Furious Fires in California, Nearly 11,000 lightning strikes in 72 hours
Dozens of homes burnt and a firefighting helicopter pilot died in California as lightning sparked hundreds of fast-moving blazes, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their dwellings.
The authorities said, "California suffered nearly 11,000 lightning strikes in 72 hours in the worst such storm in over a decade that ignited 367 fires, nearly two dozen of them major blazes,"
Forestry and Fire Protection Department spokesman, Will Bowers said, "forced evacuation orders had been issued for thousands of people in an area that witnessed a series of nine wind-fueled fires, sparked by lightning on Monday."
In central California, the administration said, "a helicopter crashed during a firefighting mission to dump water in Fresno County, about 258 km south of San Francisco, killing the pilot."
"to the north of that region, wind-fueled fires over an area of more than 46,000 acres near Fairfield and Vacaville raged in the hills and mountains overnight, destroying at least 50 homes and buildings, and damaging 50 others." he added.
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“We are experiencing fires the like of which we haven’t seen in many, many years,” California Governor, Gavin Newsom said, adding that he had requested 375 fire engines from out of state.
-PTC News
