Culver City Observer -

Many of the wildfires burning in California today were caused by a perfect storm of extreme heat and consequential lightning.

The heat was generated by a strong ridge of high pressure over the western U.S., which also produced an onslaught of thunderstorms and lightning that ignited the blazes — often pushed by strong winds.

In Solano County, a rural area southeast of Vacaville, evacuation orders were given to 8,000 residents — some fled for the first time ever.

“I’ve lived here for 30 years, never had to evacuate before,” resident Tim Lukehart said. “There’s been fires of cou...