In California, More Acres Have Burned in the 2020 Fire Season Than in All of 2019

Wildfires in California have burned over 500,000 acres so far this year. The largest cluster of fires, the SCU Lightning Complex, has burned over 229,000 acres and was ten percent contained by Friday morning, according to Cal Fire. The next-largest group of fires, the LNU Lightning Complex, has burned over 219,000 acres and destroyed almost 500 buildings, the New York Times reports.

The largest fires are located around the Bay Area, but blazes are scattered around California. The fires were sparked by the over 20,000 lightning strikes that hit the state in the last several days, combined with a record-breaking heatwave, reports the Washington Post. One of the hardest-hit cities, Vacaville, is located between Sacramento and San Francisco and is home to about 100,000 people. Five deaths have been linked to the fires, per the Times, and dozens of fire fighters have been injured, the Mercury News reports.