Full containment of LNU Lightning wildfire expected next month
Officials with the state's firefighting agency say full containment of the multi-county wildfire is expected in early October.
(Photo by the author)
State firefighting officials say they expect to have a full containment line built around the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire zone by early next month.
In a statement issued this week, a CAL FIRE spokesperson said 100 percent containment of two of the three blazes that comprise the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire should be reached by October 1.
The LNU Lightning Complex wildfire started as three separate wildfires in the Napa County area, all of which were sparked by rare summer lightning storms that moved through the area in the early morning hours of August 17. The Hennessey Fire, Walbridge Fire and Myers Fire eventually combined, burning a collective 305,600 acres as of mid-September.
On August 18, the Hennessey Fire crossed over the ridge consisting of Mount Vaca and burned into rural portions of Vacaville, Fairfield and Winters, triggering a mass evacuation of hundreds of people. Around 300 homes were destroyed or heavily damaged from the blaze. Two residents and a utility worker died in Solano County during the wildfire and another three civilians died in neighboring Napa County.
At its peak, the wildfire drew nearly 3,000 firefighters from across the United States to Northern California, some of whom have since been deployed to fires burning in other parts of the state. In mid-September, CAL FIRE announced it had reduced the number of personnel for the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire to under 1,000; it stopped offering daily updates on the wildfire a short time later.
A wildfire is considered partially or fully contained based on the progress of a fire suppression line built around areas that have burned or are still burning. Though rare, fires are known to jump containment lines or re-ignite in areas that have already burned. Fires can also continue to smolder along burn scars; in recent weeks, Solano and Vacaville fire crews have been dispatched to numerous reports of smoking brush and tree stumps.
On Monday, state environmental officials began the first phase of a residential cleanup process in Solano, Sonoma, Lake and Napa counties. The process started after state environmental agencies were given approval from the Governor’s office to proceed with the removal of potentially-hazardous substances exposed or caused by the wildfire.
“One of our goals is also to eliminate any direct threat to the surrounding communities from onsite or airborne contaminants from wildfires,” a state environmental official said in a press release on Monday. Environmental experts also help “prevent any toxic runoff that can go into watersheds, streams, or other water sources,” the release said.
This newsletter is an all-volunteer effort. If you would like to show your appreciation, consider making a donation in any amount or converting your email subscription into a paid one. Discuss this newsletter and other stories from across Solano County on our Facebook group here.
This newsletter is not affiliated with the County of Solano, its agencies or county officials.