By Tristan Olynick, Staff Writer
On Thursday, September 9, a lightning storm struck California from around 6 p.m. in the evening to 7 a.m. the following day. On September 10, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and the National Weather Service reported over 1,100 total lightning strikes during the storm, these strikes causing multiple fires.
Even before the storm, firefighters were fighting thirteen major wildfires, including the Dixie Fire, which is currently California’s second largest wildfire in recorded history. The National Weather Service reports that around 960,000 acres have been burned and over 1,000 structures destroyed. Now, after the storm, dozens of small fires have been reported.
According to the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), lightning strikes caused around 600 fires last year during the dry seasons. Taking that into account, Californians can most likely expect even more fires than there currently are to come.
Cal Fire reports that there are three more fires, excluding the Dixie Fire, that rank in the top 20 of California’s biggest wildfires. These are the Caldor Fire, Monument Fire, and River Complex Fire — the latter two were found to be caused by lightning strikes.
The Complex Fire has burned over 187,000 acres and continues to burn. As of September 22, the Complex Fire has reached the Sequoia National Park in Tulare County which has caused evacuations of surrounding areas. The fire is threatening sequoia trees including California’s largest sequoia tree (the General Sherman Tree). Protective precautions have been taken to protect the tree, like wrapping it in special foil to prevent fire damage.
Currently, all of these fires combined have burned nearly 1.5 million acres of land and that number is still climbing. As of September 22, the Complex and Monument fires are each 55 percent contained and the Dixie Fire is 90 percent contained. Additionally, the Caldor Fire is 75 percent contained, and as a result Highway 50 reopened Tuesday, September 21.