California Wildfires Double In Size Killing Five And Burning 771,000 Acres In One Week

The wildfires in California have doubled in size and force.

Many people had to evacuate whereas a lot more are still forced to stay locked inside their homes. The images below show how the thick black smoke has enveloped the atmosphere making the air quality of California to be the worst globally at the moment.

A total of 26 huge wildfires have been reported all over California. More than 62,000 people evacuated and this number might add 100,000 more residents. The wine country especially has double the amount of fires as calculated from Wednesday. The fire has spread to 131,000 acres.

The San Francisco skyline is obscured by smoke from wildfires Thursday as the state — Source: AP

With the addition of the current pandemic of the coronavirus, things have become even more difficult. Since the evening of Thursday, 5 death cases have been reported whereas two people are missing. The natives feel ‘trapped’ as they have to fight the virus, increasing wildfires and the dangerous air quality.

A structure is damaged by the CZU August Lightning Complex Fire in Santa Cruz County on Thursday. Evacuation orders were issued across the county Thursday evening as it was revealed there is zero percent containment on the fires in this zone — Source: AP

Matter of fact, the air quality has been declared to go from ‘very unhealthy’ to a ‘hazardous’ level. With the courtesy of NASA satellite images, the toxic smoke is now moving into the Pacific Ocean.

Scorched homes and vehicles fill Spanish Flat Mobile Villa following the LNU Lightning Complex fires in unincorporated Napa County, California. At least four civilians were injured in the fires in this area — Source: AP

These lightning-induced wildfires have caused 5 deaths and 2 people to go missing. The fires have also increased near the area of Palo Alto. The bulk of the wildfires is affecting the northern and southern parts of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Smoke from California wildfires up to 200 miles away blankets an interstate in Sparks, Nevada — Source: AP

This counts to more than 350,000 acres with 26+ incidents of fire. The humongous blaze has swiftly gone over 600 miles into the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, in California, 62,000 plus people had to escape immediately.

Governor Gavin Newson pleaded for instant aid from the other states to battle the blazing flames. On Thursday, the Santa Cruz County faced a lightning wildfire that destroyed a structure and it led to the evacuation orders. Moreover, the LNU lightning fires caused the vehicles and homes to burn down.