E.T. won't "phone home" in Northern California, where a massive wildfire has forced scientists searching for extraterrestrial life to evacuate their research lab, according to CNN.
The Eiler Fire, burning 200 miles north of Sacramento, caused employees of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute to evacuate their facility on Aug. 5 and temporarily shut down all their computers, Internet and power. Fires came within a mile east and west of SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array, located near Hat Creek, California.
"The fire on the west had jumped the road, burnt down our favorite lunch place, got within a mile of the telescopes," Seth Shostak told CNN. Shostak is the senior astronomer and director of SETI Research.
It was unlikely alien life reached out during those few hours the facility shut down, and scientists were allowed to return to work shortly thereafter. Officials and researchers at the site typically use small satellite dishes to "listen" for signs of extraterrestrial life.
"We just lost some search hours," Shostak said. "To expect that E.T. will somehow reach out at this moment, that would be very bizarre."
The Eiler Fire is one of the two largest blazes burning across Northern California since July 31, and has scorched more than 31,000 acres, according to CNN. Firefighters have contained 35 percent of the fire thanks to recent wet weather, although reported lightning strikes could cause more hotspots.
The Bald Fire, also burning in California's Shasta County, has torn through nearly 40,000 acres. 30 percent has been contained so far, according to KRCR News. At least three other, smaller fires are burning in Modoc, Trinity and Siskiyou counties.
State emergency management leaders visited the affected areas on Aug. 5. The Red Cross opened shelters at two local high schools, but mandatory evacuations were lifted in the surrounding areas on Aug. 5, according to the Associated Press.
Local resident Dan Rodriguez told KRCR News that he evacuated because of his past experience with wildfires.
"Some people have just never experienced fire," Rodriguez said. "I was in the Conservation Corps back in the '80s and we got stuck in a fire. It's unpredictable. You just don't know."
