By Steve Chawkins, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers and Eric Bailey, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers|July 08, 2008
Firefighters battling a pair of stubborn blazes considered among the most serious threats to homes of the hundreds of fires burning in California began today heartened about their chances.
At the 9,700-acre Gap fire near Goleta, firefighters this morning focused on the blaze's northern and northwestern borders, working to slow the flames before they could make a run on ranches and isolated homes scattered through the area's canyons.
Capt. Eli Iskow, of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, said the prospects are encouraging.
"We're way ahead of the curve," he said. "With a lot of hard work, we may not let it get there."
Officials listed the fire as 50% contained by 10 a.m. Only 275 homes remain under mandatory evacuation orders. Many residents have been allowed to move back to homes they had been forced to leave, although they may have to pack up again if the fire takes an unexpected turn.
Triple-digit heat is predicted for the higher reaches of the fire zone today, posing a problem for the nearly 1,300 firefighters on the job.
"A lot of the guys are tired," Iskow said. "We have to make sure they don't push themselves too hard."
In Big Sur, fire officials said residents began returning to their homes at 10 a.m. but were asked to remain on their property during the next several days. The fire, which ignited June 21 and has burned more than 80,000 acres, was listed as 18% contained at 10 a.m. Concern remains high about possible flare-ups in the coming days as red flag warnings remain in effect until at least Thursday.
Firefighters made progress overnight and this morning on the completion of more than 30 miles of fire lines that authorities have planned, with only nine more miles to go.
Highway 1 remains closed between Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and Lucia. Although workers have begun to return to Big Sur area resorts, most remained closed for now.
As residents of Santa Barbara and Monterey counties returned to homes that had been under evacuation orders, other fires in the state created new problems.
More than 300 blazes are still burning statewide, down from a peak of 1,781 since the current fire siege began with lightning-ignited fires on June 20. More than 630,000 acres have burned from Nevada to the Pacific Ocean, but relatively little property has been lost: 40 homes, one business and 61 outbuildings as of this morning.
