"Last week, on Tuesday afternoon, Erika Kay walked into her yard in Chinese Camp as pieces of ash the size of her hand fell from the sky. Lightning had sparked a wildfire in the hills a few miles away, and she'd been watching the smoke grow thicker all day. But seeing chunks of ash drift down from the sky was the moment she realized she needed to leave her home of 20 years."
"The TCU September Lightning Complex included more than 20 lightning-sparked wildfires in four counties that spanned the foothills of the central Sierra Nevada, east of Modesto. All told, the complex has burned nearly 14,000 acres. In the swirl of so many fires that consumed the Sierra Nevada foothills all at once, Chinese Camp burned to the ground in what felt like a blip. Another California town gone, claimed by wildfire, forever lost."
Lightning from September storms sparked more than 20 wildfires in four counties across the central Sierra Nevada foothills, ultimately burning nearly 14,000 acres. In Chinese Camp, ash fell like hand-sized pieces and a resident, Erika Kay, hurriedly evacuated with pets and a single pineapple after watching smoke thicken and realizing she needed to leave her 20-year home. The TCU September Lightning Complex produced fires ranging from under an acre to thousands of acres, overwhelming the region. Chinese Camp had buildings dating to the Gold Rush and a dwindling population of 61, but within a day the wildfire incinerated the town.
Read at SFGATE
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