A brush fire north of San Luis Obispo grew to 2,000 acres Tuesday, but firefighters were able to stop flames that were burning dangerously close to homes.
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Evacuation order are still in place for residents south of the railroad tracks, as only about a quarter mile separates flames from homes Santa Margaritans have lived in for decades. The team could be gone for up to 16 days, Conrad said.
He said winds have been light down in the grasslands but stronger up on the ridges near the top of Cuesta Grade, about 8 miles north of San Luis Obispo. A shelter was set up in Atascadero, where smoke and ashes made life hard for people with respiratory or heart problems.
Approximately 1,000 firefighters are battling a blaze burning on the southwest side of the town.
CalFire says so far there have been no reportable injuries among the hundreds of men and women fighting the Cuesta Fire around the clock.
The CalFire spokesperson says right now investigators believe those sparks started what would eventually become the Cuesta Fire.
More than 700 firefighters, 73 fire engines, four helicopters and nine bulldozers were fighting the Cuesta Fire alone – a relatively small one.
They also believe the source of the Cuesta Fire likely caused a fire that broke out about 4:40 p.m. Sunday along the northbound side of Highway 101 at Nojoqui Summit south of Buellton in Santa Barbara County. At least 19 wildfires were burning in California on Tuesday and 200 members of the military were called out to help fight fires in 10 Western states.
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The blazes were the most active of about a half-dozen fires flaring in the drought-stricken state. The fire, in and around Mad River, Dinsmore and Hyampom, was started by lightning. In Montebello, a suspected arson caused a wildfire that leaped across roads. More than 440 California National Guard soldiers joined the firefighters this week, and thousands more were being trained, according to Cal Fire’s Mike Mohler.
