As of Thursday morning, Aug. 27, the CZU August Lightning Complex fires had:

• Spread to 81,333 acres, or 127 square miles;

• Destroyed at least 538 structures; and

• Triggered evacuations for more than 70,000 people (though the repopulation process has begun in some areas, including much of San Mateo County.)

Here's our guide to help you stay informed, receive help or provide support during the CZU fires.

How to stay informed

The Almanac is tracking the wildfires closely. You can get the latest stats and information about the fire on our "Tracking the Wildfires" story, which is updated twice daily.

Information from the Cal Fire San Mateo – Santa Cruz Unit is also available online at fire.ca.gov/CZU or on Twitter at @CALFIRECZU. For San Mateo County-specific information, including a map of road blocks and road closures, go to smcgov.org/smc-wildfire-response.

Get the latest updates on air quality at purpleair.com. Be sure to follow only the data from outdoor sensors on the website for more consistent air quality readings.

How to get help

Most of the evacuation orders in San Mateo County have been lifted, as of Thursday afternoon. See if your area has reopened here.

In San Mateo County, there are two evacuation centers: Half Moon Bay High School, at 1 Lewis Foster Drive in Half Moon Bay, which is reportedly at full capacity, and the San Mateo County Event Center at 1346 Saratoga Drive in San Mateo. Evacuees are being provided with hotel vouchers, according to county officials.

Santa Cruz County has released a map where people can search through addresses in the fire zone to see which homes have been inspected and what their statuses are. To date, the vast majority of destroyed structures are located in Santa Cruz County – 11 out of 538 structures confirmed to be destroyed are in San Mateo County, as of a Thursday morning press briefing.

The map is being updated regularly and is available at santacruzcounty.us/firerecovery/damageassessmentmap.aspx.

How to help

The following organizations and agencies are coordinating responses and raising funds.

Puente De La Costa Sur, the hyper-local community advocacy group and resource center, is already actively involved in coordinating to help Coastside families who have been displaced by the fires.

Access more information about an emergency wildfire relief fund Puente has created to support fire victims here.

The Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region offers a variety of resources (shelter info, wildfire preparedness, etc.) as well as opportunities to donate directly to those affected here.

The San Mateo County event center, one of two evacuation centers in San Mateo County, is collecting new, unopened donations of diapers, baby formula and school supplies such as day packs, pens, highlighters, notebooks, pencil sharpeners, markers and hand sanitizer bottles.

The Menlo Park Fire Protection District has helped to create a fund to support the Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek volunteer firefighters here. The fire district helped to coordinate bringing mobile shower and laundry trailers from We Hope Services in East Palo Alto to the Boulder Creek volunteer firefighters. The district also brought the volunteer firefighters cots, sleeping bags, water and Gatorade pallets, radios and toiletries to support them in their battles against the fires.

The Silicon Valley Community Foundation has also created the San Mateo & Santa Clara County Fire Relief Fund. Access more information here.

Also, Airbnb is offering available homes to families displaced by the fires. If you have lodgings to offer and would like to participate, register here.

To support animals that have been evacuated, the Cow Palace is operating as an evacuation center for livestock. More information is available at cowpalace.com.

The Peninsula Humane Society is accepting donations of pet food, cat litter and newspapers at its Coyote Point Shelter location (12 Airport Blvd., San Mateo) as well as financial donations online here.

Also, the San Mateo County Large Animal Evacuation Group is accepting donations and looking for volunteers. You can also donate feed and supplies directly to HMB Feed & Fuel at 331 Main St., Half Moon Bay, CA; (650) 726–4814.

Local environmental nonprofits have also organized fundraisers to help restore the lands affected by the fires. The Sempervirens Fund has launched two funds to help local forests recover: the Big Basin Recovery Fund and the Santa Cruz Redwood Restoration Fund. Go to sempervirens.org for more information.

Numerous local restaurants have also stepped up to provide food for first responders and those displaced by the fires and are accepting donations.

Alice’s Restaurant in Woodside has already raised over $25,000 to support the local emergency crews. Donate via Venmo (@Alices-Restaurant) or check Facebook for the latest updates.

The Post in Los Altos has teamed up with Namesake Cheesecake in Menlo Park to provide meals to and gather essential supplies for first responders and evacuated residents. More information here.

Flea St. Cafe in Menlo Park is continuing its COVID-era Meals of Gratitude program, which delivers meals to front-line workers, to support people fighting the fires or impacted by them.

On the Coastside, numerous restaurants have been providing free meals this past weekend for evacuees, including The Barn, Breakwater BBQ and Cameron’s Pub (check their social media accounts first to confirm). Sacrilege Brewing has been delivering meals to firefighters via their Coastmates Delivery service. Click here to find out more, or donate through Venmo @CoastmatesDelivery.

Sections of this story first appeared on the Almanac's sister website, The Six Fifty. Access it here.