Conditions favor reining in blaze
California sees calmer winds
LOS ANGELES — Crews trying to corral a Southern California wildfire hope to take advantage of a two-day window of calmer winds before potentially dangerous gusts return at mid-week, officials said Monday.
The blaze that broke out two weeks ago still threatens communities northwest of Los Angeles, where thousands remain under evacuation orders.
Lower temperatures, slightly higher humidity and light winds forecast for Monday and today will be “critical” for firefighters hoping to make progress against the blaze, said fire spokesman Capt. Rick Crawford.
“For right now the winds seem very favorable,” he said. “We’re always looking out for those unpredictable gusts.”
Weak northeast winds prevailed across the fire Sunday night and were expected to shift to a south to southwest direction by Monday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Slower gusts and cooler temperatures would allow for “favorable firefighting efforts,” fire officials said.
Cool onshore winds will help the fire back up on itself, said Antonio Negrete, a Cal Fire spokesman.
Weather conditions are looking relatively tranquil through Wednesday afternoon, said Dave Bruno, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
“They’ll have a few good days to work on it,” Bruno said of firefighters battling the conflagration. “It’s one of the longest respites we’ve had. It’s been pretty relentless since the 2nd of December.”
The hot, gusty winds that caused a flare-up and forced more residents to flee over the weekend are expected to return Wednesday.
A weak upper-level low-pressure system is expected to move through the region on Wednesday, bringing gusty winds behind it, Bruno said.
“Once the front moves through, strong northwest to north winds will develop across Santa Barbara County late Wednesday afternoon and night,” Bruno said. “Those winds will transition to more typical Santa Ana winds that would affect L.A. and Ventura counties on Thursday.”
The system could bring some minor showers to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, but “nothing that will help the fire in the least,” Bruno said.
There is no other rain in sight through at least Christmas, thanks to a persistent high-pressure system over the western U.S., Bruno said.
The fire churning through brush in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties has burned more than 1,000 structures, including at least 750 homes. Some 18,000 more residences are still threatened. The 422-square-mile blaze, the third largest in state history, is 45 percent contained.
Areas of concern for firefighters include the coastal communities of Santa Barbara, Summerland and Montecito, as well as the Matilija Wilderness and Rose Valley, according to Cal Fire. On the eastern side of the fire, the threat continues for Fillmore in Ventura County.
Fire crews on Monday were expected to focus on Fillmore. Fire activity has decreased in that area, but firefighters wanted to use the favorable wind conditions to their advantage there, Negrete said.
In the Santa Barbara County towns of Montecito and Summerland, firefighters were to continue mop-up efforts to prevent flare-ups, Negrete said.
Television news footage showed at least one structure burned on property in the wealthy enclave of Montecito, and authorities said damage assessments could take days.
Michael and Sonia Behrman told KABC-TV that they fled their hillside home when heavy smoke blew in and returned to find it in ashes.
“It’s just hard to put into words,” Michael Behrman said. “It’s where we live. It’s just smoke and ruin right now.”
Everything about the fire has been major, from the sheer scale of destruction that affected entire neighborhoods to the legions of people attacking it. More than 8,000 firefighters from nearly a dozen states battled the fire.
The cause remains under investigation. The cost to fight the fire so far has exceeded $130 million, authorities said Monday.