High winds pick up, fueling intensity of Southern California wildfires

December 9, 2017 by admin
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Firefighters across Southern California continued on Saturday morning to battle six major wildfires with brutal Santa Ana winds expected to continue fanning the flames through Saturday.

The newest blazes, the Lilac fire in San Diego County and the Liberty fire in Riverside County, are now being fueled by continued Santa Ana winds and low humidity, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

A statue sits among destroyed homes in the Rancho Monserate Country Club community Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, in Fallbrook, Calif. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes in Southern California. (AP

According to ABC News meteorologist Daniel Manzo, there is not much relief in the forecast for those fire-ravaged areas. Extreme fire danger will remain in the region through the weekend. Red Flag Warnings have remained in effect for much of Southern California with peak wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph. Low relative humidity –- as low as 5 percent — is likely through this period, as well, according to Manzo.

A 70-year-old woman was identified Friday as the first victim of the fires. Virginia Pesola, of Santa Paula, was killed in a car crash as she evacuated Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.

Winds could exceed 50 mph in the mountains east of San Diego. This area will be of particular concern for fire growth on Saturday night and Sunday.

Dick Marsala looks through debris from his destroyed home after a wildfire roared through the Rancho Monserate Country Club Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, in Bonsall, Calif. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed doze

One woman, Lauren Fuga, said she watched in shock as the Liberty fire burned down part of her home in Murrieta.

“I just, I’m at a loss for words,” Fuga told ABC station KABC in Los Angeles through tears. “It’s so horrible. You never think that it’s going to happen to you, and it can.”

Red flag warnings have been extended across much of Southern California through Saturday, and high wind warnings are in effect for mountain and valley areas in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Winds gusted to over 60 mph in Ventura and Los Angeles counties on Thursday, causing embers to spread even more. Gusts were in the 30 to 50 mph range in San Diego County. Much of Southern California is also experiencing humidity levels in the teens or even single digits. Relative humidity in San Diego on Thursday afternoon was just 5 percent.

As nearly 8,700 firefighters battled the first four large wildfires, two new ones erupted Thursday and spread rapidly, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Overall, the six blazes have burned more than 141,000 acres and forced over 212,000 residents from their homes.

PHOTO: Santa Ana winds will gust up to 60 mph on Sunday morning. — Santa Ana winds will gust up to 60 mph on Sunday morning.

PHOTO: Humidity will be very low on the West Coast. — Humidity will be very low on the West Coast.

PHOTO: There is Red Flag Warning for Southern California. — There is Red Flag Warning for Southern California.

The Thomas fire in Ventura County, the first to ignite, has burned well over 100,000 acres and is expected to intensify because of the increasing winds. The Skirball fire is small, but its threat to heavily populated areas of Los Angeles has drawn widespread attention. The other four blazes continued to burn Friday with little containment.

All Los Angeles Unified School District schools in the San Fernando Valley and 17 schools on Los Angeles’ west side were shuttered through Friday. At least 265 schools have been closed. UCLA canceled classes Thursday because of the Skirball fire.

Thomas fire

The Thomas fire in Ventura County, the largest of the six blazes, started Monday night as a 50-acre brush fire in foothills east of Santa Paula and grew to 10,000 acres in just four hours, authorities said.

The fire had burned 132,000 acres of land by Friday morning and was just 10 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

More than 88,000 residents have been evacuated, and 15,000 structures are threatened by the flames, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Authorities on Thursday morning upgraded voluntary evacuation orders to mandatory for parts of Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County. New evacuations were ordered overnight into Friday morning near Fillmore.

The first victim died fleeing the Thomas fire on Wednesday, the AP reported.

The Thomas fire spread to Santa Barbara County late Thursday, prompting California Gov. Jerry Brown to issue a state of emergency for the county, the third to be designated.

There were 3,216 firefighting personnel on the scene of the massive blaze.

PHOTO: The Thomas Fire burns along a hillside near Santa Paula, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2017.p itemprop= — The Thomas Fire burns along a hillside near Santa Paula, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2017.

Authorities said 401 structures have been destroyed in the blaze and 81 more have been damaged.

Officials were concerned about part of the Thomas fire heading northeast and threatening a nursing home in Ojai. The 25 residents and staffers there were evacuated as a precaution, authorities said.

Creek fire

The Creek fire, in the Kagel Canyon area above Los Angeles’ Sylmar neighborhood, has scorched 15,323 acres of land, destroyed at least 32 buildings and damaged another 31. Over 150,000 residents have been evacuated and some 2,500 structures are threatened, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The blaze was 40 percent contained as of Thursday night, and 1,686 personnel are fighting the flames.

PHOTO: The Thomas Fire burns in the mountains, Dec. 6, 2017, near Ojai, Calif. — The Thomas Fire burns in the mountains, Dec. 6, 2017, near Ojai, Calif.

The Creek fire was responsible for the death of almost 40 horses at Rancho Padilla, according to KABC. The horses were trapped in a barn that burned to the ground as the owners were evacuated with no warning.

All evacuations were lifted by Friday except for in the Limekiln Canyon.

Rye fire

The Rye fire has scorched 6,049 acres in Santa Clarita, west of Valencia. The blaze was 35 percent contained as of Thursday night, though 5,460 structures are still threatened by the flames, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

PHOTO: Flames engulf a home as brush fire sweeps through the area threatening structures on Dec. 5, 2017 in Sylmar, Calif. — Flames engulf a home as brush fire sweeps through the area threatening structures on Dec. 5, 2017 in Sylmar, Calif.

About 2,000 residents have been evacuated, though mandatory evacuation orders in the area have been lifted.

There were 901 personnel on the scene battling the Rye fire Friday morning.

Skirball fire

The Skirball fire has burned just 475 acres of land so far, but its proximity to Los Angeles and responsibility for briefly shutting down the infamously crowded 405 Freeway has drawn national attention.

The fire is threatening the Getty Center, a museum in western Los Angeles. Officials were focused on keeping the flames from jumping the freeway and heading east. The blaze was 30 percent contained as of Friday morning, and firefighters had managed to keep it from breaching containment lines.

PHOTO: People gather on Poe Parkway in Stevenson Ranch to watch the fire fighting efforts on the Rye fire, Santa Clarita, Calif. Dec.5, 2017. — People gather on Poe Parkway in Stevenson Ranch to watch the fire fighting efforts on the Rye fire, Santa Clarita, Calif. Dec.5, 2017.

Six structures have been lost in the blaze, with an additional 12 damaged. One firefighter suffered minor burns while fighting the flames, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Los Angeles County declared a state of emergency Wednesday afternoon because of the Skirball fire in the city’s Bel-Air neighborhood.

Lilac fire

Flames from the Lilac fire are growing at a “dangerous rate” in San Diego County, where over 4,100 acres of land have been burned thus far. At least 65 structures have been destroyed in the fire and an additional 1,000 are threatened, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The blaze was 0 percent contained as of Friday morning.

AlertSanDiego, the region’s cellphone emergency alert system, had sent out 23,000 evacuation messages as of Friday morning, including for new evacuations in Oceanside.

PHOTO: Los Angeles firefighters battle to contain flames to a burning home and prevent the fires spread to adjoining properties in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles on Dec. 6, 2017. — Los Angeles firefighters battle to contain flames to a burning home and prevent the fire’s spread to adjoining properties in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles on Dec. 6, 2017.

Officials said the Lilac fire began late Thursday morning near Fallbrook and had grown to 50 acres in just an hour. Peak gusts had reached 66 mph Thursday afternoon in Pala, California, near the blaze, contributing to the rapid spread of flames.

Evacuation shelters have been set up at Fallbrook High School and Pala Casino.

Four civilians had suffered injuries and were taken to local hospitals, though authorities could not confirm the severity of the injuries.

Gov. Brown declared a state of emergency in San Diego County due to the Lilac fire, his office announced Thursday afternoon.