SCU Lightning Complex Fire Is 2nd Largest In CA History

BAY AREA, CA — Working through the weekend, firefighters made progress battling the cluster of 20 lightning-sparked fire threatening more than 20,000 homes in the Bay Area and Central Valley. As of Saturday night, the fires known as the SCU Lightning Complex fires had scorched 339,968 acres, becoming the second largest fire in state history.

Saturday afternoon weather conditions turned on the firefighters and the blaze continued to spread. Winds died down overnight, and "The protection of sensitive wildlife and critical power and communication infrastructure remains a top priority," according to Cal Fire.

As of Saturday night, the blaze was 10 percent contained. At least five buildings have been destroyed.

The Contra Costa County part of the SCU Lightning Complex fires, known as the Deer Zone Fires, have nearly been extinguished, Cal Fire said Friday.

Evacuation orders have been issued for surrounding homes in several counties (see evacuation orders here).

The SCU Lightning Complex fires consist of a few clusters:

• The Deer Zone fires in Contra Costa County, west of the Los Vaqueros Reservoir
• The Calaveras Zone fires in Alameda, Santa Clara and Stanislaus counties, northeast of the Calaveras Reservoir in the Sunol area and east of the reservoir, stretching down into the San Felipe Hills.
• The Canyon Zone fires in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, burning toward Corral Hollow on the north end and burning into Henry W. Coe State Park on the south end.

Acreage information is not available for each fire cluster.

Two first responders and two members of the public have been injured in the fire, which is thought to have initially sparked at 4 a.m. Aug. 18. The cause remains under investigation.

See information on road closures here. Information on evacuation orders and warnings can be found here. The following evacuation centers are open:

• Creekside Middle School (535 Peregrine Drive, Patterson)
• Milpitas Library (160 N. Main St., Milpitas)
• Ann Sobrato High School performing arts building (401 Burnett Ave., Morgan Hill)

Animal evacuation centers include:

• County of Santa Clara Animal Services: 408-686-3900 (for the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County, Morgan Hill, and Gilroy)
• Hold Your Horses Live Stock: 925-584-1976 (for large animals in Canyon Fire area)

The public may call Cal Fire's incident information line at 916-618-3195 or 669-247-7431 for the latest information on the fires.

This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.

Plan. Prepare. Stay Aware.
Remember the Six P's
-People and pets
-Papers
-Prescriptions
-Pictures
-Personal Devices
-"Plastic" (Credit/ATM Cards) https://t.co/evYmdBqIzA
— Caltrans District 4 (@CaltransD4) August 20, 2020

Also See:

• PG&E Employee Dies Assigned To LNU Lightning Complex Fire
• The Salvation Army Feeds Deer Zone Fire Crews, Evacuees In Contra Costa County
• San Mateo/Santa Cruz County Fires
• Marin County Fires
• Napa County Fires
• 2,500 Lightning Strikes In Bay Area: SEE
• Hopscotch Drawn On San Francisco Sidewalk Sparks Joy: Watch

— Bay City News and Patch Staffer Courtney Teague contributed to this report