Firefighters hold down LNU Lightning Complex acreage, make containment gains
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Despite difficult conditions and stretched resources, firefighters have made gains on the effort to contain the LNU Lightning Complex, holding down growth overnight and raising containment on the fires burning in five counties.
Cal Fire said the LNU Lightning Complex had burned 350,030 acres by Monday morning, up 2,400 acres since Sunday night. That followed an increase of nearly 6,400 acres during the course of Sunday.
At the same time, Cal Fire said containment rose to 22 percent for the incident, an increase of 1 percent overnight and 5 percent since Sunday morning.
Cal Fire reported that the number of civilian fatalities as a result of the complex increased by one in Solano County, for a total of three in Napa County and two in Solano County. Four civilians have been injured and there have been no firefighter injuries reported so far.
More damage assessment work led to an increase in the reported structures destroyed, up to 871, with 234 damaged, Cal Fire reported. A total of 30,500 structures are threatened by the complex.
Resources assigned on Monday morning included 1,857 personnel, 259 engines, 35 water tenders, 12 helicopters, 15 hand crews and 36 dozers.
The Hennessey fire – burning in Lake, Napa, Solano and Yolo counties – had scorched 293,602 acres and was 26-percent contained on Monday morning, CalFire said.
In Sonoma County, the Walbridge fire west of Healdsburg totaled 54,068 acres and was 5-percent contained as of Monday morning, while Cal Fire said the 2,360-acre Meyers fire north of Jenner was 95-percent contained.
Cal Fire’s Monday mapping showed that containment line has been built along the entire eastern side of the fire in Yolo County and around the southern tip in Solano County and into Napa County. Lines are not yet secure over the rest of the incident.
The Hennessey fire is reported to be burning in and around portions of the Guenoc Ranch. The fire made a run toward the ranch on Saturday night and radio reports on Sunday indicated that firefighters were at work in that area trying to keep the fire from advancing.
Thousands of south county residents remain under evacuation orders or warnings due to the complex.
Officials are concerned due to the weather forecast, through Tuesday, that calls for dry lightning and thunderstorms that could cause erratic winds and extreme fire behavior within the existing fires, as well as bring the potential for new fires to start.
On Sunday night and early Monday morning, several brief rainstorms passed over Lake County bringing a few minutes of cold rain but no thunder or lightning.
Early Monday, North Coast Sen. Mike McGuire reported on social media that as of 3:30 a.m., the vast majority of all thunderstorm activity had taken place east and south of Marin, Sonoma and Lake counties.
The Lake County Air Quality Management District reported that the wind shifts through the weekend and the cloud cover overnight is trapping the smoke from the LNU Lightning Complex’s fires and the Mendocino National Forest in Lake County’s air basin.
As a result, the district said all areas of Lake County should be prepared for periods of “unhealthy” to “hazardous” conditions. Regional wind patterns are forecast to bring smoke into the air basin until the fires are contained.
Due to the air quality conditions and evacuation warnings, the Lake County Office of Education reported that Konocti Unified, Middletown Unified and the Lake County Office of Education’s Clearlake Creativity School will be closed on Monday.
School districts remaining open are Lakeport Unified, Upper Lake Unified and Lucerne Elementary, the Office of Education said.
Cal Fire will offer an update on the situation in Lake County in a Monday evening virtual meeting.
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