Fires In East, South Bay Area More Than Double To 85K Acres

BAY AREA, CA — Lightning-sparked wildfires in the East Bay, South Bay and neighboring Central Valley counties have scorched 85,000 acres, Cal Fire reported Wednesday morning.

The fires are about five percent contained. More than 1,400 buildings are threatened, according to the Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit (SCU), which covers Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa and Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.

The fires were first sparked around 4 a.m. Sunday, according to Cal Fire. That's about the same time that the Bay Area and Central Coast experienced a storm that brought at least 2,500 lightning strikes to the region Sunday.

Wildfires burning across the region are thought to have been sparked by lighting.

Firefighters continue to work in triple-digit heat and dry weather conditions, climbing steep and hard-to-access terrain as fires move dangerously fast, according to Cal Fire.

The series of fires was dubbed the SCU Lightning Complex fires Tuesday morning. It consists of 20 fires, including those burning in the:

• Deer Zone fires
• Calaveras Zone fires
• Canyon Zone fires

View an approximate map of the fires here from the National Weather Service.

Acreage information is not currently available for each of the individual zone fires, though Cal Fire said Tuesday that it was working to get more detailed acreage counts and hoped to disseminate that information soon.

More than 500 first responders were busy battling the blazes Tuesday with help from 61 engines, 26 water tenders, five helicopters and additional resources.

Two first responders have been injured.

Cal Fire does not yet have an estimated containment date. The cause remains under investigation.

An excessive heat warning remains in effect through Wednesday.

Evacuation Orders

Alameda County and Stanislaus County

• Frank Rains Park to Mines Road
• Del Puerto Canyon Road to Mines Road (1 mile)

Alameda County

• Welch Creek Road

Contra Costa County

• Marsh Creek Road (Round Valley) to Morgan Territory
• Morgan Territory and Marsh Creek mobile home park

Evacuation Warnings

Alameda County

• Mill Creek Road

Evacuation Centers

None

Road Closures

Alameda County/Stanislaus County

• Del Puerto Canyon Road (Highway 130), between Mines Road and Diablo Grande Parkway

Contra Costa County

• Marsh Creek Road, between Morgan Territory Road and Deer Valley Road

See Also:

• 2,500 Lightning Strikes, More To Come In Bay Area: SEE