Firefighters began reaching some level of containment in the LNU Lightning Complex fires in Sonoma, Napa, and Solano counties Thursday night, but the level of destruction and death stemming from the fires has climbed to at least 480 structures and five lives.
A man who has not yet been publicly identified was found dead Thursday during damage assessment rounds in Solano County. The man's remains were found in the English Hills area near Pleasant Valley Road, west of Vacaville, and as ABC 7 reports, the Solano County Sheriff has confirmed that the man "succumbed to the fire" and was found on the road.
Three other deceased people were found in a burned home in Napa County on Wednesday, and their remains were recovered on Thursday, according to the Napa County Sheriff's Office via NBC News. Further information about the three dead or where they were found has not been released, but the Napa Valley Register tellingly included a photo of the decimated Spanish Flat Mobile Villa, a mobile home park on the shore of Lake Berryessa that was among the first group of structures destroyed in the fires.
A fifth death connected to the fire occurred Wednesday night, when a Vacaville-based PG&E worker was killed while assisting firefighters. As KCRA reports, the worker was found unresponsive in his vehicle in the Gates Canyon area, which potentially points to a death by smoke inhalation.
A total of 480 structures have been confirmed destroyed — and news reports suggest that many of those are in the Vacaville area. Additionally, 125 structures are listed as damaged, but damage assessments continue to be conducted and these numbers are expected to climb.
The LNU Lightning Complex grew only modestly overnight, as the Napa Valley Register reports, despite expanding by 100,000 acres since Thursday morning. And firefighters for the first time say they gained an upper hand on the eastern portions of the fire complex, which is now 7-percent contained.
An evacuation order was lifted today for the portion of the Silverado Trail in Napa between Rosedale Road and Highway 29.
On the Sonoma County front of the fire, which is burning in the area of Armstrong Woods and the Dry Creek Valley north of the Russian River, CalFire has said their number-one priority is keeping the flames out of the towns of Healdsburg and Guerneville. All of Guerneville was evacuated on Wednesday, and western parts of Healdsburg have evacuated as well, though the city of Healdsburg is still under only an evacuation warning as of Friday morning.
The Walbridge Fire, as this portion of the complex is called, is still zero-percent contained, and stands at 21,125 acres. The Meyers Fire north of Jenner did not grow since Thursday, and remains at 3,000 acres and zero-percent contained, per CalFire.
Related: Fire Updates: LNU Complex Grows To 205 Square Miles, Two People Have Died
Top Photo: A local resident stands next to a vineyard while watching the LNU Lightning Complex fire burning in nearby hills on August 20, 2020 in Healdsburg, California. The LNU Lightning Complex fire is spread over 5 counties and has burned over 130,000 acres. The out-of-control wildfire has destroyed at least 50 homes and is zero percent contained. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
