9 Wildfires Currently Raging in California

Nine wildfires began raging around California's Bay Area over the weekend. The Mercury News shared a map of where the fires are located, with the one furthest south is past San Jose. Sacramento is the city closest to the most north fire.

The first fire is the Quail Fire, which reportedly started on Saturday afternoon. By 9 p.m. local time, it had burned 1,200 acres, and roughly 100 structures were threatened by it. Then there were the Lakeville and Gulch Fires, which sparked less than a mile from one another. The Lakeville Fire started Friday afternoon and burned about around 150 acres before it was contained on Saturday. The Gulch Fire began on Saturday, and by around 7 p.m. it had burned up over 100 acres. There is no word on if the two fires are in any way connected, thought their close proximity is certainly notable. The McGary Fire started on Friday afternoon and was contained at 117 acres. In total, 12 houses were threatened by the flames, but none were damaged.

On Wednesday, the Wildlife Fire started due to a makeshift cooking grill. The fire hit 300 acres and is currently burning out in an isolated marshland area. However, it totally destroyed four houses, and damaged seven others, during its rage. The Birds Landing Fire started on Friday afternoon and burned up a wind turbine and some grass. It was contained on Friday evening at about 300 acres.

The Willow Fire started on Saturday afternoon, and was mostly contained by 8 P.M. It burned about 135 acres. The Patterson Pass fire started on Friday afternoon, causing the Altamont Corridor Express train to have to be held at a siding due to damage to the tracks. Passengers were shuttled away in taxis. Finally, there is the Colleen Fire started on Thursday night in San Jose. By 7 P.M. on Saturday it had burned 126 acres, and was about 95% contained.

In addition to the numerous wildfires, firefighters also battled a large structure fire in San Lorenzo on Friday night. According to The Mercury News, the roof of the Lorenzo Theater — a historic building in the city — was nearly burned up entirely by the blaze. Crews had it contained around 9 P.M. The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for areas affected by the fies, with sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph. Those winds came with gusts of up to 40 mph.