Scotts Valley (US): Three massive wildfires chewed through parched Northern California landscape Sunday as firefighters raced to dig breaks and make other
Scotts Valley (US): Three massive wildfires chewed through parched Northern California landscape Sunday as firefighters raced to dig breaks and make other preparations ahead of a frightening weather system packing high winds and more of the lightning that sparked the huge blazes and scores of other fires around the state, putting nearly a quarter-million people under evacuation orders and warnings. At the CZU Lightning Complex fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains, south of San Francisco, authorities announced the discovery of the body of a 70-year-old man in a remote area called Last Chance. The man had been reported missing and police had to use a helicopter to reach the area, which is a string of about 40 off-the-grid homes at the end of a windy, steep dirt road north of the city of Santa Cruz. The area was under an evacuation order and Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Chris Clark said it was a stark reminder of the need for residents to leave the area. This is one of the darkest periods we’ve been in with this fire, he said. The fatality was the first for the CZU fire and seventh fire victim in the state in the last week that has seen 650 wildfires across California, many of them sparked by the more than 12,000 lighting strikes recorded since Aug.,15. There are 14,0000 firefighters.2,400 engines and 95 aircraft battling the fires. The Santa Cruz fire is one of three complexes, or groups of fires, burning on all sides of the San Francisco Bay Area.. All were started by lightning. Fire crew made progress during the weekend, which saw a welcome break in the unseasonably warm weather and little wind.
