Crews struggle to stop Calif. blaze
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — More than 1,300 firefighters helped by aircraft dumping water and fire retardant worked Thursday to box in a wildfire in a Southern California coastal mountain range that has closed a major highway and rail line for days.
The Alisal Fire has charred more than 26 square miles of chaparral and grass in the Santa Ynez Mountains west of Santa Barbara since it erupted Monday amid high winds. It is only 5 percent contained.
Authorities have said the fire is a threat to about 100 ranches and isolated homes. Among the properties being protected is Rancho del Cielo, which was once owned by Ronald and Nancy Reagan and used as their western retreat during his presidency. The 688-acre ranch sits high atop the mountain range.
Winds when the fire broke out blasted flames down the face of the mountain range toward the Pacific Ocean, and the fire reached a beach after jumping the U.S. 101 highway and a rail line. The winds since then have shifted but have been less intense.
Firefighters on Thursday were focusing on stopping the movement of the blaze to the west after winds pushed it that way late Wednesday, said fire information officer Kristen Allison.
Aircraft dropped a long line of fire retardant along a ridgetop road to help keep the fire from moving north, and a wildfire burn scar slowed the blaze’s movement to the east. An older burn scar lay to the west.
The fire remained about a half-mile from the former Reagan ranch on Thursday, said Jessica Jensen, an official of the Young America’s Foundation, a conservative organization that now operates the ranch.
The foundation has expressed confidence in measures to keep the ranch property safe.
Madson said U.S. 101 and the rail line remained closed as highway and railroad crews worked on repairs.
Elsewhere, gusty winds, low humidity and dry vegetation triggered red flag warnings of high fire danger in parts of the Northern California’s interior.
Pacific Gas & Electric initially planned to cut power to thousands of customers in numerous counties Thursday to prevent fires from being ignited by wind damage to power lines.
But the utility said the wind event appeared to be weaker than the one that led to thousands of shutoffs Monday and then rapidly scaled down the latest forced outage plan.