Multiple fires raced through Northern California’s drought-hit wine country, shutting Interstate 80 at Fairfield about 35 miles (56 km) southwest of Sacramento as flames leapt across the highway, trapping motorists caught in a hectic evacuation.
A Firefighting helicopter pilot was killed and dozens of homes burned in California on Wednesday as lightning sparked hundreds of fast-moving blazes, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their dwellings.The blazes are thought to have been sparked by a heatwave combined with nearly 11,000 lightning strikes which have hit the state over the last three days.
Earlier this week, one of the highest ever temperatures on Earth was recorded in California’s Death Valley. Across the US western states on Wednesday, nearly 45 million people were living in areas under some form of excessive heat warning or heat advisory.
Thousands of people have had to flee their homes in areas near San Francisco after several quick-moving wildfires swept into the region.Most at risk is the city of Vacaville, home to about 100,000, which lies between San Francisco and Sacramento.Officials went door-to-door overnight in a frantic effort to clear homes.According to fire officials, 50 structures have burned down in Vacaville, with another 50 damaged by the fire.
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