California fights record-breaking fires

President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration on Saturday to help California through one of its worst wildfire seasons. Three clusters of wildfires in the San Francisco Bay Area, two of them ranking as the second- and third-largest in state history, continue to burn as more high winds and lightning are expected. Since thousands of lightning strikes began on Aug. 15, firefighters have responded to at least 585 wildfires, which have burned 1.2 million acres or 1,875 square miles.

How are the fires affecting residents? The LNU Lightning Complex fires in wine country north of San Francisco have left five people dead, torched 845 homes and other structures, and forced tens of thousands from their homes, but forests and rural areas have sustained most of the damage. Help from 10 states, the National Guard, and the U.S. military arrived by week’s end to assist Cal Fire’s exhausted firefighters, some of whom have worked 72-hour shifts.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Samantha Gobba’s report on how residents of Chico, Calif., coped after the devastating Camp Fire in 2018.

Editor’s note: WORLD has updated this report since its initial posting.