Sierra Storms Have Firefighters Watching For Dry Lightning

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The cause of many of California wildfires is still under investigation, but some of them can be linked to dry lightning.

With so many active wildfires, a lot of people may be wondering which of these fires are caused by man and how many are caused by Mother Nature.

The Sierra has been pretty active with thunderstorms in recent days. Based on data collected by Cal Fire, they say less than 10 percent of wildfires are caused by lightning strikes.

But several were sparked recently across the state, including one in the Tahoe National Forest that started at around 2 p.m. on Monday that was put out quickly.

Another blaze called the Mokelumne Fire in the Stanislaus National Forest continues to burn after scoring 100 acres so far.

Because of California's drought, there is plenty of fuel in the forests for a fire to spread from just one lightning strike.