Firefighters are seeing improvement in containing the hundreds of wildfires that have burned California, mostly in the north half of the state, this month. The LNU Lightning Complex and SCU Lightning Complex saw significant strides in containment through the weekend, state and federal fire officials said, as both fires surpassed the 50% containment mark.

The fires include three of the nine largest wildfires in California history, by acreage: the SCU Lightning Complex (No. 2), LNU Lightning Complex (No. 3) and the August Complex (No. 9). All three are still active and growing.

The Napa County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday afternoon released the names of three people who died in the LNU Complex fires: Mary Kathryn Hintemeyer, 70; Leo Thomas McDermott, 71, and his son, Thomas Leo McDermott, 40.

Their bodies were found Aug. 19 at their home in the 6900 block of Highway 128 in Napa, just south of Lake Berryessa, according to a news release. Sheriff’s officials said flames engulfed the home on Aug. 18, but authorities had not yet determined the exact time and date of the deaths.

On Monday, a firefighter battling the August Complex at Mendocino National Forest died, the U.S. Forest Service said.

Many evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted “as areas are determined safe for return,” the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in an overview Saturday. Thousands of Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Solano County residents are expected to return home, Cal Fire said. The LNU complex, once threatening as many as 30,000 buildings, is now a risk to fewer than 6,000, Cal Fire said Monday morning.

A marine layer and cooler temperatures on Saturday gave way to higher temperatures and drier conditions that will continue through the week, forecasters said.

Additionally, smoke from multiple fires burning at once has significantly worsened air quality across Northern California for nearly two weeks, including in the capital region.

Local air quality districts forecast conditions in or near the “unhealthy” AQI range continuing Tuesday in the capital region, this time due to the August Complex burning in the Mendocino National Forest about 100 miles to the northwest. Poor air conditions are expected to persist through at least Friday near Sacramento. Air conditions have been better some mornings due to the Delta Breeze, but that wind wasn’t a factor Monday or Tuesday morning.

Hazardous air has also persisted just north of Santa Cruz as well as the northeast part of the state, near Plumas National Forest, where yet another lightning-sparked wildfire complex is being battled by both Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service, along with other assisting agencies.

The Sacramento Bee is continuously updating this story with the latest numbers; here’s the latest as of Tuesday morning:

California wildfires by the numbers

According to Cal Fire, more than 16,000 firefighters were fighting 18 major fires and lightning complexes across California as of Monday. In a little over two weeks, there have been eight fatalities and more than 2,800 structures have been destroyed.

“Firefighters continue to make good progress on a number of fronts, as reflected in the increased containment figures on all of the fires,” Cal Fire PIO Daniel Berlant said. “As progress is made, many of the evacuation orders have been lifted or downgraded. However, over 60,000 people remain evacuated from the current wildfires.”

Cal Fire estimates that since the first round of storms on Aug. 15, the state has had nearly 14,000 lightning strikes.

“During this time period, there have been more than 840 new wildfires, which have now burned over 1.42 million acres. The significant acreage burned makes the fires collectively larger than the state of Delaware,” Berlant said.

Berlant warned that while weather has improved, crews are still seeing “low humidity without recovery at night,” in fire zones above 2,000 feet elevation. That means the typical nighttime moisture, which quiets fires and helps personnel, has been absent.

LNU Lightning Complex

Updated: 7 a.m. Tuesday | Size: 375,209 acres (586.3 square miles) | Containment: 69%

The LNU Lightning Complex has destroyed hundreds of homes in the North Bay area since sparking Aug. 17, but has stalled in size as crews make good progress on containment.

Mandatory evacuation orders for the northwest corner of Yolo County were downgraded to evacuation warnings Monday afternoon, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire in a Tuesday morning update broke down the 1,288 structures lost to the fire by type and by location. More than half of them have been homes; about a dozen have been commercial buildings; and a vast majority of the rest were minor, outbuilding-type structures.

The complex has destroyed 254 single-family residences and one multi-family residence in Napa County, Cal Fire says. It has leveled 280 homes in Solano County, 141 in Sonoma County, eight in Lake County and four in Yolo County as of Tuesday’s situation report.

About 3,400 structures, most of them homes or outbuildings, remain threatened, the fire agency says. A total of 2,730 fire personnel remain assigned to the blaze.

The LNU Lightning Complex is currently the third-largest wildfire in California’s recorded history, according to Cal Fire.

The Hennessey Fire, burning mostly in Napa County, is still the largest in the complex. It had charred 317,909 acres and was 68% contained as of Tuesday morning, Cal Fire said, a big jump from 39% as of Saturday.

Containment on the Walbridge Fire just west of Healdsburg is at 73%. Progress on the blaze, which covered 54,940 acres, has been slow due to the rugged terrain in the area. The fire and its merged cousin, the Stewarts Fire, are threatening homes in the Forestville and Rio Nido areas northwest of Santa Rosa.

Firefighters have fully contained the Meyers Fire, the smallest blaze in the LNU Lightning Complex located north of Jenner, at 2,360 acres.

The LNU Lightning Complex fires turned deadly in mid-August with the deaths of three people in Napa County and one man in Solano County, along with a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. employee who died while responding to the fire in Vacaville.

Numerous evacuation orders and road closures remain in place in rural parts of Napa, Lake and Sonoma counties, with over 3,000 structures still considered threatened. Most orders in Solano and Yolo counties have been lifted.

Cal Fire wrote that firefighting air tankers “from throughout the state are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow,” after previous updates had referred to air resources being “stretched thin” due to the volume of small and large fires burning across California. As of Tuesday, 18 helicopters continue to fight the fire.

Residents should still be ready and on high alert, even if they’re not immediately impacted by an evacuation order or advisory, fire officials say.

“I can’t stress enough the importance of being prepared to leave,” LNU Cal Fire unit chief Shana Jones said last Aug. 23.

SCU Lightning Complex

Updated: 7 a.m. Tuesday | Size: 390,157 acres (609.6 square miles) | Containment: 60%

The SCU Lightning Complex grew to become the second-largest wildfire in modern state history, pulling away in size from the LNU Complex after they’d been nearly the same acreage last week. The SCU fire is now more than 600 square miles. Only the 2018 Mendocino Complex has been larger than either.

The SCU Complex burning in the South Bay is now 390,157 acres, with containment at 70%. It’s threatening about 5,000 structures as of Tuesday morning, one-quarter of the 20,000 that were considered at risk the previous morning.

As of Tuesday morning, 120 buildings have been destroyed, 75 of which are considered minor structures, Cal Fire said.

Lower temperatures and a marine layer helped over the weekend, but forecasts of high temperatures and dry conditions this week present a challenge, fire officials say. Generally light winds have still helped fire activity remain relatively calm, the fire agency says.

The massive complex of about 20 lightning-linked fires in the South Bay exploded in parts of five counties the evening of Aug. 19, Cal Fire said.

The fires have burned in three distinct zones across Santa Clara, Alameda, Stanislaus, Contra Costa and San Joaquin counties. One of the three, the Deer Zone in Contra Costa County, has been 100% contained; all Contra Costa County evacuation orders have been lifted.

Three first responders have been hurt battling the SCU Complex, Cal Fire says. Two civilians were injured when they were among five found Wednesday suffering from injuries in the Canyon Zone.

Evacuation orders and warnings remain in effect for parts of Santa Clara County, and have been lifted in the other four counties. A full list is on the Cal Fire incident page.

August Complex

Updated: 8 a.m. Tuesday | Size: 242,941 acres (379.6 square miles) | Containment: 20%

The U.S. Forest Service late Monday announced a firefighter was killed and one other injured earlier that evening. No other details were officially released, but local media in Texas report the deceased was a volunteer firefighter with the Cresson Volunteer Fire Department, about 25 miles outside Fort Worth.

The August Complex, caused by lightning strikes at the Mendocino National Forest in Glenn and Tehama counties, has gone from 32 fires to 20, as many of the fires have burned together, the U.S. Forest Service said in a Saturday update.

Smoke from the large complex is blowing south toward Sacramento, contributing to most of the haze and poor air quality near the capital Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and weather forecasts.

The August Complex is now the eighth-largest wildfire in state history. As of Tuesday, it has surpassed the 240,000-acre Zaca Fire, a 2007 blaze that burned in Santa Barbara County.

A new area in the Mendocino National Forest was closed on the southern border of the fire Saturday afternoon.

“This fire area closure is necessary to ensure no one is injured within or near the fires in the August Complex. There is much work to do to contain the fires and this closure will help keep fire personal safe while working on and near roads within the Complex,” the U.S. Forest Service said in a news release.

The Tathum and Cold Springs fires merged approximately 4 miles west of Paskenta. “We are working in tandem with Cal Fire who is constructing dozer lines along County Road 306 to protect the private homes and properties,” the Forest Service wrote.

Ten structures have been destroyed by the fire that started Aug. 16. Roughly 460 firefighters were on the lines, officials said.

The following areas are under an evacuation order: Mendocino National Forest from Forest Boundary line in Glenn County west to Mendocino County, and Newville from County Road 306 west to the forest boundary, from Tehama County line south to Burrows Gap.

Area from Burrows Gap south to County Road 307 in Elk Creek remain under evacuation warnings, as does an area from the forest boundary east to County Road 306. That includes Elk Creek, Chrome and Grindstone Rancheria. Newville from County Road 306 east to Black Butte Lake, from County Road 200 is also under an advisory.

The county’s evacuation point is Willows City Hall. An animal shelter has opened at the Glenn County Fairgrounds in Orland.

CZU Lightning Complex

Updated: 8:30 a.m. Tuesday | Size: 85,218 acres (133.2 square miles) | Containment: 43%

The destruction toll of the CZU Lightning Complex burning in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties continues to grow.

The complex has destroyed at least 921 homes and leveled three multi-residential buildings as of a Tuesday morning update from Cal Fire. Another 171 commercial buildings have been destroyed, along with nearly 400 minor structures. One civilian has died, and another has been injured.

Approximately 35,000 residents have been evacuated by the fire complex, as about 6,700 structures remain under threat.

Firefighters reported progress in containing the collection of fires since the weekend, but warned that the trend could quickly change with the weather.

“Very warm and dry conditions continue inland through the end of the week, with local temperatures well above normal,” Cal Fire’s situation report reads.

The California National Guard has deployed troops to the fire line to help mop up hot spots and patrol the fire’s perimeter, according to Cal Fire. Close to 2,400 personnel, in total, are fighting the CZU Complex.

Cal Fire is hoping to soon open Highway 1, after opening roads in Zayante, Lompico and Bear Creek Road east of Amber Ridge Loop while lifting evacuation orders.

SQF Complex Fire

Updated: 9:30 a.m. Monday | Size: 36,562 acres (57.1 square miles) | Containment: 0%

The Castle and Shotgun Fires are burning in the Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County with no containment “due to shifting winds, unstable conditions, and low relative humidity,” according to the Tulare County Fire Department.

The Castle Fire has scorched nearly 34,000 acres and prompted evacuation orders and advisories affecting a combined 242 structures. Crews are on the ground fighting the growing complex. The Shotgun Fire is much smaller at 358 acres, but is in rough, rocky terrain that forces crews to monitor the incident by air.

The flames have forced the closure of multiple roads and evacuations across the region. The Golden Trout Wilderness region of the Inyo National Forest has closed due to the complex, started last week due to lightning strikes.

Currently, 485 personnel are fighting the flames with more resources in order.

River and Carmel fires

River Fire: 7 p.m. Monday | Size: 48,088 acres (75.1 square miles) | Containment: 96%

Carmel Fire: 8:30 a.m. Monday| Size: 6,905 acres (10.8 square miles) | Containment: 98%

Fire personnel are nearing full containment on a pair of wildfires burning in Monterey County.

All evacuation orders and warnings for the River and Carmel fires have been lifted, after authorities earlier evacuated more than 5,000 people, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and Cal Fire.

Cal Fire made significant strides toward the containment of both fires over the weekend, nearing 100% on each.

The River Fire burning south of Salinas has destroyed 30 structures, damaged 13 more and injured four firefighters, Cal Fire said. The injuries are all minor.

A few miles west, the Carmel Fire has destroyed 73 structures and damaged seven.

Butte/Tehama/Glenn Lightning Complex

Tehama/Glenn Zone: 8 a.m. Monday | Size: 60,104 acres (93.9 square miles) | Containment: 42%

Butte Zone: 8 a.m. Tuesday | Size: 2,782 acres (4.3 square miles) | Containment: 80%

Wind, smoke, dry fuels and difficult terrain continue to challenge firefighters in two clusters 30 miles apart, as progress on containment continues to creep slowly.

Crews made good progress on the smaller cluster, made up of 34 confirmed fires in Butte County, due to lower temperatures and higher humidity. Evacuation warnings west of Skyway have been lifted, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday morning.

In total, the fires in the Butte/Tehama/Glenn Lightning complex have burned more than 62,000 acres and destroyed at least 13 structures, Cal Fire said Monday morning, all in the larger zone. The flames were threatening a little more than 50 additional structures.

The Tehama Zone has multiple fires burning to the east of the Mendocino National Forest and officials said it will continue to threaten communities to the east. “Personnel will continue to plan and implement evacuation plans as needed,” Cal Fire wrote.

A full list of evacuation orders is on the Cal Fire incident page.

“Resources are constantly being shifted between fires as the need arises,” Cal Fire said in a Saturday update.

The Glenn Zone has multiple fires burning including the Ivory Fire, which is expected to continue to burn toward communities to the east. Orders are in effect for all areas west of County Road 306, for the full length of the county from the Colusa County line north to the Tehama County line and all areas west to the Mendocino County line, and the area of Newville (County Road 200) from County Road 306 west to Forest Boundary from the Tehama County line south to Burrows Gap.

Over 1,250 personnel are fighting the three zones as of Tuesday. Two have been injured.

The fire zones are separate from the August Complex, also burning in the Mendocino National Forest.

Dolan Fire

Updated: 7 a.m. Monday | Size: 29,434 acres (46.0 square miles) | Containment: 25%

The Dolan Fire continues to grow and threatens to burn toward the west side of Highway 1. Containment reached 25% Monday, after the fire surpassed the 25,000-acre mark Saturday morning and crews gained more control overnight into Sunday. Over 1,000 firefighters have made good progress along the north, west and south perimeters, according to U.S. Forest Service.

It is forcing the closure of several state parks in the Big Sur area. Closures include: John Little State Natural Reserve, Limekiln State Park, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Andrew Molera State Park, Point Sur State Historic Park, Garrapata State Park and Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.

North Complex

Sheep Fire: 8 a.m. Monday | Size: 29,527 acres (46.1 square miles) | Containment: 38%

Claremont Fire: 8 a.m. Monday | Size: 22,780 acres (35.6 square miles) | Containment: 59%

Bear Fire: 8 a.m. Monday| Size: 9,570 acres (15.0 square miles) | Containment: 0%

The North Complex, located in the Plumas National Forest, consists of 21 fires that were sparked by lightning more two weeks ago. Through Monday morning it has burned a combined 62,275 acres (97 square miles) and has a total containment of 37%, the Forest Service said.

The largest among these is the Sheep Fire, a 29,000-acre blaze being battled by both the Forest Service and Cal Fire that’s burning just south of Susanville. But the Bear Fire, farther south near the Middle Fork of the Feather River, south of Quincy, has grown by about 4,000 acres since Saturday and remains uncontained.

Air quality in the Plumas area remains among the worst in the state last week according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow map. AirNow showed the area including Quincy at an AQI of 304 as of 9 a.m. Monday. Any AQI above 300 is deemed “hazardous,” the most severe air pollution classification used by air quality experts.

Red Salmon Complex

Updated: 7 a.m. Monday | Size: 23,969 acres (37.5 square miles) | Containment: 42%

The fires in the Red Salmon Complex are burning along the dividing lines between Humboldt, Siskiyou and Trinity counties. Fire officials said that “fire activity remained quiet” with no significant growth observed recently.

The complex is currently burning through old growth timber and is spreading southeast. Firefighters have halted its westward expansion, but flames continue to run up hills in other directions.

There are several Native American communities near the fire zone, prompting firefighters to use a gentler fire response in order to preserve cultural and natural heritage.

“Firefighting objectives reflect efforts to protect the cultural values and natural resources of the area,” officials with the Shasta-Trinity National Forest said. “Minimum impact suppression techniques (MIST) guidelines are being implemented to preserve wilderness and cultural values.”

W-5 Cold Springs Fire

Updated: 7 a.m. Monday | Size: 80,483 acres (125.8 square miles) | Containment: 54%

The W-5 Cold Springs Fire is burning on land controlled by the Bureau of Land Management in northeastern Lassen County near the Nevada state line.

The fire started more than a week ago after a lightning strike 11 miles east of Madeline, and has since grown to its current size.

Fire fuel in the area consists mostly of brush and grass, plus some mountain mahogany trees. The fire is expected to continue to spread eastward, according to BLM officials. Winds in the range of 30 miles per hour have been pushing the fire along.

Due to the remote area of the fire, no structures have been threatened or damaged and no evacuations have been ordered, but habitat for the greater sage-grouse has been burned.

Woodward Fire

Updated: 7:30 a.m. Monday | Size: 3,269 acres (5.1 square miles) | Containment: 17%

The Woodward Fire is threatening more than 1,000 structures near Point Reyes National Seashore, but fire personnel made good progress Sunday, according to the National Park Service.

Marin County fire officials said the fire was started by lightning over a week ago, and is spreading southwest, throwing smoke into nearby communities. Two Marin County firefighters were rescued by helicopter Friday night after becoming trapped.

Although none have been destroyed, 1,620 structures were threatened by the wildfire as of the weekend. Point Reyes is a popular tourist destination and evacuation warnings are in place in parts of western Marin County.

Point Reyes National Seashore is closed indefinitely, while all access points to the park have also been shut down.

“There are very few evacuation routes from west Marin and there are multiple fire resources utilizing the roadways. It is imperative that roadways are open in the event of an evacuation order,” officials wrote on the Point Reyes Facebook page.

State offers special benefits for fire-related job losses

People who lost their jobs or businesses in counties devastated by the recent wildfires can qualify for special unemployment benefits of up to $450 a week for up to 27 weeks.

Employees, business owners and self-employed people who can no longer work or run their business — or had their work hours cut substantially — because of the wildfires can seek the help.

Eligible are people in Yolo, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, Napa, Monterey, Solano, Lake and San Mateo counties.

Unemployed people already receiving benefits cannot also get this assistance.

Anyone seeking the special disaster jobless payments must file their claim with the state Employment Development Department by Sept. 28. The benefits are available to those impacted by the fires that began August 14.

Claimants must meet several criteria:

▪ They worked, owned a business or were self-employed, or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment, in the disaster area. People in the agricultural and fishing industries are also eligible.

▪ They cannot reach their place of employment, or can no longer do their work or offer their services, because of physical damage or destruction to their place of employment because of the fire.

▪ The work or service they offered was their primary income source.

▪ They cannot work or provide a service because they were injured as a “direct result of the disaster.”

▪ They became the head of their household because of a disaster-caused death.

▪ They sought and used all regular jobless benefits from any state and no longer qualify for regular benefits.

Applicants for the disaster benefit have to submit documentation, including a Social Security number and material to show they were working or self-employed when the fires occurred.

“Documentation for the self-employed can be obtained from banks, government entities, or affidavits from individuals having knowledge of their business,” EDD said.

This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 10:23 AM with the headline "Here are California’s biggest fires burning right now, and where air quality is worst."