SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California fire officials are cautiously optimistic after dodging a major lightning storm, but they are pleading with residents to stay out of evacuation zones and prepare for days away from home. Three massive San Francisco Bay Area wildfires rage on Monday, suffocating the region with smoky air. The wildfires have caused at least seven deaths. Gov. Gavin Newsom says this week will be critical as more than 14,000 firefighters battle 17 major fire complexes sparked by lightning sieges during hot weather. The blazes have destroyed about 1,200 homes and other buildings and singed coastal redwoods. Temperatures are expected to be hot again this week.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Scorched trees line a hillside at the border of Napa County, Calif., as the LNU Lightning Complex fires burn nearby on Monday, Aug. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
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