Huge LNU Complex grows minimally as ‘extreme fire behavior’ continues
The LNU Lightning Complex, a cluster of wildfires burning in California’s North Bay area, grew to 371,429 acres by Friday morning with containment of the complex at 35%.
Cal Fire continues to face challenges fighting the flames due to “extreme fire behavior with short- and long-term spotting,” the agency said.
The Hennessey and Walbridge Fires, located within the complex, continue to burn and make runs in several directions, threatening the surrounding communities in Napa, Lake and Sonoma counties, Cal Fire said Friday morning.
The complex, burning since Aug. 17, grew significantly over Wednesday night, adding 11,000 acres with no additional containment by Thursday morning.
Evacuation orders remain in effect in zones 1 and 2, in the northwest corner of Yolo County, including the community of Rumsey and the area near Cache Creek Canyon Regional Park. The new orders came on Wednesday afternoon, after days without evacuations in the county, after flames crossed over Highway 16 and spread further into the county.
The LNU Lightning Complex has burned across parts of Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Solano and Yolo counties for the past 11 days. The wildfires within the complex were started by lightning strikes on Aug. 17. Across California, hundreds of other fires started the same way, with 20 of them being considered major.
The complex is the third-largest wildfire in California history, close behind the SCU Lightning Complex that is burning in the South Bay area in Santa Clara, Alameda, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties. The only fire in state history bigger than either the LNU or SCU Complex was the Mendocino Complex, which charred more than 459,000 acres in 2018.
The LNU Complex has led to five deaths in Napa and Solano counties, in addition to four civilian injuries. The flames have destroyed 1,080 structures and damaged 272 others, while 30,500 businesses and homes remain threatened in evacuation areas.
Many evacuation orders and warnings remain in place across all five counties, while threatened roads remain closed.
The Hennessey Fire, which has consumed 313,536 acres and is 33% contained, and the Walbridge Fire, which has consumed 55,353 acres and is 25% contained after merging with the Stewarts Fire, are the largest individual blazes within the complex. The Henessey Fire has forced evacuation orders in Napa and Lake counties, where the flames continue to burn intensely. The Walbridge Fire, which has affected Sonoma County, burns west of Healdsburg.
Cal Fire reported significant progress towards containment over the weekend and early in the week, aided by cooler weather with calmer conditions. The flames made significant progress in their first week, rapidly growing as firefighters struggled to contain the fire with an extreme heat wave.
Threats of another lightning storm over the weekend and on Monday concerned those fighting the complex, but strikes avoided the LNU Complex area, to Cal Fire’s relief.
Cal Fire continues to warn of long-range spotting of embers, which can flare up flames in multiple directions, during its twice-daily incident reports.
Solano County experienced numerous evacuations last week as the fire threatened the outskirts of Vacaville and crossed over Interstate 80 in Fairfield. Cal Fire has reported that fire activity is now concentrated in Napa, Lake and Sonoma counties.
Sacramento air quality worsens following day of relief
Smoke from wildfires in Northern California continues to deteriorate the air quality across the Sacramento region, “enhancing ozone formation and increasing particle formation,” according to Spare the Air.
While Thursday saw improvement, with air quality staying in the moderate zone, Friday and Saturday are predicted to jump into the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range, bordering on unhealthy for the general population. Extended predictions show unhealthy air quality in the region from Sunday through Tuesday.
Spare the Air predicts light-to-moderate southwesterly winds dispersing particles, but smoke continues to roll in.
“Air quality can change quickly at different times during the day due to wind shifts and vertical mixing,” Spare the Air’s website said.
The agency warns that if you smell or see wildfire smoke, the air is potentially unhealthy and you should stay inside.
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 8:33 AM with the headline "Huge LNU Complex grows minimally as ‘extreme fire behavior’ continues."