By Kimberly Luste Maran — Angwin, California … As of Friday, August 21, 2020, several Adventist entities and institutions in Northern California have been evacuated due to wildfires that began several days ago when an unusual heat wave and storms in the region produced more than 10,000 lightning strikes.
Reports reveal that the LNU Lightning Complex Fire has burned more than 200,000 acres with 7 percent containment. At least four Bay Area people have been reported as dead, and several others have been injured due to the blaze.
Many residents have been evacuated, including those living on and near the campus of Pacific Union College (PUC). St. Helena Hospital, part of the Adventist Health network, has evacuated patients to nearby medical facilities. The LNU Lightning Complex Fire is “group” of fires burning in the same region that were sparked by lightning earlier this week.
PUC is currently under a mandatory evacuation with the surrounding Angwin community in response to the LNU Lightning Complex Fire in Napa County. The evacuation is a precautionary measure as the fire could pose a threat to Angwin, where PUC is located, if it moves south. A statement shared on the college’s website specified that “there is currently no immediate threat to the campus, and all faculty, staff, and students are safe and accounted for at this time.”
Twenty-five students were residing on campus at the time, all of whom were evacuated by 6:30 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, Aug. 19. Any evacuated students without a place to go have been placed in housing by PUC deans. Close to 300 PUC employees and their families were also evacuated along with the rest of Angwin’s estimated 3,000 residents.
College officials shared that at least twoPUC families have had their homes damaged or destroyed by the fire.
In its statement, PUC asks others to join them in praying for “our PUC family, our Angwin community, and our Napa County neighbors, as well as the Angwin Volunteer Fire Department and others responding. … Please pray for all those affected by the Lightning Complex fires.”
Adventist Health’s 151-bed St. Helena Hospital was also evacuated Wednesday night, Aug. 19, after Cal Fire issued a mandatory evacuation order. On its website, the hospital reported that “In accordance with the order, all surgical, lab, imaging and other procedures that were scheduled on the hospital campus are cancelled until further notice.”
All patients were safely relocated to other facilities, including Adventist Health Lodi Memorial, Adventist Health Ukiah Valley, Adventist Health Vallejo, Dameron Hospital, and Queen of the Valley Medical Center.
“Our patients are well cared for and safe. Please keep our team and their families in your prayers,” hospital officials said.
In addition to the hospital evacuation, more than 300 associates were evacuated from their homes. Adventist Health is providing emergency assistance to associates in need, and the Adventist Health Rapid Response fund is available. The fund was launched last year to help associates and communities in any devastating disaster or emergency, including the California wildfires. “Together, we can ensure our team of healthcare heroes receive the critical support they need,” officials added. Click here for more information.
—Kimberly Luste Maran is an associate director for the North American Division Office of Communication; photos supplied
**This article originally appeared on the Adventist Review website
