The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says at least six people have died in fires sparked by lightning. Tens of thousands of Californians have been displaced by the firestorms following evacuation orders. The evacuations come in the midst of a heat wave and the corona virus pandemic, leaving people at risk in crowded shelters.

Al Arabiyya reports that firefighting crews have been severely depleted with some on the ground having worked 72-hour shifts. Efforts have been made to obtain reinforcements from outside the state. CalFire spokesperson Scott Ross said, “With no reserves coming, they just do what they’ve got to do. We’re stretched very thin.”

According to Al Arabiyya, an estimated 11,000 lightning strikes, in northern and central California, ignited almost 400 individual fires this week. Evacuations surged Thursday as concerned authorities feared that high heat and gusty winds could cause the fires to spread rapidly. Several major fires had more than doubled in size, and some had jumped across highways. These created over 20 major conflagrations, threatening thousands of homes and prompting the mass evacuations.

630,000 acres of land was scorched, destroying hundreds of homes and buildings.

Two people involved in fighting the fires died. One was the pilot of a firefighting helicopter which crashed during a water-dropping mission, and the other a utility crewman on duty helping clear electrical hazards for first-responders. CalFire officials reported four civilian fatalities in the same fire zone, where the utility worker had died.

With a prolonged heat wave, dry vegetation, and a series of electric storms, experts say this is just the beginning of the California fire season.

Umm Muhammed Umar