NEW EVACUATIONS AS CALIFORNIA FIRES FLARE UP
LOS ANGELES A flare-up on the western edge of Southern California’s largest and most destructive wildfire sent residents fleeing Sunday, as wind-fanned flames churned through canyons and down hillsides toward coastal towns.
Crews with help from water-dropping aircraft saved several homes as unpredictable gusts sent the blaze churning deeper into foothill areas northwest of Los Angeles that haven’t burned in decades. New evacuations were ordered in Carpinteria, a seaside city in Santa Barbara County.
“The winds are kind of squirrelly right now,” said county fire spokesman Mike Eliason. “Some places the smoke is going straight up in the air, and others it’s blowing sideways. Depends on what canyon we’re in.”
The department posted a photo of one residence engulfed in flames before dawn. It’s unclear whether other structures burned. Thousands of homes in the county were without power.
Firefighters made significant progress Saturday on other fronts of the enormous fire that started Dec. 4 in neighbouring Ventura County. Containment was way up on other major blazes in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties.
Forecasters said Santa Ana winds that whipped fires across the region last week were expected to die down later Sunday — but not before creating possible gusts topping 80 km/h.