

UP NEXT

Controversial Climate Rule That Could Raise Gas Prices About to Take Effect

Check Out Newest Downtown Mural. It’s a Spectacular Tribute to Fresno Artisans

2 hours ago

US Judge Blocks Trump Asylum Ban at US-Mexico Border, Says He Exceeded Authority

2 hours ago

Fresno Fire Investigators Seek Public’s Help in Arson Case

3 hours ago

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

3 hours ago

From Victims to Perpetrators: Israeli Soldiers’ Nazi Comparisons and the Unfolding War Crimes in Gaza

3 hours ago

Downtown Housing Could Rise in Many California Cities, but Barriers Remain

3 hours ago

Bryan Kohberger to Plead Guilty to Murders of Four Idaho Students

3 hours ago

Dear Mayor and City Council, Fresno’s Housing Bottlenecks Are a Modern Form of Redlining

4 hours ago

Iran Enacts Law Suspending Cooperation With UN Nuclear Watchdog

4 hours ago

Valley Children’s Goes Into News Business to Highlight Stories at the Hospital

4 hours ago

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

It is a light week for local government, because of the July 4 holiday. Plenty will change in the primary 11 months from now. Here is a l...

20 minutes ago

20 minutes ago

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken May 6, 2025. (Reuters File)
32 minutes ago

CIA Review Finds Flaws but Does Not Dispute Finding Putin Sought to Sway 2016 Vote to Trump

39 minutes ago

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

2 hours ago

Check Out Newest Downtown Mural. It’s a Spectacular Tribute to Fresno Artisans

A drone view of the Rio Grande River between Mexico and the United States in Presidio County, Texas, U.S., February 24, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US Judge Blocks Trump Asylum Ban at US-Mexico Border, Says He Exceeded Authority

Fresno Fire officials are seeking help identifying a person of interest after a Thursday, June 26, 2025, house fire near Shields and Valentine was ruled arson. (Fresno FD)
3 hours ago

Fresno Fire Investigators Seek Public’s Help in Arson Case

A California Highway Patrol officer died early Wednesday, July 2, 2025, after a suspected medical emergency caused his patrol vehicle to crash in Los Angeles. (CHP)
3 hours ago

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

A general view shows destruction in North Gaza, as seen from Israel, May 27, 2025 (REUTERS/Amir Cohen TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
3 hours ago

From Victims to Perpetrators: Israeli Soldiers’ Nazi Comparisons and the Unfolding War Crimes in Gaza

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend