Exhausted firefighters continue to attack California blazes
With hotter temperatures and more lightning expected later in the week, crews in Monterey and Santa Barbara counties take advantage of weakening winds to extend fire lines.
Weary firefighters were extending fire lines this morning while they battled wildfires in Monterey and Santa Barbara counties, exploiting a lull in winds before rising temperatures and possible lightning storms later this week.
After two weeks of little gain, fire officials in Monterey County were extending fire lines this morning to create a barrier between flames and homes near Big Sur and a Boy Scout camp farther north. As of 6 a.m., the 77,000-acre blaze was 18% contained, up from 11% Sunday, fire officials said.
About 2,300 firefighters were attempting to finish 14 miles of fire lines this morning after constructing 22 on Sunday, said Jeremy Hamilton, a spokesman for the incident management team. The fire lines are a necessary defense as winds pick up and temperatures climb, worsening already dry conditions, he said.
"The focus is trying to make sure we get some good solid control lines in so that when the weather does shift on us, we can hold those lines with extreme confidence," Hamilton said.
Meanwhile, the Gap fire burning in Santa Barbara County has charred 9,577 acres since it started Tuesday night, fire officials said this morning. The fire was 35% contained this morning as crews attempted to finish eight remaining miles of fire lines along the northwestern edge, where flames were advancing, and reinforced the southern edge near Goleta, where most of the at-risk structures are located.
"We are looking at the weather to get warmer and drier throughout the week and we want to hold on to what we have and construct more lines," said Curtis Vincent, information officer for the Gap fire. "The plus is that the mopping up and working of that line on the south side where it pushed into Goleta a couple nights ago is going well. We keep improving those lines."
Winds and humidity levels on both fires eased Sunday, and temperatures remained in the mid-80s and mid-90s. But fire officials were concerned about a heat wave forecast to strike the Central Coast on Tuesday, raising temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday into the 90s and 100s.
A possible monsoonal flow could bring lightning, as well as more erratic winds, said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Fire officials said the Basin Complex fire, near Big Sur, was pressing against containment lines in the south, and in the east was moving toward the narrow gravel road that leads to the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, where a group of monks remained behind to fight the flames.
