LNU Complex Fire Jumps Highway; Strike Teams From Oregon & Idaho Help On Front Lines
RUMSEY CANYON (CBS13) — The LNU Lightning Complex Fire jumped Highway 16 on Wednesday in Rumsey Canyon, prompting immediate evacuations in Yolo County.
The fire was originally sparked by last week's lightning storms and continues to be unpredictable.
"The number of fires that we've had in such a short amount of time and the way they've burned is pretty much unparalleled in my career," Cal Fire Deputy Chief Mike Parkes said.
With hundreds of fires statewide, Cal Fire's resources are stretched thin so they called for back up.
"California has a lot of fire on the ground. We try to get down here as quick as we can," Scott Cowan, a division chief from Albany, Oregon, said.
Strike teams from neighboring states including Oregon and Idaho are helping on the front lines.
"They call us up for a fire and it doesn't really matter where it is, we are happy to go," Seth Martin, a task force leader from Ketchum, Idaho, said.
Crews are coming from a total of nine western states to California's aid.
"You know what? California's come up and helped us out," Cowan said.
"We hope to return the favor," Parkes said.
As of Wednesday evening, the LNU Lightning Complex Fire has burned 360,868 acres and is 33% contained. Approximately 1,080 structures have been destroyed and five people have died in the fire.
In Yolo County, Zones 1 and 2 near Rumsey are still under mandatory evacuations while zone 3 remains under an evacuation warning.
Below is a map of the Yolo County evacuation zones.
