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California Wildfires Expected to get Worse Due to Adverse Weather

Firefighters across Northern California raced around the clock on Sunday to try and tame the massive wildfires burning across the Bay Area. The threat of dry lightning and sudden winds threaten to spark new fires in the area, however, and could cause the existing fires to spread even further, potentially towards homes and communities in Northern California. 

A Perfect Fire Storm in Northern California

Forecasters warned against dangerous weather on Sunday evening, which was the remnants of a hurricane that struck Baja California. The weather will likely be similar to the thunderstorms that caused the wildfire crisis in the first place. This is just the latest way that weather conditions have impeded the efforts of firefighters attempting to control the blaze. Emergency services were only just starting to get a grip on the fires, which could soon blaze out of control again. 

The southwestern winds threaten to push the fires from Wallbridge down into the populated areas of Sonoma County, Geyserville, and Healdsburg. Authorities in the North Bay have warned that winds could push the Hennessey Fire across territories north of Lake Berryessa. 

Fires across the Santa Cruz Mountains threaten to engulf the communities of Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, and Bonny Doon, which have been assaulted by the CZU Complex Fire for several days now. Fire crews are also preparing for fires to potentially run through the San Lorenzo Valley and have lined up three fire lines to protect Felton, UC Santa Cruz, and communities beyond it. 

Firefighters Brave Multiple Obstacles to Combat Fire

Firefighters have faced an almost endless series of challenges in their attempts to control blazes over the past week. These challenges included winds that moved the flames in unexpected ways, difficult to traverse terrain, dense smoke that prevented air support from helping, and – most importantly – a shortage of firefighters to deal with the nearly two-dozen significant fires across California. 

The fire department says that they have 20 hose crews for the nine miles west of Healdsburg. To put that into perspective, there would be 20 crews for each mile in a regular scenario. The fire department says they are saving what they can and hoping to contain the fires as much as possible. 

The fire department would typically bring in extra crews and engines ready to tackle fires when forecasters warn of dangerous fire weather. This isn’t possible when dealing with so many fires that threaten to take out so many homes. California has sent out pretty much all of the firefighters they have at this point. 

There is a silver lining to the cloud of smoke – the ongoing fires mean there are more people in place than there would be otherwise. The fire department has everybody where they need them. If there are new storms or issues, the crews are already in place to respond as fast as possible to mitigate the damage. 

Crews in the Complex Fire got some help from calmer winds and cooler temperatures. Clear skies allowed for Bonny Doon to get extra air support and water drops as well. While some progress was made, authorities announced some grim news as well – announcing they found a dead body outside Davenport along Last Chance Road. The person, whose remains were found at a home on Sunday, is the first fatality of the fire. Four other people have been reported missing but not found. 

Over 163 Structures had Been Destroyed by Sunday

Houses across the state were going up in flames before the intense weather arrived on Sunday with officials saying that, as of Sunday evening, 163 structures have been destroyed. The situation in Boulder Creek has been described as “Critical” with fire crews racing against time to save as much as they can. 

Fire crews took a more defensive approach in previous days, putting out fires as they appeared and trying to evacuate as many people as possible. They have since switched to a more offensive approach to tackling the blazes. 

The fires in Sonoma County were relatively quiet on Saturday night as firefighters were able to contain the Wallbridge Fire and stop it from approaching Healdsburg. They were also able to contain the Hennessey Fire. 

Inmate crews have been working around the clock as well, but there are fewer inmate crews because of the current coronavirus pandemic and early release programs. Inmate crews typically have 27 members to a team but are now down to 24. Fire crews are rotating around the clock to continue to contain and fight the blazes across California as much as possible.

Reactionary Times News Desk

All breaking news stories that matter to America. The News Desk is covered by the sharpest eyes in news media, as they decipher fact from fiction.

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