1.35M Acres Burn in 700 California Fires Since Aug 15

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As of Thursday, more than 15,600 firefighters were battling more than two dozen fires considered “major,” along with hundreds of smaller blazes.

Many of these fires were caused by lightning strikes.

“Firefighters continue to monitor for additional lightning strike wildfires,” the state agency said Thursday in a fire briefing. “Firefighters have increased containment at a faster rate than before as weather conditions have returned to a more predictable seasonal nature.”

Here are a few of the major stats:

14,000: The number of lightning strikes recorded since Aug. 15.
700+: The number of wildfires sparked in the same time period.
1.35 million: How many acres have burned in this firestorm.
7: The number of lives lost.
1,890: The number of structures destroyed