Californian and Colorado wildfires activity

Wildfires have broken out throughout California since mid-August this year caused by an unusual mass of lightning strikes occurring during thunderstorms caused by more tropical moisture in the atmosphere.

Tropical storm "Fausto" in particular generated massive thunderstorms across a large portion of Northern California with almost 11,000 lightning strikes. The lightning from these storms sparked fires across the state, several of which became very large in a short period of time.

So-called "lightning complex" fires are many different fires in close proximity such as the SCU Lightning Complex fire which started as 20 different fires and has now merged into three large fires.

Live reporting of fires: The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection ("Cal Fire") website has a useful map showing the current outbreaks - click here

One is called the "SCU Lightning Complex" which started on 16 August, is further south and has burned nearly 360,000 acres today (347,000 acres 24 August; 339,000 acres 23 August; 300,000 acres 22 August) across Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Stanislaus counties, with 12 structures destroyed and 12 damaged. Some 15% only is contained.

The almost equally large "LNU Lightning Complex" which started on 17 August and includes several sites across Napa, Sonoma, Lake, and Solano counties has spread over 350,000 acres (325,000 acres 23 August; 314,000 acres 22 August, 219,000 acres 21 August; 131,000 acres 20 August) since 17 August and has so far destroyed 908 residential and commercial properties and damaged another 248. Some 25% contained.

In Colorado, the PIne Gulch fire has burned some 134,000 acres since it started 31 July. Map available here. One quarter of Colorado is in a state of drought.

This page is being updated daily.