SOLANO COUNTY, Calif. — Some residents who barely escaped the fast-moving LNU Lightning Complex Fires in California wine country say they didn't get warnings or the alerts went out too late.
The state has made strides in updating its evacuation alert systems since failing to notify thousands of people in deadly fires in the same region three years ago. But gaps remain in the systems operated by each of the 58 counties, putting lives at risk. Residents say they need a seamless system that crosses county lines and gives clear, useful information about what's happening. Two counties say they're reviewing what went wrong when some people weren't notified to evacuate last week.
More than 50,000 people forced to flee their homes are being allowed to return after firefighters made progress in putting out massive and deadly wildfires in Northern California. Evacuation orders for more than 20,000 people in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties were lifted Wednesday and Thursday, and orders for another 35,000 people in the wine country also were downgraded.
California wildfires are slowly being corralled because of cooler, humid weather and reinforcements helping firefighters, with two of the largest fires in state history are both 35% contained.
The fires burning in and around Northern California have killed seven people.
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