VACAVILLE, Calif. • A pilot battling a fire in central California died after his helicopter crashed Wednesday morning.

Cal Fire said in a statement that a Call When Needed helicopter crashed while fighting a wildfire in western Fresno County. The Bell UH-1H helicopter was on a water dropping mission on the Hills fire, about 9 miles south of Coalinga.

The pilot was the only one on board. The Fresno Sheriff’s Office was called shortly after 11 a.m. to assist in a search and rescue mission.

Crews were battling wildfires in the San Francisco Bay Area and thousands of people were under orders to evacuate as hundreds of wildfires blazed across the state amid a blistering heat wave now in its second week.

Gov. Gavin Newsom blamed “this extraordinary weather we’re experiencing and all of these lightning strikes” for 367 known fires, including 23 major fires or groups of fires. He said the state has recorded nearly 11,000 lightning strikes in 72 hours.

Police and firefighters went door-to-door before dawn Wednesday in a frantic scramble to warn residents to evacuate as fire encroached on Vacaville, a city of about 100,000 between San Francisco and Sacramento. At least 50 structures were destroyed, including some homes, and 50 damaged.

A helicopter involved in fighting fires crashed in Coalinga Wednesday morning, said Tony Botti, spokesman for the Fresno County sheriff’s office. He said their search and rescue team was called in to help around shortly after 11 a.m. but did not have any details.

“This is an incredibly emotional and stressful time for most of us who’ve endured a number of wildfires over the last few years,” said Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick.

Ash and smoke filled the air in San Francisco, which is surrounded by wildfires burning in multiple counties to the north, east and south. The LNU Lightning fire is made up of several fires burning in five counties north of San Francisco, including in Vacaville, and had consumed 72 square miles as of Wednesday morning.

John Gardiner, 60, stayed up all night after receiving an alert from a neighbor of oncoming fire around just before midnight. His house and neighbors’ homes were still safe, but he worried that could change as crews anticipate hot winds Wednesday afternoon.

“It was incredible, things swirling, winds just whipping through like a howling ripping sound and then you could hear explosions going off,” he said. “You can taste smoke in your mouth.”

Victoria Gregorich, 54, said her family loaded up the car and left their Vacaville home after deputies rang the gate around 12:30 a.m. to tell them to evacuate. The fire destroyed her greenhouse, but the house was spared.

Bill Nichols, 84, works to save his home as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through Vacaville, Calif., on Wednesday. Nichols has lived in the home for 77 years. Fire crews across the region scrambled to contain dozens of wildfires sparked by lightning strikes as a statewide heat wave continues.

the associated press