LNU Lightning Complex: At Least 4 Dead, Hundreds Of Structures Destroyed, 215,000 Acres Burned

HEALDSBURG (CBS SF) -- At least four people are dead and four others injured as the massive group of fires comprising the LNU Lightning Complex fires (map)  burned through 215,000 acres as of Thursday evening, destroying or damaging more than 600 structures, fire officials reported.

A Cal Fire Sonoma Lake Unit update at 7:30 p.m. said significant fire growth is expected and the fires continue to make runs in multiple directions, impacting multiple communities. Multiple fires have merged on the north side of Lake Berryessa into the Hennessey Fire, and was actively spreading into large areas of timber.

In Napa County and Lake County, the Hennessey Fire was at 192,000 acres as of Thursday evening. The largest of the LNU Complex fires, the Hennessey Fire is now merged with the Gamble, Green, Aetna, Markley, Spanish, Morgan, and Round fires.

In Sonoma County, the Walbridge Fire -- merged with the Stewarts Fire -- has burned 20,000 acres west of Healdsburg. Also in Sonoma County, the Meyers Fire north of Jenner has burned 3,000 acres.

There was zero containment on the fires as of Thursday evening.

• EVACUATIONS AND ROAD CLOSURES (updated 8:30 p.m.)

This is a breaking news update. Previous update follows below.

The 14,500-acre Walbridge Fire in Sonoma County is now the top priority for firefighting efforts in the LNU Lightning Complex fires (map) burning in the North Bay, fire officials said Thursday.

The wildfires that comprise the LNU Lightning Complex have burned 131,000 acres in Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Solano and Yolo counties. All were at zero containment as of Thursday afternoon. At least 105 structures have been destroyed, another 30,500 are threatened. Four civilians have suffered injuries.

On Wednesday night the Walbridge Fire prompted an evacuation warning for the city of Healdsburg and was threatening the Russian River communities of Guerneville and Rio Nido.

"We have plans in place for the protection of those communities, but a lot of work needs to be done," said Cal Fire Division Chief Charlie Blankenheim at a Thursday press conference. "It's a very, very active fire and there was significant structure damage and significant structure loss yesterday."

Details about the structure loss were not immediately available, but it was known not to be in either Guerneville or Rio Nido.

On Wednesday, fire claimed the life of a PG&E worker, killed helping first responders in Vacaville.

"We can confirm that a Vacaville-based troubleman passed away while assisting first responders as they dealt with the LNU Complex Fire," the utility said. "Out of respect for the family's privacy, we won't be sharing additional details at this time."

"On Wednesday August 8, 2020, in the afternoon, a PG&E employee was located in his vehicle in the Gates Canyon area, unresponsive. CPR was performed, the employee was transported by ambulance, and pronounced deceased at a local hospital," Cal Fire said in a statement. "The employee was in the Gates Canyon area clearing infrastructure (pole, lines, etc) to make the area safe for emergency responders. Please keep the family and PG&E in your thoughts and prayers."

After making a Wednesday morning run into Solano County and torching reportedly dozens of homes on the edge of Vacaville, the southeastern-most tendril of the 105,000-acre Hennessey Fire, the largest of the LNU Complex, was still burning in the area Thursday but firefighters were making steady progress, a Cal Fire official said.

"We're doing really good in there," said Cal Fire Division Chief Charlie Blankenheim at a Thursday morning news conference.

Blankenheim said burning trees, yards and fences still pose a "significant threat" to structures in the area.

But, he said, "We're fairly confident that we stopped the spread and hopefully there won't be any more push further into Vacaville, we'll beable to keep it where it is, and we'll keep any more structures from being lost."

Firefighting efforts have been hampered by a shortage of resources, which are stretched statewide following storms that delivered an estimated 10,849 lightning strikes that sparked 367 fires in California, 23 of which are considered major.

"We're just one small piece of that bigger picture," said Cal Fire incident commander Sean Kavanaugh.

Because the Walbridge Fire tops the priority list now, more resources, including aircraft, are expected Thursday, according to Cal Fire Division Chief Ben Nichols.

On Thursday, Fairfield authorities lifted evacuation orders for all homes in city limits. Other portions of rural Solano County north of Interstate 80 were still under mandatory evacuation orders, as was Travis Air Force Base.

"Were hoping to make a lot better progress today. We are expecting better conditions than we had the last couple of days," said Santa Rosa Assistant Fire Marshal Paul Lowenthal.

He said, though, that low humidity and wind, as well as the fact that moisture from the Sunday and Monday thunderstorms has completely dried out, still pose significant challenges to the firefighting effort.

Another much smaller Sonoma County fire, which started Wednesday along Skaggs Springs Road just south of Lake Sonoma, grew overnight and a tactical decision was made to let it merge with the Walbridge Fire so that resources could be more efficiently allocated, Nichols said. The size of the smaller blaze was not immediately available.

In another bit of good news, the 3,000-acre Meyers Fire, just south of Fort Ross, while still uncontained, is "in a confined area and not continuing to grow at this point," Nichols said.

Fire officials and county leaders continued to urge residents to heed evacuation warnings.

"This fire is zero contained," said Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, whose district is most threatened by the Walbridge Fire.

As dawn broke Thursday, a wall of flames that jumped I-80 continued its march toward Fairfield. Non-mission essential personnel and their family members were forced to evacuate at nearby Travis Air Force Base.

Greg Valentine watched the fire from the Fairfield's Paradise Valley Crest neighborhood Wednesday evening, worried it could destroy his whole livelihood.

His neighborhood was told to evacuate. He got his family out of there but stayed behind so he could monitor the fire's movement.

"I literally cried, I'm going to be honest," Valentine said. "I'm not a guy who panics, but knowing you work all week for the last 10 years...and now you're house may be gone."

Meanwhile, on the fire complex's western edge, Healdsburg residents were warned they soon may be forced to evacuate their homes. The warning was issued by Healdsburg officials at about 8:15 p.m.

"Residents may be ordered to evacuate soon. Do not wait to start gathering your things and be ready to leave," the warning read. "If you feel you are in danger please evacuate now. Check with your neighbors to ensure they have been made aware of the warning."

The message also asked the public to stay vigilant and aware regarding current fire conditions, adhering to all road closures and any evacuation warnings.

St. Helena Hospital was also evacuated. Fifty patients were at the 151-bed hospital when the evacuation order was issued just before 7 p.m., said Linda Williams, an Adventist Health public information officer.

The patients were taken wherever their needs could best be met, she said, some to Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa. Williams said Napa County Sheriff's deputies assisted staff with the evacuation and that the process was "calm and orderly."

"We've had plenty of time to prepare for this," she said. "This is not a panicked evacuation."

More than 4,400 homes – approximately 13,254 people – in Napa County were under mandatory evacuation as of Wednesday night, a county spokesperson said. An additional 1,240 households – 3,720 people – were under evacuation warning.

Earlier Wednesday afternoon, Cal Fire ordered thousands of other Sonoma County residents to evacuate their homes as two wildfires raged nearby.

About 8,000 residents near Guerneville and the Russian River received orders to leave immediately as the Walbridge and Meyers Fire continued to grow Wednesday evening, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Walbridge Fire had spread far enough that it could be seen from downtown Guerneville.

"I've never seen a fire this close to town," one local said watching the flames move towards town. "It's pretty crazy, but it happened very fast."

"Got my dog food packed, my computer, two guitars," another man said. "Ready to roll."

EVACUATIONS AND ROAD CLOSURES

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