"It was incredible, a whirlpool took things away": Rare summer storms start fires in California

Thousands of residents of the San Francsico Bay area, California, received evacuation orders Wednesday due to the threat of fires, as fire crews around the state fight to put out hundreds of out-of-control fires.

Governor Gavin Newsom attributed the more than 360 fires on record, including the 23 largest, to the extraordinary heat wave looming over California and thunderstorms that have occurred in recent days.

In the last 72 hours, around 11,000 lightning strikes have been reported , caused by an unusual summer storm that has caused several large fires, according to the California Department of Fire Protection ( Cal Fire ).

In response, Newsom declared a state of emergency for California on Tuesday.

A firefighting vehicle passes a fire on the Pleasants Valley Highway near Winters, California; on August 19, 2020. AP

Cal Fire issued multiple evacuation orders for all Santa Cruz County residents just before dawn, asking them to move away or take shelter at the county fairgrounds in Watsonville, about 40 miles south of downtown San Jose .

Hours earlier, just before midnight, Cal Fire also ordered evacuations in neighboring San Mateo County , and asked residents to leave or take refuge at Pescadero High School, which is about 40 miles south. from San Francisco International Airport.

Those two counties are in the middle of five fires, dubbed the CZU August Lightning Complex , that have already burned 10,000 acres.

[Power outages are avoided for millions of people in California for now. But the heat emergency continues]

The fires started Monday night and by Wednesday morning firefighters had failed to contain them.  

Witnesses and reporters showed  houses and other structures engulfed in flames . Many evacuees fled with only their sleeping clothes, forced to run away and with only a few minutes to spare. 

Ash and smoke covered the sky over San Francisco , which has been surrounded by wildfires to the north, east and south.

84-year-old Bill Nichols tries to save his home from the flames of the LNU fire in Vacaville, California; on August 19, 2020.AP

John Gardiner , 60, stayed up all night after a neighbor alerted him to a fire approaching them just before midnight. Their homes are still safe, but that could change with the warm winds that were forecast Wednesday afternoon.

"It was amazing, a whirlpool took things away, the winds just whipped like a heartbreaking howl and then there were explosions," he said. "You can taste the smoke in your mouth."

[Extreme heat alert continues in California]

Victoria Gregorich , 54, said her family packed everything they could into the car and left their home in Vacaville after officers knocked on the door at around 12:30 a.m. to ask them to evacuate. The fire destroyed her greenhouse, but the house was saved.

His neighbors were not so lucky.

"It's devastating," he said. "I just thank God that we have our home."

Elvis Castañeda , 28, and his father Silverio spent the night moving the livestock equipment to a safer location, clearing vegetation and digging a firebreak ditch with his tractor around their friends' properties.

[A tornado of fire, new power outages, “unhealthy” air: heat wave punishes California and continues in other states]

"We couldn't see the flames, but the sky was pretty orange and we knew they were coming our way, " Elvis Castañeda said.

The young man returned home at 3:00 a.m. and began packing legal documents, photos, passports and his firearms, after hearing that his girlfriend's family, who lives on a ranch three kilometers away, he was told to evacuate and move all his farm animals to keep them safe.

In San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, about 22,000 people were evacuated due to a fire burning in a dense wooded natural park that threatened communities, Cal Fire spokesman Jonathan Cox said.

Fires have also swept through parts of Salinas, in Monterey County; North Sacramento; forested areas of Silicon Valley; remote Mendocino County and the area north of Lake Tahoe.

While summer is the busiest time of year in California, this year has been particularly productive.

According to Governor Newsom, there have been 6,754 fires so far in 2020, compared to 4,007 in the same period in 2019. A year earlier, the Camp Fire caused 86 deaths and the destruction of hundreds of homes. 

With information from The Associated Press and NBC News.