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Fire crews made more headway against the SCU Lightning Complex wildfire burning in parts of seven counties south of the Tri-Valley, increasing the containment level to 55% amid minor growth of the fire zone, Cal Fire said on Sunday evening.
Weather conditions remained favorable during Saturday and Sunday — and could continue into the week ahead — but weekend wind patterns also contributed to more smoky conditions and poor air quality in the Bay Area.
“Firing operations are continuing with favorable weather conditions. The extremely dense brush is slowing the operation but is showing good consumption. Minor spots across the narrow control lines have resulted in small spot fires that were quickly picked up,” Cal Fire stated in its 7 p.m. update on Sunday.
Some evacuation orders and warnings are still in effect, including a longstanding warning for rural unincorporated Tri-Valley to the far south and east, as firefighters prepare for changing conditions that could impede their progress or result in other fires. A vegetation fire unrelated to the SCU Lightning Complex ignited off Raymond Road in Livermore on Sunday afternoon, but crews used ground and aerial attacks to contain the blaze to 17 acres in less than an hour.
Now raging into its third week, the SCU Lightning Complex began as 20 different wildland fires sparked by lightning on Aug. 16 but eventually merged into one major fire that is broken into two branches.
As of Sunday evening, the SCU Lightning Complex stood at 378,157 acres in mainly rural vegetative land in parts of Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced and San Benito counties.
There have been no fatalities reported so far, but five injuries have occurred — three first-responders and two civilians. In total, 40 buildings and 64 minor structures were destroyed, 18 other structures were damaged and another 20,065 structures remained under threat.
Containment, which was difficult to come by during the first week but improved as more favorable weather conditions arrived starting last Monday, increased by 15% to 55% overall between Friday evening and Sunday evening.
Nearly 2,000 personnel were assigned to the SCU Lightning Complex.
“Highs this afternoon ranged from the mid-80s where smoke was heavy to mid-90s over the interior portions in Stanislaus County. Humidity values remained low with readings from 15-25% over most of the fire area,” Cal Fire officials said on Sunday evening.
“The marine inversion layer remained around 2,000 feet. On the fire lines, winds remained light from the southwest while winds aloft blew from the east, pushing high level smoke over the Santa Clara Valley,” they said, adding:
“High pressure continues to strengthen tonight into next week with continued warming and drying as the marine layer compresses. Highs well into the 90s with low humidity from 15-25% continuing along with little or no nighttime humidity recovery.”
As of Sunday evening, the evacuation warning for rural unincorporated Tri-Valley to the south and east still remained in effect due to potential fire danger.
The warning applied generally south of Interstate 580 and east of Highway 84. It excluded the cities of Pleasanton and Livermore, as well as some more-populated unincorporated areas.
The evacuation warning area for unincorporated parts of the Tri-Valley (“Zone 15A”) includes south of Tesla Road, south of the Livermore city limits (excluding the cities of Livermore and Pleasanton); south of Highway 84 in between Vineyard Avenue and I-680; south of I-680 to the fire perimeter and the Alameda/Santa Clara county line; and west of the Alameda/San Joaquin county line to the Livermore city limits to Calaveras Road.
It also includes north of the fire perimeter and the Alameda/Santa Clara county lines to Highway 84 to the Livermore city limits to I-580.
Evacuation warning Zone 15B is south of Welch Creek Road to the fire perimeter and the Alameda/Santa Clara county line; and east of Calaveras Road at Welch Creek Road to the fire perimeter.
Two other parts of Alameda County were downgraded from an evacuation order to an evacuation warning over the weekend: Zone 12 (all of Mines Road, south of mile marker 10 to the county line) and Zone 15F (south of fire perimeter to the Alameda/Santa Clara county line).
The warning zones do not include the incorporated cities of Livermore or Pleasanton, as well as some unincorporated areas in Pleasanton close to the city such as Happy Valley, Castlewood and Foothill Road. Additionally, the warning zone does not include anything north of I-580 such as Dublin or west of I-680 such as parts of Pleasanton.
Evacuation information related to the SCU Complex fires can be found on the Cal Fire website.
