CZU lightning fires stand at 19 percent contained

The CZU Lightning Complex fires burning in northern Santa Cruz County and southern San Mateo County are 19 percent contained as of Wednesday morning.

Cal Fire officials said they’ve made good progress in the last couple days, which has led to approximately 77,000 evacuations in both counties. Six people remain missing.

Evacuation orders remain in place for communities in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties. The evacuation warning for some communities in Santa Clara County was lifted on Tuesday.

The fire is 80,137 acres in size. Thus far, 538 structures have been destroyed, 11 in San Mateo County and 527 in Santa Cruz County. More than 24,000 structures remain threatened.

Air patrols are also supporting ground troops and dropped 256,000 gallons of water on Tuesday. Helicopters have dropped over 1.6 million gallons of water onto the fires so far.

Fire officials again discouraged residents from sneaking into evacuation zones to check on property since sending search parties divides their resources. There is a team doing security checks to ensure there are no break-ins.

The unit on Tuesday received 14 calls for service, including a welfare check for a 63-year-old woman whom they found deceased of natural causes in her home, and one person who may have snuck back in to check on their property.

People can call (831) 471-1121 if they require services or a welfare check, or can view a damage assessment map online.

More information on the CZU fires, including evacuation orders, evacuation zones, road closures and evacuation centers, is also available.

For updates on the CZU fires, visit the CalFire CZU twitter account.