Other states aid in California wildfire battle

Crews were battling wildfires in San Francisco Bay Area and thousands of people were under orders to evacuate Wednesday as hundreds of wildfires blazed across state amid a blistering heat wave w in its second week.

Gov. Gavin Newsom blamed an ongoing heat wave and lightning strikes for 367 kwn fires, including 23 major fires or groups of fires. He said state has recorded nearly 11,000 lightning strikes in 72 hours.

Police and firefighters went door-to-door before dawn Wednesday in a frantic scramble to warn residents to evacuate as fire encroached on Vacaville, a city of about 100,000 between San Francisco and Sacramento. At least 50 structures were destroyed, including some homes, and 50 damd.

A helicopter involved in fighting fires crashed in Coalinga Wednesday morning, said Tony Botti, spokesman for Fres County sheriff's office. He said ir search and rescue team was called in to help around shortly after 11 a.m. but did t have any details.

Ash and smoke filled air in San Francisco, which is surrounded by wildfires burning in multiple counties to rth, east and south. LNU Lightning fire is me up of several fires burning in five counties rth of San Francisco, including in Vacaville, and h consumed 72 square miles as of Wednesday morning (186 square kilometers).

In East San Francisco Bay, a cluster of 20 separate lightning-sparked fires called SCU Lightning complex was threatening about 1,400 structures in rugged terrain with dense brush. fires have torched 133 square miles (344 square kilometers).

To south of San Francisco in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, about 22,000 people were ordered to evacuate because of a fire burning in dense wooded parkland that threatened communities, Cal Fire spokesman Jonathan Cox said.

About 22 fires are part of complex and most h been burning in relatively remote, dense brush until strong winds overnight Tuesday pushed m into more populated areas, merging some of fires toger.

cluster of wine country fires threaten an area that only last year grappled with ar massive blaze that forced 200,000 to flee - a task me more complicated this year because of pandemic.