Tropical storm aftermath: Lightning-sparked fires in central San Joaquin Valley

A tropical storm that swept through the central San Joaquin Valley on Saturday stretched resources thin as lightning was blamed or suspected in several fires.

Around 180 firefighters battled an 80-acre wildfire north of Auberry. By Sunday afternoon, the fire was 50% contained. The cause remains under investigation, but firefighters said it’s possible it was due to lightning.

A wildfire near Avocado Lake northeast of Sanger was fully contained Sunday at 20 acres. That fire was caused by lightning, Cal Fire said.

Another lightning wildfire, near Pine Flat Dam, was 20 acres and 20% contained Sunday.

Crews also contained a lightning fire in a Parlier apartment that sustained major damage, displacing a family of six. Cal Fire spokesman Ryan Michaels said witnesses saw lightning strike the roofline trees, which spread to the attic and caused part of the roof to collapse. An apartment next door sustained minor smoke damage.

As the Parlier fire was winding down, Michaels said, lightning struck a home near Easton, causing more than $350,000 in damage. The family of three was in the process of moving or selling the home, he said. They watched a flash of lightning follow wires up the walls and explode parts of the drywall. No one was hurt.

At one point in the night, Cal Fire crews fought 12 fires at the same time, Michaels said. Some were minor, such as downed power lines and several wildfires of 1 to 3 acres. Five wildfires totaled 125 acres throughout Fresno County.

“Every time the lightning sieges come through we have an extreme amount of call volume,” Michaels said. “Resources get very thin and we’re responding basically from one fire to the next.”

Cal Fire enlisted the help of fire departments in Fresno, Clovis, Reedley, Orange Cove and Sanger. Those not previously scheduled to work among Cal Fire’s own local crew canceled their day off so all available employees could cover reserve equipment.

Strong winds caused a tree to fall and block a road as firefighters headed to an emergency. Michaels said they had to cut up the tree to open the roadway. In some cases, the wind also caused fires to move erratically, he said.

But just as the storm made fire suppression more difficult, it also helped firefighters. Rain at Avocado Lake did much of the work for crews needed at other emergencies.

Lightning strikes ignited eight wildfires in the Sequoia National Forest. Two that started when lightning hit a tree were a small fraction of an acre each before being contained. Another two, located near Wishon Campground, were located in steep terrain and difficult to access. The U.S. Forest Service said heavy clouds and wind limited use of aircraft to reach the fires. Four more fires were discovered in the Golden Trout Wilderness on Sunday morning, including one that was started by lightning July 5 and reactivated.

In Merced County, firefighters battled a 1,500-acre wildfire off McCabe Road and Interstate 5, near the San Luis Reservoir. The fire is 5% contained.

This story was originally published July 19, 2015 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Tropical storm aftermath: Lightning-sparked fires in central San Joaquin Valley."