CZU Lightning Complex Fires At 63K Acres; 100 Buildings Burned

BAY AREA, CA — Fires ravaging the Santa Cruz Mountains in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties scorched 63,000 acres as of Saturday morning, according to Cal Fire.

The CZU August Lightning Complex fires are at five percent containment, Cal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit (CZU) officials said during a news conference 6 a.m. Saturday. Nearly 100 buildings have been destroyed and 24,000 more are threatened. The number of buildings destroyed is expected to climb as three additional damage inspection teams arrive on scene Saturday, for a total of five damage inspection teams.

Some 77,000 people have been evacuated from the areas surrounding the fires, Cal Fire said Friday morning. Five looters have been arrested after targeting evacuated homes, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office said.

There were two missing persons reported out of Santa Cruz County as of Friday evening. The public is urged to contact law enforcement if they haven't heard from loved ones.

Two first responders have suffered minor injuries.

Officials continue to stress that people who live in evacuation zones should flee immediately and not return for any reason. Firefighters are most concerned about fires burning near the most populous areas: along Empire Grade Road, near Bonny Doon and in the Highway 9 coordidor.

Many have flouted evacuation orders in attempt to protect their homes, including three people who were rescued overnight Thursday, Cal Fire said. Some firefighters have been forced to stop battling back flames to perform rescues. Law enforcement officers have also had to put their regular duties on pause to save people who have stayed behind, officials said.

If you're missing medication, contact your doctor instead of trying to return home, officials said.

If you've left a pet behind, contact animal control officials. In Santa Cruz, the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is caring for wildfire evacuees' pets for free; call the shelter at 831-471-1182 to coordinate emergency pet services, such as rescues.

First responders are working with extremely limited resources as fires burn across the Golden State.

Firefighters are normally working with 10 to 20 times as many resources for a fire the size of the CZU August Lightning Complex Fires, Cal Fire said. Firefighters are working double- or triple-shifts, fighting flames in areas that may have never seen wildfire before.

There are nearly 1,200 first responders on scene, including some 100 law enforcement officers who are patrolling the evacuation area, keeping an eye out for people who have entered for the wrong reasons, officials said.

Five people were arrested Friday morning in the Fall Creek Road area of Santa Cruz County with two carloads full of stolen property, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office.

One car stopped, but another tried to flee and wound up in a ditch, the sheriff's office said. Santa Cruz County residents who see suspicious security camera footage are asked to immediately contact dispatchers at 831-471-1121.

The fires ravaging the Santa Cruz Mountains grew about 2,000 acres overnight Thursday and another 7,000 acres during the day Friday. Friday's weather conditions were more favorable, allowing firefighters to provide protection in the Davenport area.

Firefighters hope more favorable weather conditions forecast in the coming days will allow them to make more progress, Cal Fire said.

Air quality has reached has reached "very unhealthy" and "hazardous" levels on the Air Quality Index and the public is urged to stay inside and reduce activity, the county said Friday afternoon.

In San Mateo County, spot fires have popped up near the Santa Cruz county line. Fires are burning on both sides of Highway 1.

More than a dozen state parks in the area have closed amid the fires. See which have been affected by closures here.

Among the list of shuttered parks is the 18,000-acre Big Basin Redwoods State Park, which is thought to have sustained serious damage to historic buildings and trees.

"We are devastated to report that Big Basin, as we have known it, loved it, and cherished it for generations, is gone," wrote local preservationist group Sempervirens Fund, which was founded to advocate for the preservation of the redwoods in the area now known as Big Basin. "Early reports are that the wildfire has consumed much of the park's historic facilities. We do not yet know the fate of the park's grandest oldest trees."

Read: Santa Cruz County's Big Basin 'As We Have Known It ... Is Gone'

Santa Cruz's boardwalk and nearby parking lots were also closed, though the area is not threatened.

The county urges the public to be wary that while sore throat and dry cough can be symptoms of both smoke exposure and COVID-19, symptoms such as fever, chills, body aches and muscle could be tied to the coronavirus. Check your symptoms here through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention self-checker guide.

Learn more about air quality levels here and see who is most at risk here.

Donations are sought for evacuees sheltering in Santa Cruz County. The public may visit the Santa Cruz County Warehouse (1082 Emeline, Santa Cruz) with donations such as large tents, sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, tarps, hand sanitizer, personal hygeine products, toiletries, storage bins, coloring books and crayons, surgical masks, empty spray bottles, bottled water and granola or energy bars.

Road Closures

San Mateo County

Santa Cruz County

Evacuation Orders

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

San Mateo County

Santa Cruz County

Evacuation Centers

San Mateo County

Half Moon Bay High School (1 Lewis Foster Drive)

Santa Cruz County

Aptos

• Coastlands Aptos Foursquare Church parking lot (280 State Park Dr., Aptos); open to cars, RVs and tents (limited tents available)
• Cabrillo College gym (6500 Soquel Dr., Aptos)
• Cabrillo College Lot K (6500 Soquel Dr., Aptos)
• Twin Lakes Church parking lot (2701 Cabrillo College Dr., Aptos); open to cars and RVs, with bathrooms, water and food available to evacuees

Santa Cruz

• Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium (307 Church Street, Santa Cruz); full as of Thursday night
• Santa Cruz Bible Church (440 Frederick, Santa Cruz)
• Simpkins Family Swim Center, ADA-compliant (979 17th Ave., Santa Cruz)

Soquel

• Santa Cruz Seventh Day Adventist Conference Grounds (1931 Soquel-San Jose Road, Soquel)
• Congregational Church of Soquel parking lot (4951 Soquel Dr.); bathrooms open to evacuees

Watsonville

• Santa Cruz County Fairground (2601 E. Lake Avenue, Watsonville)
• Lakeview Middle School (2350 E Lake Ave., Watsonville)

HERE TO HELP: CZU Crew 1 is returning from conducting emergency evacuations, and making sure people are out of harms' way! #ThisIsCALFIRE Thank you to ALL first responders. #StrongerTogether2020 pic.twitter.com/4wC6MURYMJ
— CAL FIRE CZU (@CALFIRECZU) August 21, 2020