LNU Lightning Complex Fire Explodes In Size; Evacuations Ordered In Vacaville, Fairfield Outskirts
VACAVILLE (CBS13) — The latest on the LNU Lighting Complex Fire burning in Solano County.
10 p.m. Update:
Evacuation orders for areas south of I-80, including Alamo Dr. south of I-80 to Marna Drive, California Drive and Peabody Road have been lifted.
Vacaville areas still under evacuation orders include North Alamo and Foothill neighborhood, areas north of Fruitvale Rd. and west of North Orchard Rd., as well as neighborhoods west of Browns Valley Pkwy.
READ MORE: LNU Lightning Complex Fire In Solano County: What You Need To Know
9:06 p.m. Update
All lanes of Interstate 80 at Air Base Parkway have reopened in Fairfield. Traffic was shut down earlier Wednesday due to the fire.
In Vacaville, police say traffic has reopened on Peabody Road in both directions.
8:35 p.m. Update:
Cal Fire reported the LNU Lightning Complex Fire at being 124,100 acres in size and 0% containment. Four civilians were injured and 105 structures were destroyed with 70 more damaged.
7 p.m. Update:
Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for all non-essential personnel on Travis Air Force Base due to the fire. All non-mission essential personnel in Travis AFB housing or lodging were ordered to evacuate immediately through the South and North Gates, not the Main Gate or Hospital Gates.
5:30 p.m. Update:
Evacuations have been ordered in Solano County, northwest Vacaville and the outskirts of Fairfield on Wednesday after the so-called LNU Lightning Complex Fire exploded in size.
Starting around 4:30 p.m., traffic on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 stopped due to the fire. Many exits are blocked off and flames can be seen from the road.
According to Vacaville police, the fire jumped the freeway to the south around 4:30 p.m. This prompted new evacuations for the areas south of Alamo Dr. from I-80 to the Putah Creek Canal.
Per the Vacaville Fire Protection District and the Solano County Sheriff's Office, the fire has prompted evacuations for the following areas:
- All of Pleasants Valley Road and connecting streets
- All of English Hills
- All of Solar Hills and Gibson Canyon Road,
- Rockville Road
- Suisun Valley Road
- Gordon Valley Road
- Wooden Valley Road
- Clayton Road
- Mankas Corner
- Shelton Lane
- West Browns Valley Road.
- Neighborhoods in/around Peabody Road
- Cement Hill Road
- Vanden Road
Several areas near Fairfield were also ordered to evacuate early Wednesday afternoon. The areas under evacuation orders in this area are:
- North of Rockville Road
- West of Suisun Valley Road
- south of Twin Sisters Road
- Green Valley Highlands
- Rancho Solano/Sanctuary neighborhood
- the Rolling Hills neighborhood
- the Paradise Valley neighborhood.
WATCH: Cal Fire 8-19-20 Incident Update
A rough map of the areas under evacuation orders has been released by the Solano County Office of Emergency Services:
Evacuation Centers are available at:
- Lambrecht Fields- Petersen Rd Suisun City
- Rodriquez High School
- Fairfield High School
Vacaville police say no structures have burned within city limits for the moment, but there are reports of homes burned in Solano County.
Swipe through photos below of the fire.
Officers had to go door-to-door in Vacaville early on Wednesday to warn residents to evacuate.
Evacuation centers have been opened at Will C. Wood High School, the McBride Center, the Ulatis Cultural Center and the Vacaville Skate Center.
Large animals can be evacuated to the Solano County Fairgrounds, while small pets can be taken to the Solano County Animal Shelter.
All Solano County schools have canceled distance learning for the remainder of the week. That includes Fairfield-Suisun USD, Travis USD, Vacaville USD, and Solano County Office of Education-operated programs in the districts.
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Firefighters across the state are battling dozens of wildfires amid a heatwave.
"Throughout the state of California right now, we are stretched thin for crews" because of the fires, said Will Powers, a state fire spokesman. "Air resources have been stretched thin throughout the whole state."
At least seven fires are being grouped together as one in the LNU Lightning Complex Fire. Firefighters have warned of "extreme fire behavior" from the fire, noting that the rural areas with steep terrain have made it difficult for crews to get in.
The fire is also burning in neighboring Napa County near Lake Berryessa.
As of Wednesday morning, the LNU Complex Fire was a total of 46,225 acres - equal to about 72 square miles. This would make the fire larger than the cities of Stockton (at 65.26 square miles) and Modesto (44.8 square miles).
Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
