(KABC-7 via AP). In this image made from video, a wildfire burns in a remote coastal area west of Santa Barbara, Calif., on Thursday, June 16, 2016.
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More than 700 personnel are assigned to the fire.
Thursday’s firenado occurred during the Sherpa Fire, which has burned about 1,400 acres west of Santa Barbara, Calif. Authorities evacuated 400 homes and businesses, Reuters reported.
While the DC-10 and the other tankers laid down thousands of gallons of retardant on the ridgeline and around a number of homes in Llagas and Las Varas canyons, dozer crews and several dozen engine crews moved a quarter mile east to the west Llagas ridge to protect structures and begin burning out several hundred acres of heavy brush.
Charlie and Elizabeth Hatten spent the night at a shelter Wednesday night after a park ranger woke them as they camped at El Capitan State Beach.
On June 16, officials canceled reservations at El Capitan State Beach through June 24 because of safety concerns. “You couldn’t see the moon anymore”, Charlie Hatten told the Los Angeles Times.
“That assessment of the damage is underway right now”, said Doreen Farr, Santa Barbara County 3 District supervisor.
The fire has damaged agriculture, including avocados, lemons, olives and cattle.
The Sherpa Fire appeared to support national wildfire authorities’ predictions of another unsafe and hard year for the state after years of drought.
“This is the fifth year of a punishing drought here in Southern California, where we’ve averaged just 50 percent of our rainfall”.
“There’s a lot of tree mortality out there that makes fire behavior worse”, Santa Barbara County Fire Department Chief Eric Peterson said. “The drought is making an already pretty volatile situation not any better”.
“Now is the time to gather your family members, pets and important documents in case you need to leave quickly”, the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office warned people living in areas threatened by the fire. Highway 101 may be closed again if the fire becomes a hazard to motorists. “We do not want our residents to have a false sense of security”.
LOS ANGELES The Sherpa Fire that continues to send smoke into their air over much of the L.A. basin in its fourth day is now 45 percent contained, Santa Barbara County officials announced Saturday. That statement was wrong and removed from the government’s official site.
The Sherpa Fire, as it’s called, is located along the Pacific coast. Because of the gusts, the California Highway Patrol was forced to shut down portions of Highway 101 on Thursday night.
The freeway was reopened early Friday. On Sunday, temperatures could climb into the 90s and on Monday, firefighters could be working in triple-digit heat, the National Weather Service said.
“We just heard that people yesterday were smelling smoke in Ventura”, said Los Padres National Forest spokesman Manuel Madrigal.
Mandatory evacuations were in place Wednesday evening for residents living near a fire burning in the Refugio Canyon area of Santa Barbara County’s Gaviota Coast.
“I’m not going to stay where there’s a mandatory evacuation”, he said.
The Cedar Creek Fire was nearing a road that would trigger evacuations. A center for large animals was also set up at the Earl Warren Showgrounds.
Fires become especially unsafe when sundowners are formed by high pressure inland to the north of the mountains and low pressure over the ocean to the south, causing gusty winds to sweep down the face of the mountains.
The surreal scene included fire tornadoes with temperatures reaching 2,000 degrees.
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Remember, when traveling in fire zones and danger areal take extreme care, lives and property are at stake.
