The California Wildfires in Pictures
Thousands of people were forced to flee their homes in Vacaville, a city of about 100,000 residents near Sacramento, as a combination of uncontrolled fires continued to threaten Northern California on Wednesday. That group of fires, known together as the L.N.U. Lightning Complex, has destroyed more than 50 homes and is threatening nearly 2,000 more buildings, the authorities said.
The fires spread more than 14,000 acres overnight and now cover 46,225 acres in Napa, Sonoma and Solano Counties — an area larger than the size of Washington, D.C. — and are completely uncontained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Four people have been injured in the fires.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Tuesday in response to the fires, which have hit the state as it battles the effects of a sweltering heat wave, rolling blackouts and the coronavirus pandemic. The governor also mobilized the California National Guard to assist with relief efforts.
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