Crews make slow progress with California wildfires
But ‘the worst is not behind us,’ official says
SAN FRANCISCO – Fire crews made slow progress Saturday in battling some of the largest wildfires in California history due to improved weather conditions and resources coming from others states.
But danger loomed with the threat of thunderstorms and lightning forecast for Sunday that could spark new fires and overwhelm firefighters battling hundreds of fires across the state.
“The worst is not behind us, we are in a battle rhythm,” California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Chief Thom Porter tweeted.
Light winds, cooler and more humid nighttime weather and more equipment arriving for firefighters helped them make their most significant progress against three massive Northern California fire “complexes” – multiple wildfires in one area being treated as a single incident. They have burned 1,045 square miles.
Fires that started last week killed five people, destroyed nearly 700 homes and other structures and forced tens of thousands from their houses.
Containment for a fire that destroyed nearly 100 structures in the Santa Cruz mountains south of San Francisco grew slightly from 2% to 5%, and firefighters established a fire break aimed at protecting the evacuated University of California, Santa Cruz campus and the surrounding area.
“It’s not a silver bullet but it gives us a really good stronghold to keep the fire from moving south toward those communities,” CalFire Battalion Chief Mark Brunton said.
Statewide, there have been 585 fires in the past week – many sparked by lightning strikes – that have burned nearly a million acres, according to CalFire.The bulk of the damage was from three clusters of blazes that were ravaging forest and rural areas in San Francisco Bay Area and wine country north of San Francisco. At least 100,000 people were under evacuation orders.
Firefighters and aircraft from 10 states began arriving Friday in California. The National Guard was activated to provide support on the ground and in the air; the U.S. military supplied several water-dropping air tankers.
Underscoring the danger to firefighters, the Sonoma County sheriff ’s office released dramatic video of the helicopter rescue Friday night of two firefighters trapped on a ridgeline at Point Reyes National Seashore. They were hoisted to safety as flames advanced.
“Had it not been for that helicopter, those firefighters would certainly have perished,” Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick said.
The National Weather Service issued a fire weather watch from Sunday morning into Tuesday for the entire Bay Area and for California’s central coast. Forecasters said there was a chance of thunderstorms bringing more lightning and erratic gusts.