California Pleads For Help In Fighting Lightning-Spawned Fires, Which Are Now Hitting Central Coast Surf Spots

Is it fire season already? Christ. 

Reports from Northern and Central California reveal that record heats and lightning storms have resulted in over 300 known fires and mass evacuations in the state. 

Gavin Newsom is now asking for supplies and (wo)manpower from fire departments across the US. 

In a recent tweet, he said: 

“CA has experienced 10,849 lightning strikes in the last 72 hours and WORLD RECORD heat temperatures. We’re currently battling 367 known fires. Grateful for our firefighters, first responders, and everyone on the frontlines protecting Californians during this time.”

From the Washington Post:

There, the LNU Lightning Complex of fires, which has burned more than 46,000 acres in Sonoma, Lake, Napa and Solano counties, advanced into the community overnight and into the predawn hours, prompting urgent evacuations with social media reports of homes consumed by flames as residents fled. This complex includes the Hennessey Fire which has charred 12,500 acres in Napa County.

Waddell Creek, yesterday.

So, what does this have to do with surfing?

On a macro level, these record temps and unseasonal lightning storms could be pretty easily tied to climate change, which will inevitably alter just about everything in our world—surfing largely included. In a more proximal sense, certain Central Cal surf breaks, such as Waddell Creek (once the site of a wave-starved Cold Water Classic and last year’s Stab wetsuit test), were enflamed as recently as yesterday. 

We’ll leave the “firing” puns alone.