CZU Lightning Complex Fires Controlled, 4 Months Post-Ignition

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — Four months after the CZU Lightning Complex fires were sparked by an August lightning storm along the Santa Cruz Mountains, Cal Fire CZU has declared the blaze controlled.

That means the Cal Fire branch that oversees San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties believes there is no chance of reignition. Cal Fire CZU Chief Ian Larked made the declaration on the evening of Dec. 23, but the news was announced Monday.

"We were at a point where we felt comfortable calling it controlled," he said in a news release. "We had finished mitigating most of the fire suppression activities."

In all, the blaze killed one person and scorched more than 85,500 acres and destroyed nearly 1,500 buildings across San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, though communities in the mountains of Santa Cruz County sustained most of the damage. The region was blanketed in ash and Big Basin Redwoods State Park was forced to close indefinitely due to damage.

As rain begins to fall on the CZU Lightning Complex burn scar, the community now worries about mudflow and debris flow — a risk in sloped areas in the wake of a large wildfire. Debris flow can cause more injuries than the wildfire itself, according to Santa Cruz County.

"Expansion of human development into forested areas has created a situation where wildfires can adversely affect lives and property, as can the flooding and landslides that occur in the aftermath of the fires," according to the U.S. Geological Survey.