SCU Lightning Complex: New Evacuations In Santa Clara, San Joaquin Counties; Nearly 140K Acres Burned
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Cal Fire officials announced new evacuation orders and warnings for central and southern parts of Santa Clara County and parts of San Joaquin County Thursday afternoon due to the advancing SCU Lightning Complex fires (map), which have now burned nearly 140,000 acres, or more than 200 square miles.
The evacuation orders issued at 3 p.m. include areas east of Morgan Hill and north of state Highway 152 around Henry Coe State Park at the southern reach of the fires. Earlier Thursday, areas of San Joaquin County bordering the Stanislaus County line and Alameda County line were placed under evacuation orders.
- EVACUATIONS, ROAD CLOSURES (updated 4:15 p.m.)
- EVACUATION MAP
The approximately 20 separate Sfires have gone from about 85,000 acres Wednesday morning to an estimated 137,745 acres by early Thursday morning, a 60 percent increase in acreage, according to Cal Fire. Containment was listed Thursday morning at 5 percent, the same as Wednesday morning.
While the Deer Zone fires near Mount Diablo in east-central Contra Costa County eased up since Wednesday morning, other wildfires comprising the SCU Lightning Complex in Alameda, Santa Clara, Stanislaus and San Joaquin Counties have exploded in the past 24 hours.
While there have been no structures damaged or destroyed, 6,200 structures were being threatened as of Thursday morning, Cal Fire said.
More than 1,000 firefighters from Cal Fire and at least seven other regional fire departments were on the SCU Lightning Complex fire lines Thursday morning, up from about 600 on Wednesday morning, Cal Fire said.
#SCULightningComplex | Fire Behavior | August 20, 2020 pic.twitter.com/VEH8RxVIGb
— CAL FIRE SCU (@calfireSCU) August 20, 2020
Specific information about the progress in fighting the Deer Zone fires in Contra Costa, including the acreage and level of containment, was not immediately available Thursday morning. Cal Fire has been reporting out the SCU Lightning Complex, and other large fire groupings in the Bay Area and beyond, overall and not on specific fires within them.
But a Cal Fire spokeswoman said Wednesday that fire conditions on Mount Diablo had been easing, and that about 1,500 acres had burned there by that point. Also, at about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, the mandatory evacuations ordered Sunday night in connection with the Deer Zone fires were lifted.
Mandatory evacuations in place Wednesday near the fires in Alameda, Santa Clara, Stanislaus and San Joaquin Counties remained in place Thursday morning.
The fires that compose the SCU Lightning Complex are:
- Deer Zone: [Contra Costa County]
Round Fire, Palm Fire, Marsh Fire, and Briones Fire - Calaveras Zone: [Alameda County / Santa Clara County / Stanislaus County]
Kilkare Fire, Arroyo Fire, Mill Creek Fire, Welch Fire, Ohlone Fire, and Reservoir Fire - Canyon Zone: [Stanislaus County / San Joaquin County]
Peg Leg Fire, Terraville Fire, Del Puerto Fire, and Peach Fire
Evacuation Map - SCU Lightning Complex
EVACUATION ORDERS:
Alameda County / Stanislaus County:
- Frank Raines Park to Mines Road
- Del Puerto Canyon Road 1 mile to Mines Road
San Joaquin County
- South of West Corral Hollow Road to Stanislaus County line
- West of I-580 to Alameda County line
- East of Alameda County line to I-580 and the Stanislaus County line
Santa Clara County:
- East of Shingle Valley Rd. and everything East of Anderson Lake
- East of Coyote Creek
- East of Coyote Reservoir
- East of Roop Rd.
- East of Leavesley Rd.
- East of Crews Rd.,
- East of Ferguson Rd.
- East and North of Hwy 152
- West of the Merced County Line
- North of Hwy 152
- South of Metcalf Rd. at Shingle Valley Rd.
- East to the Stanislaus County Line
- North of Hwy 130 to Santa Clara County Line
- West of San Antonio Valley Rd.
- West of Mines Rd. to Santa Clara County Line
- East of 3 Springs Rd. and Mt. Hamilton Rd.
- South of Santa Clara County Line
- East of Ed Levin County Park, Felter Rd., Sierra Rd., Toyon Ave. and Mt. Hamilton Rd. to 3 Springs Rd.
- North of Mt. Hamilton Rd. to Three Springs Rd.
- West of the Fire Perimeter
- East of San Jose City limits
- South of Mt. Hamilton Rd.
- North of Metcalf Rd. & San Felipe Rd., East to the County Line
- East of San Antonio Valley Rd. to Del Puerto Canyon Rd. to the County Line
- South of Stanislaus County Between Santa Clara County Line and I-5
- West of I-5 North of Stanislaus/Merced County Line
- North of Stanislaus/Merced County Line
- East of Santa Clara County Line
Alameda County:
- All of Mines Road, south of Mile Marker 10 to the county line
Stanislaus County:
- All Areas of Diablo Grande Parkway and the Diablo Grande Community
EVACUATION WARNINGS:
Alameda County:
- City of Fremont - Mill Creek Road
San Joaquin County:
- North of West Corral Hollow Road to I-580
- East of the Alameda county line to I-580
- All of PAR Estates which are the following streets: W. Vernalis Road, Bernard Drive, Stearman Road, Brichetto Court, Stearman Court, S. Chrisman Road south of I-580, and the Tracy Golf & Country Club
Santa Clara County:
- East of Lovers Lane and the Santa County Line
- South of Hwy 152 to the San Benito County Line
- West to the Merced County Line
- North of the San Benito County Line to Hwy 152
- South of Metcalf Rd. East of Coyote Creek to the Anderson Lake Shore
- East of Cochrane Rd.
- East of Hill Rd. and South of Main Ave.
- North of Maple Ave.
- East of Foothill Ave.
- North of San Martin Ave
- East of New Ave.
- West of Shingle Valley Rd. and everything West of Anderson Lake
- West of Coyote Creek, West of Coyote Reservoir, North and West of Roop Rd. between Coyote Reservoir Rd. and New Ave.
- East of Shingle Valley Rd. and everything East of Anderson Lake
- East of Coyote Reservoir
- East of Roop Road
- East of Leavesley Road
- East of Crews Road
- East of Ferguson Road
- East and North of Hwy 152
- West of Merced County Line, North of Hwy 152
- South of Metcalf Road at Shingle Valley Road, East to the Stanislaus County Line
Stanislaus County:
- All areas of Diablo Grande Pkwy and the Diablo Grande Community
- South of Diablo Grande Parkway and the Diablo Community to the Stanislaus/Merced County Line
- West of the I-5
- North of Stanislaus/Merced County Line
- East of Santa Clara County Line
EVACUATION CENTERS:
- Creekside Middle School, 535 Peregrine Dr, Patterson
- Milpitas Library, 160 N Main St., Milpitas
- Ann Sobrato High School – Performing Arts Building, 401 Burnett Ave., Morgan Hill
ANIMAL SHELTER
County of Santa Clara Animal Services: 408-686-3900
For the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County, Morgan Hill, and Gilroy
ROAD CLOSURES:
- Holiday Dr. at East Dunne Ave.
- Coyote Reservoir Rd. at Roop Rd.
- Canada Rd. at Hwy 152
- Hwy 152 at Belle Station
- Del Puerto Canyon Road (SR-130) between Mines Road and Diablo Grande PKWY
- Hwy 130 at Three Springs Rd.
- Hwy 130 at Quinby Rd.