LNU Lightning Complex burns another 84,000 acres Thursday
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The LNU Lightning Complex continued to blaze through five counties on Thursday, burning another 84,000 acres and destroying or damaging hundreds of more structures.
Cal Fire said Thursday evening that the fire had grown to 215,000 acres – up from 131,000 reported that morning.
So far, firefighters have not been able to achieve any containment on the fire, according to the report.
On Thursday night, Cal Fire said there have been four fatalities associated with the fire – three in Napa County and one in Solano County – and four civilian injuries.
The complex continues to threaten 30,500 structures. It has destroyed 480 and damaged 125 structures, numbers that had grown by several hundred over the course of the day, Cal Fire said.
Multiple fires in the complex have merged on the north side of Lake Berryessa into the Hennessey Fire, which stretches across Napa County. Those fires are moving into large areas of timber, Cal Fire said.
In Lake County, the Aetna and Round fires also have merged into the main Hennessey fire, which Cal Fire said had burned 192,000 acres with zero containment. It includes the Gamble, Green, Markley, Spanish and Morgan fires.
Cal Fire stated in its Thursday evening report that, “Significant fire growth is expected throughout the rest of the operational period.”
The agency reported extreme fire behavior with short- and long-range spotting that are continuing to challenge firefighting efforts. The fires are continuing to make runs in multiple directions and impact multiple communities.
On Thursday the firefighting force grew substantially, with an almost doubling of firefighting personnel, up to 1,059, with 102 engines, 31 water tenders, 11 helicopters, 12 hand crews and 35 dozers also assigned.
In a Thursday evening video, Sheriff Brian Martin – who earlier in the day issued a state of emergency in Lake County in response to the complex – reported that State Sen. Mike McGuire had visited the fire scene that day.
Martin said state and local officials worked behind the scenes to get more resources assigned to the fire. Even so, he said he’s not seeing the level of resources he’d like to see. “There just aren’t resources.”
On Thursday evacuation orders for several areas of southern Lake County remained in effect, along with an evacuation advisory issued in the afternoon for Middletown proper.
Martin reported that the LNU Lighting Complex is different from past fires – such as the Valley – that moved with devastating speed.
This fire is not moving as quickly, which Martin said gives south county residents time to prepare to evacuate. “Let’s use this time,” he said.
Elsewhere around the region, the August Complex, which began Sunday on the Mendocino National Forest, had burned 117,365 acres by Thursday evening, with containment up to 6 percent.
The complex consists of 35 fires on the Glenn County side of the forest. It had nearly doubled overnight but on Thursday firefighters were able to hold it to 1,335 acres, according to Forest Service officials.
Heavy smoke created an inversion layer, which officials said kept the temperatures cooler and helped moderate the spread of the fire.
More firefighting personnel also were added to the ranks fighting the August Complex, with the Forest Service reporting on Thursday night that 353 personnel are now assigned.
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