Forest fires have caused more than 10,000 lightning strikes across California.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency after 367 fires hit the state, 23 of which are considered major. They were the result of hot weather and more than 10,000 lightning strikes in the past few days. This is the worst thunderstorm in the state in ten years.
Fires have already destroyed 330 thousand acres of land. The region has so much smoke that it can be seen from space through satellite imagery.
The blaze engulfed 46,000 acres of hills and mountains around Fairfield and, in particular, the neighboring town of Vacaville. According to BBC News, about 100,000 people live in Vacaville. There were destroyed at least 50 houses, another 50 were damaged by fires.
These LNU Lightning Complex Fire photos by the @ AP's Noah Berger are terrifying. Here's the @latimes story on the fires raging in Northern California: https://t.co/cmvFo9MNZd pic.twitter.com/510xr1R9sk
— Daniel Miller (@DanielNMiller) August 20, 2020
Thousands of people across the state have been ordered to evacuate their homes, many of whom have received mandatory evacuation orders.
Wildfires are exacerbating the state's extremely high temperatures. On Sunday, August 16, in Death Valley, California, temperatures reached 130 ° F (54.4 ° C), which may be considered the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth.
