Helicopter crashes while dropping water on California wildfires, killing the pilot and igniting a 50-acre blaze on top of the hundreds already raging across the state as 22,000 people and Travis Air Force Base are told to evacuate
A pilot was killed when his helicopter crashed while fighting wildfires in central California, adding yet another blaze to the hundreds raging across the state.
Cal Fire said the chopper went down on Wednesday morning during a water dropping mission over the Hills Fire in western Fresno County, about nine miles south of Coalinga.
The impact sparked a new fire that burned across 50 acres before merging with the original fire the helicopter was working to subdue.
The pilot of the Bell UH-1H helicopter was the only person on board and has not yet been identified. The helicopter was described as 'Call When Needed', meaning that it was privately owned but contracted out to help the government respond to emergencies.
The tragic news came as two dozen major wildfires continue tearing across California - forcing 22,000 people to evacuate and prompting Governor Gavin Newsom to order a state of emergency.
At least 23 massive fires, some ignited by lightning strikes and fueled by a historic heat wave and high winds, stretch from Napa, Sonoma, San Mateo and Contra Costa counties, and have triggered rolling power blackouts and unhealthy air quality across the region.
Over the last 72 hours 10,849 lightning strikes were reported statewide, sparking roughly 367 new fires the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a press conference Wednesday.
So far authorities believe the fires have burned through 330,000 acres and have released so much smoke that it is visible from space via satellite imagery.
Travis Air Force Base in Solano County announced an evacuation of all non-mission essential personnel on Wednesday evening as fires moved in to the area.
A pilot was killed when his helicopter crashed during a water dropping mission over the Hills Fire in Fresno County on Wednesday morning. Pictured: A chopper navigates smokey skies to dump water over a blaze in Carmel Valley on Wednesday
About two dozen large wildfires are blazing across the state California - forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate and prompting Governor Gavin Newsom to order a state of emergency. Firefighters are seen attempting to extinguish the Hennessey Fire near Vacaville on Wednesday
Over the last 72 hours 10,849 lightning strikes were reported statewide, sparking roughly 367 new fires, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a press conference Wednesday. Pictured: A rare lightning storm crackles over Mitchell's Cove in Santa Cruz at around 3am Sunday
Over the last 72 hours with 10,849 lightning strikes were reported statewide, sparking roughly 367 new fires the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Wednesday. A car burns as firefighters attempt to extinguish the Hennessey Fire near Vacaville in Northern California on Wednesday
Bill Nichols, 84, works to save his home as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through Vacaville, California on Wednesday
A firefighter from Santa Barbara County Fire lights a backburn on Buck Mountain to fight the Carmel Fire near Carmel Valley
A home does up in flames as fires with the LNU Lightning Complex tear through Vacaville on Wednesday
A staggering aerial view of the fire shows how the LNU Lightning fire is razing the mountains of Vacaville and Napa County
Smoke is seen outside Travis Air Force Base in Solano County before it was evacuated as fires descended on the area
This map by Cal Fire shows how blazes are raging up and down the entire state amid a historic heat wave, fueled by dry conditions, lightning strikes, and gusty winds
On Wednesday Gov. Newsom announced there are 23 major fires and 'complexes', which are comprised of smaller blazes, burning in the state. As of Wednesday evening the CZU August Lightning Complex, the LNU Lightning Complex and the Carmel fire were zero percent contained.
Much of the fires are affecting the San Francisco Bay Area, where thick smoke blanketed the city.
'We are experiencing fires the like of which we haven't seen in many, many years,' Newsom told a press conference, adding that he had requested 375 fire engines from out of state.
The helicopter that crashed on Wednesday morning was working to control one of the fires in the LNU Lightning Complex when it went down about 11 miles south of New Coalinga Municipal Airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be investigating the cause of the crash, which reportedly sparked yet another blaze that spread for about 50 acres.
NTSB spokeswoman Zoe Keliher confirmed that the registration number of the aircraft is N711GH.
FAA records show that the chopper was owned by Guardian Helicopters Inc of Van Nuys, California. DailyMail.com has reached out to the company for comment.
It took off from the New Coalinga Municipal Airport at 8.46am PST and crashed about an hour later.
Police and firefighters went door-to-door before dawn on Wednesday in a frantic scramble to warn residents to evacuate as the LNU Lightning Complex fires encroached on Vacaville, a city of about 100,000 between San Francisco and Sacramento.
Hours later the fire razed through, scorching trees and leaving burned animal carcasses behind.
Vacaville is now under red flag alert which means conditions are ideal for wildfires to spark and spread under hot, dry, windy weather.
'This is an incredibly emotional and stressful time for most of us who've endured a number of wildfires over the last few years,' said Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick.
'We realize that this is a trigger point for many of you.'
John Gardiner, 60, stayed up all night after receiving an alert from a neighbor of oncoming fire just before midnight. His house and neighbors' homes were still safe, but he worried that could change with crews anticipating hot winds.
'It was incredible - things swirling, winds just whipping through like a howling, ripping sound and then you could hear explosions going off,' he said. 'You can taste smoke in your mouth.'
Victoria Gregorich, 54, said her family loaded up the car and left their Vacaville home after deputies came around 12.30am to tell them to evacuate. The fire destroyed her greenhouse, but the house was spared. Her neighbors were not so lucky.
'It's devastating,' she said. 'I just thank God we have our home.'
Elvis Castaneda, 28, and his father, Silverio, spent the night moving ranching equipment to a safer location, removing vegetation and making firebreaks with their tractor around friends' properties.
'We couldn't see the flames, but the sky was pretty orange, and we knew it was coming our way,' Elvis Castaneda said.
He said he drove home at 3am and started packing documents, photos, passports and his guns after hearing that his girlfriend´s family, who live two miles away, were told to evacuate and move all their farm animals to safety. He got the order to leave after dawn Wednesday.
Fire officials said at least 50 structures were destroyed and 50 were damaged and that four people were injured.
The LNU Lightning Complex fire is rushing through Vacaville as the Woodward Fire has scorched through 700 acres in Point Reyes National Seashore.
Resident Diane Bustos said she and her husband tried to drive out but their vehicle caught on fire and they were forced to flee the flames on foot.
'I got all these flames on me and I lost my shoe, but I made it. God saved me,' she said to KPIX-TV.
The LNU Lightning Complex is a group of separate fires in Northern California that stretches across five counties, including Napa, Sonoma, Solano and Yolo, after it ignited on Tuesday night.
Some of the fires are believed to have merged for an estimated 124,000 decimated acres.
Nearly 600 firefighters are assigned to fighting that fire alone as it threatens close to 2,000 structures.
At around 7pm Wednesday Travis Air Force Base announced immediate evacuations as the LNU Lightning Complex descended on its campus.
'The 60th AMW Commander has ordered mandatory evacuations for all non-mission essential personnel from Travis AFB through the North and South Gates effective immediately,' the base said in a Facebook post.
A woman named Mariah tweeted that she had already left the base and said that the Air Force was sending out updates about the fires every 15 to 20 minutes.
Pictured: The 'Call When Needed' helicopter that crashed on Wednesday morning, killing the pilot and sparking a 50-acre fire
Step leaders branch out from cloud to ground lightning strikes on Sunday as an early morning storm rips across the Santa Rosa plain near Healdsburg, California
Unrelenting blazes have created treacherous conditions for helicopters working to put them out. Pictured: A helicopter dumps water over the Lake Fire near Lake Hughes, California, on August 12
A firefighter looks on as a house is engulfed in flames in Vacaville, California by the LNU Lightning Complex fire
In this long exposure photograph, flames consumes both sides of a segment of Lake Berryessa during the Hennessey fire in the Spanish Flat area of Napa, California on Tuesday
An airplane drops fire retardant over homes in the Spanish Flat area of Napa late Tuesday against a fiery orange sky
An American flag blows in the wind by a burning home in Vacaville during the LNU Lightning Complex fire on Wednesday
An outbuilding burns as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through the Spanish Flat area of unincorporated Napa County
The devastation of a burned down home in Vacaville during the LNU Lightning Complex fire pictured Wednesday as the state was in a state of emergency, reeling from a series of fast-moving fires
The LNU Lightning Complex is a group of separate fires in Northern California that stretches across five counties, including Sonoma and Napa, that sparked Tuesday night. Some are believed to have merged for an estimated 42,000 decimated acres. Its devastation in Vacaville above on Wednesday
A dead cow rests on the side of a road after the LNU Lightning Complex fires tore through Vacaville on Wednesday
San Mateo Cal Fire Firefighter Neil Wild works to cool some hot spots at a home that was destroyed during the River Fire along Pine Canyon Road in Monterey County on Wednesday
Some parts of the state, including Vacaville and Napa County, are covered in such thick smoke it's visible from outer space
Aerial footage shows black plumes of smoke rising from dense forests that caught on fire in the LNU Lightning Complex Fire in Vacaville and Napa County
Officials do not have a clear number on exactly how many people have been told to leave their homes.
State Sen. Bill Dodd, who represents the area, said the fires burning in Napa and Sonoma counties were mostly affecting less populated areas.
But Christopher Godley, Sonoma County's emergency management director, warned that resources are being stretched thin.
'It's difficult to second-guess what the fire commanders are doing with their aircraft. But it's not like last year when we saw just a huge wealth of resources flowing into the county,' he said. 'It is what it is.'
The cluster of wine country fires threaten an area that only last year grappled with another massive blaze that forced 200,000 to flee - a task made more complicated this year because of the pandemic.
In San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, about 22,000 people were ordered to evacuate because of the CZU Lightning Complex - a group of five large fires that have razed at least 10,000 acres of dense wooded parkland, threatening communities.
'This is a very active timber fire burning in two counties with a serious threat to both public safety and for structures that are out in front of it,' Cal Fire spokesman Jonathan Cox said.
To tackle this inferno nearly 600 personnel and seven helicopters have been dispatched. At least three first responders have been injured working to put out these fires.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said that complex and others were exhibiting 'extreme fire behavior' and challenging firefighters. There is rugged terrain in several of the areas and unexpectedly strong winds overnight fanned the flames.
'Throughout the state of California right now, we are stretched thin for crews. Air resources have been stretched thin throughout the whole state,' Will Powers, a state fire spokesman, said.
Cox, the Cal Fire spokesman, also said that resources are strapped across the state.
'We're in the unfortunate position where firefighters are going to be spending several days out on the fire line,' he said. 'It's grueling, it's exhausting.'
A Huntington Beach firefighter battles the LNU Lightning Complex fires on Serenity Hills Road in Vacaville on Wednesday
Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires jump Interstate 80 in Vacaville on Wednesday as cars flee the area
A home in Vacaville goes up in flames as the LNU Lightning Complex forced widespread evacuations
Fire moves toward homes south of Serenity Hills Road during the LNU Lightning Complex fires on Wednesday in Vacaville
A CalFire crew from Coulterville takes a break while fighting the River Fire near Salinas on Wednesday
Smoke billows from the charred remains of a home on Pleasants Valley Road in Vacaville on Wednesday
Firefighters douse water on a burning structure during the LNU Lighting Complex Fire on the outskirts of Vacaville
In the East San Francisco Bay, a cluster of 20 separate lightning-sparked fires dubbed the SCU Lightning Complex threatened about 1,400 structures and razed at least 102,000 acres. Strong winds and low humidity made the firefight challenging, and at least two first responders have been injured.
The fires in the SCU Lightning Complex had been burning in relatively remote, dense brush until strong winds overnight Tuesday pushed them into more populated areas, merging some of the fires together.
Blazes engulfed rural and forest areas near the San Francisco Bay Area, near Salinas in Monterey County, around Oroville Dam north of Sacramento, forested areas west of Silicon Valley, in remote Mendocino County and near the Nevada state line north of Lake Tahoe.
To the south, evacuations were ordered for all of Boulder Creek to the west of Silicon Valley, a community of 5,000 high in the Santa Cruz mountains where windy, long, forested roads, some paved, some dirt, can easily become blocked during storms or fires. About 6,000 structures were threatened by that blaze.
On Wednesday Gov. Gavin Newsom announced there are 23 major fires and complexes burning in the state. As of Wednesday evening the CZU August Lightning Complex, the LNU Lightning Complex and the Carmel fire were zero percent contained
The San Francisco skyline is barely visible through smoke from wildfires on Wednesday
A man prepares to hose down a shop as flames from the Hennessey fire rage through the Spanish Flat area of Napa, California on Tuesday
Horses stand in an enclosure as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through the Spanish Flat community in unincorporated Napa County on Tuesday
Members of the Grizzly Firefighters work against the Carmel Fire near Carmel Valley, California on Tuesday
Several fires are also burning in Southern California - where an eight-day-old blaze grew to more than 40 square miles near Lake Hughes in northern Los Angeles County mountains.
Chewing through century-old fir, oak and pine, the fire continued to be a threat to 4,570 structures after destroying a dozen.
A heat wave in the West has brought record triple digit temperatures which have in part encouraged the wildfires
Dangerously hot weather and rough terrain challenged firefighters' efforts to increase containment, currently estimated at 38 percent.
Across the West Coast, nearly 45 million people are under heat warnings and advisories on Wednesday.
California has seen at least seven temperatures broken hitting triple digit temperatures - including a staggering 111 degrees recorded in Paso Robles on Tuesday.
A few hundred miles east, drought stricken Colorado faced its second-largest wildfire in history on Wednesday.
The Pine Gulch blaze has produced its own weather system with thunder and lightning as it burned across 125,100 acres.
It covers an area larger than the city of Denver, in remote mountain terrain about 20 miles north of Grand Junction, authorities said.
Smoke rises from the LNU Lightning Complex wildfires as seen from an AlertWildfire camera looking east from Mount St. Helena, north of Calistoga, California on Tuesday
A view of the LNU Lightning Complex fire seen above as captured by the Mount Konocti fire camera in Northern California
This view shows how burning mountains have become completely covered in smoke in California
