Fire burns historic mining town Chinese Camp after more than 10,000 lightning strikes across CA
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- An explosion of new wildfires across Northern California is being linked to lightning, with more than 10,000 strikes across the state on Tuesday.
At least one fire is burning homes in the historic Gold Rush town of Chinese Camp, and several others are forcing evacuations in the Sierra foothills.
VIDEO: Wildfire sparked by lightning burns historic NorCal mining town
Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties have been hit hardest.
CAL FIRE is now lumping several fires in those counties into the "TCU September Lightning Complex." The complex is burning over 12,400 acres as of Wednesday morning, according to Cal Fire.
MAP: Track wildfires across California
Video shows a house fully engulfed in flames in the foothills of the Sierra, specifically in an unincorporated community in Tuolumne County called Chinese Camp.
"There's a house burning behind me right now, it's kinda sad watching the houses burn up," nearby resident Salena Moyoe said.
Sadly, this fire is one of more than 30 that are active in California right now.
"We had thunder and lightning this morning, I'm assuming that's how it started, that's my guess," Moyoe said.
Pickett Fire live updates: All evacuations, warnings lifted, CAL FIRE says
Lightning could even be seen from the Bay Area. Video recorded early Tuesday morning in Belmont shows lit up skies, but viewers told ABC7 News they saw lightning or heard thunder in Colma, Pittsburg, Clayton, San Jose, and even Petaluma.
"There is ground to cloud lightning, as a matter of fact," ABC7 News Meteorologist Sandhya Patel said. "The dry lightning that did occur, occurred in San Benito, Monterey, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, and Alameda counties."
While the lightning threat has subsided, fires from those past strikes are still possible.
"Lightning strikes are super unpredictable and we will generally see fires begin, of course immediately, but up to a week, maybe two weeks sometimes, especially out in the forests," CalFire Battalion Chief David Acuna said.
Sadly, in Chinese Camp, the damage has already been done.
"It was a quiet little place, really; it will be pretty quiet now because there's really nothing left," said Moyoe.
VIDEO: Eerie orange haze, ash blankets Santa Cruz neighborhood near CZU Complex Fire
California just marked five years since several lightning complex fires that destroyed thousands of homes.
Three of them remain in the state's top ten largest wildfires on record.
The LNU Lightning Complex burned nearly 1,500 buildings across the North Bay in August 2020.
In the South Bay, another set of fires burned from Santa Clara County down to Big Basin State Park.
A look at the historic Chinese Camp damaged by lightning strikes; Bay Area firefighters help battle wildfire
Nearly two dozen lightning strike fires have burned about 20 square miles in the Sierra Nevada about 120 miles east of San Francisco.
Bay Area crews are now on the scene to help.
Several wildfires exploded Tuesday --most likely linked to lightning, according to fire officials.
The fires have forced people to evacuate their homes in the Sierra foothills in Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties.
One fire devastated the historic Gold Rush town of Chinese Camp which has about 100 residents.
It has closed a highway that's the main road between San Francisco and Yosemite National Park.
It has torched several buildings including the town's historic post office that has been there since 1854.
"It was a quiet little place really. It will be pretty quiet now because there's really nothing left," said Salena Moyoe, a Chinese Camp resident.
Online, a plea for help for one family left homeless after the fire tore through Chinese Camp. The couple and their dogs escaped injury, but they lost everything.
This is how the area looks from above on Wednesday, the communities below leveled and smoldering.
State fire officials believe the wildfires in the Sierra Nevada region were likely sparked by lightning early Tuesday between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m.
"We had a dry lightning fire come through pretty much from south of kings county all the way up to Sacramento," said David Acuna, a CAL FIRE Battalion Chief. "Statewide we saw 16,750 lightning strikes within Tuolumne Calaveras, we had 22 distinct fires."
So far, the fires in Calaveras and Tuolumne County have charred about 13, 300 acres.
It's still burning out of control.
Bay Area crews from Alameda Fire and Marin County fire have sent strike teams like this one to help.
"Marin County Fire has sent our strike team 91-50 Charlie and that's made up of 5 engines which totals about 17 firefighters," said Mari Ochoa with Marin County Fire Department.
Fire fighters say they are facing an uphill battle trying to get control of the wildfires.
"With lightning fires are so unpredictable, some of them are right against the road which make it relatively simple for ff to engage. However, many of the fires are way out in the hills in rugged steep country and difficult for ff to access," said Acuna. "We may see more fires evolve as the hotter drier winder conditions persist."
