California wildfires have destroyed 1,000 structures … and counting
California wildfires have destroyed 1,000 structures … and counting
13 December 2017
Published by http://edition.cnn.com
USA-(CNN) In a hopeful sign, thousands of firefighters were making headway Tuesday against the vast Thomas Fire in Southern California, with winds decreasing to 15 to 25 mph and the Santa Ana wind event beginning to wane.
The blaze, which is larger than New York City, was about 25% contained Tuesday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.
In addition to diminishing winds, “red flag warnings” are now confined to the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and cover just over 1 million residents. At the peak of the wildfires last week, the warnings — which signal extreme fire danger — covered nearly 20 million people.
The outlook for rain, however, remains grim. It’s expected to stay dry for at least seven days, and another significant wind event could develop by next weekend, CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen said.
The wind was cooperating with firefighters Monday and pushing the fire away from nearby communities, Santa Barbara County fire spokesman Mike Eliason told CNN. The breezes had also cleared the air somewhat, leading to improved visibility for fire crews.
“It’s still not great. It’s bad, but it’s a better bad,” Eliason said.
“You want the breeze to clear the air, but you don’t want the breeze to fuel the fire,” he said. “Hope springs eternal. Every day we’re going to hope that this (is) progressing and getting closer and closer of being put to bed. But right now we’re going to need some rain, and the long-range forecast doesn’t show that.”
The Thomas Fire is one of six major wildfires torching Southern California. The fires have destroyed more than 1,000 structures since igniting.
The blazes vary in size, but together, they are larger than the cities of New York and Boston combined, or bigger than Singapore.
One of the fires, named Skirball, was caused by an “illegal cooking fire at an encampment in a brush area” near where Sepulveda Boulevard crosses under the San Diego Freeway, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. No arrests have been made.
The Skirball Fire, which broke out a week ago, consumed more than 400 acres, destroyed six homes and damaged 12 others, the fire department said in a statement. It’s 85% contained.
The causes of the other major fires have yet to be determined.
Latest developments Making history: At more than 234,000 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, the Thomas Fire is now the fifth-largest wildfire in modern California history.
Elevated conditions: Fire conditions are much better than over the weekend, but winds will continue to be a bit breezy at 20 to 40 mph through the middle of the week on higher ridge tops, according to CNN meteorologists. Ventura County and surrounding areas were under an elevated fire outlook through Tuesday. Temperatures will remain in the upper 70s and low 80s for the week, with humidity low.
Warnings: A red-flag warning for Los Angeles and Ventura counties has been extended into Wednesday evening, the National Weather Service said. Elevated fire weather conditions are expected due to gusty winds and low humidity.
Evacuations: At least 95,000 residents have been evacuated in Southern California, Cal Fire said.
Death toll: There has been one death in the Thomas Fire. Authorities said they believe Virginia Pesola, 70, of Santa Paula died in a crash while fleeing the fire. Her body was found last Wednesday.
Active wildfires in Southern California
Firefighters tested
Firefighters were working 24- or 36-hour shifts, typically on two-week rotations, said Eliason, the Santa Barbara county fire official. Saving lives was their first priority, then came property and the environment, he said.
“This is the job they all signed up for, so they’re all aware of what can happen and how the job can go,” Eliason said. “I think spirits are good; they’ve made some saves. I think they realize they have a mission here and a job, and they’re really working hard.”
Limited visibility has made firefighting even more difficult.
It “has really hindered the fixed wing aircraft because they can’t maneuver in these canyons if you can’t see where you’re going, so we’ve been forced to use helicopters that have been pounding it with gallons and gallons and gallons of water,” Eliason said.
The onshore winds were also pushing the fire back up into the canyons. “The longer the fire burns uphill, the bigger the burned area is going to be (behind it) so when the wind does shift, it’s not going to have anywhere to burn back down into the community,” he said.