California wildfire updates: Fast-moving fire in Santa Cruz mountains threatens structures
A rash of fires this year has destroyed homes, subjected residents to evacuation orders and resulted in at least one death.
Here are some of the fires now burning in California:
- Loma fire: 2,250 acres burned in the Santa Cruz mountains; destroyed seven structures, including one home; 10% contained as of Sept. 28; began Sept. 26.
- Sawmill fire: 1,500 acres burned in Sonoma County; 55% contained as of Sept. 27; began Sept. 25.
- Canyon fire: 12,518 acres burned at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County; fully contained; began Sept. 17
- Soberanes fire: 128,380 acres burned, one person killed and 68 structures destroyed in Monterey County; 81% contained as of Sept. 27; began July 22
Loma fire destroys one home, triggers evacuations in Santa Cruz mountains
A fast-moving wildfire burning in the Santa Cruz Mountains has scorched at least 1,000 acres, destroyed a home and triggered evacuations.
Flames from the Loma fire are threatening at least 300 structures near Loma Prieta and Loma Chiquita roads, 10 miles northwest of Morgan Hill, in the mountains north of Santa Cruz, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Mandatory evacuations were issued to residents living in homes in the Loma area.
Triple-digit temperatures and dry conditions are driving the explosive blaze, which started about 3 p.m. Monday, according to Cal Fire Capt. Brian Oliver. The fire is 5% contained.
Small brush fire erupts in Elysian Park near Dodger Stadium
Firefighters in Los Angeles on Thursday knocked down a 6.3-acre brush fire that started at 11:45 a.m. in Elysian Park near Dodger Stadium.
A water-dropping helicopter aided about 100 firefighters as they attacked the flames “hard and fast from the ground and the air,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement.
High winds and low humidity will create dangerous fire conditions this week, forecasters say
Powerful winds, low humidity and landscapes left very dry from years of drought could create critical fire danger conditions in the Southland this week, starting Wednesday, forecasters said.
Gusty, northerly “sundowner” winds, with gusts up to 40 mph, are expected to begin Wednesday evening along the western edge of the Santa Ynez Mountains in Santa Barbara County, said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Firefighter killed, another injured in rollover crash while fighting Canyon fire
A Ventura County firefighter was killed and another was injured early Wednesday in a rollover crash near Lompoc as they were hauling water to the Canyon fire at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The firefighters were assigned to a water tender by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and headed to the 12,353-acre wildfire at about 6:20 a.m., when the rollover crash occurred on the westbound California 246, said Capt. Mike Lindbery, spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department.
Where is the Canyon Fire?
‘Very active’ fire at Vandenberg Air Force Base grows to over 10,000 acres
A wildfire burning on the south side of Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc has more than doubled in size since the weekend and now covers 10,542 acres, Air Force officials said Tuesday.
The Canyon fire was 18% contained, and 633 firefighters from federal, state and local fire agencies were battling the blaze.
The fire was “very active” Monday, growing by about 6,000 acres on the north and west sides, Air Force officials said in a statement.
Cultural sites related to the Chumash people and wildlife habitats are potentially threatened by the fire, and there are watershed concerns, military officials said. A team of resources advisers is working with fire crews to identify what is being threatened.
No structures have been damaged.
Where is the Soberanes fire?
The cost of fighting the 189-square-mile Soberanes fire burning near Big Sur has passed $200 million, making it the costliest to fight in U.S. history, according to federal data.
Canyon fire near Vandenberg Air Force Base swells to 4,500 acres
A wildfire burning on the south side of Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc grew to 4,528 acres Monday despite an aggressive air and ground attack to stop flames from advancing.
Over the weekend, the Canyon fire forced officials to postpone the launch of an Atlas V rocket. The rocket was scheduled to take off Sunday and carry the WorldView-4, a commercial satellite that is to snap high-resolution images of Earth, according to United Launch Alliance, the contractor hired to lift the satellite into orbit.
The fire has caused power outages at several buildings on the base, according to Air Force officials. Generators are providing power to those facilities until downed power lines are repaired or replaced, they said.
The Air Force has further restricted public access to the site as crews worked to cut new fire lines and douse spot fires.
1,200-acre wildfire at Vandenberg Air Force Base delays satellite launch
Nearly 800 firefighters from state, federal and local agencies have been dispatched to battle the Canyon fire burning at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
The 1,200-acre blaze has forced officials to postpone the launch of a commercial satellite, authorities said.
“It’s burning in some very tough vegetation,” Wayne Seda, the assistant chief of the Vandenberg Fire Department, told reporters Sunday. “The fire grew rapidly.... It jumped roads at times and came out of the containment lines.”
Where is the Holy fire burning?
The Holy fire in Orange County started in the early morning just east of Trabuco Canyon in the Cleveland National Forest.
The blaze wasn’t threatening any homes but was burning in steep, dry hillsides around Holy Jim Canyon that are difficult for firefighters to reach, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Larry Kurtz.
Update on the Bogart fire in Riverside County: 1,250 acres have burned
Fire officials lifted evacuations for the Banning Bench area Tuesday night, allowing residents with valid identification to return home.
Authorities also said they believe the fire was caused by humans and have asked any witnesses who may have seen juveniles near the entrance to Bogart Park to call the arson hotline at (800) 633-2836.
Firefighters on the scene of the Bogart fire
700 displaced in fast-moving Bogart fire near Beaumont
About 700 people were displaced Tuesday as a fast-moving brush fire burned out of control near Beaumont.
The Bogart fire had burned at least 500 acres and was at 0% containment. About 200 homes were evacuated, according to Cal Fire.
It was burning north of Beaumont in Cherry Valley near the intersection of Winesap Avenue and International Park Road.
One outbuilding was lost, Cal Fire said.
Fast-moving Bogart fire in Riverside County jumps to 400 acres; evacuations ordered
A fast-moving vegetation fire in Cherry Valley spread to 400 acres Tuesday afternoon, prompting evacuations for residents of a mobile home park and some homes northwest of Banning, authorities said.
The Bogart fire was reported at 12:25 p.m. near the intersection of Winesap Avenue and International Park Road, according to the Riverside County fire department.
Within an hour, the blaze jumped to 100 acres, then quadrupled by 3 p.m., fire officials said.
Residents were evacuated in the Highland Springs Village mobile home park and Banning Bench, a rural plateau northwest of Banning. An evacuation center was opened at the Albert A. Chatigny Senior Community Center in Beaumont.
More than 320 firefighters have been assigned to combat the blaze. They are being assisted by five helicopters, two bulldozers and nine air tankers.
Cherry Valley is located off I-10 in Riverside County, with a population of more than 6,300, census records show.
New wildfire threatening homes in Kern County
A new fire broke out Friday in Kern County, prompting officials to ask some residents to evacuate.
The Range fire was burning in the Bear Valley Springs area. More than 600 acres have burned. According to the Kern County Fire Department, more than 400 firefighters were on scene and some were doing structure protection.
The fire is 0% contained. It was burning east of the town of Arvin off Highway 223.
California wildfire updates: Stark drone video shows devastation from Lake County fire
The Clayton fire in Lake County destroyed scores of home and carved a path of destruction through Lower Lake’s downtown area.
New drone footage shows the aftermath of the fire.
KRON-TV said it used the drone after air restrictions were lifted by firefighters.
A Lake County man has been charged with intentionally setting the fire.
Hearst Castle remains closed as Chimney blaze vexes firefighters
The Chimney fire in San Luis Obispo County was burning Tuesday about two miles east of Hearst Castle, where for days crew have been protecting the tourist attraction by cutting multiple fire lines.
The historic 165-room estate remains closed, and tours are canceled through Sunday, California State Parks said in a statement. Visitors with reservations through the weekend will be contacted about refunds, officials said.
The Chimney fire has challenged firefighters, who thought they had gained the upper hand before winds picked up and it exploded over the weekend, officials said. The blaze was mostly moving north, but fire crews were preparing for the winds to shift on Tuesday, said Cal Fire Capt. Lucas Spelman.
The fire is burning over a large area that has created dramatically different firefighting conditions, he said.
On the western side of the fire, closer to the ocean, high humidity on Monday held the moisture in the air and trapped the smoke, making visibility so bad that it grounded firefighting aircraft, Spelman said. On the eastern side, firefighters had had the “exact opposite thing going on,” with “exceptionally low” humidity, dry brush and fast-moving flames, Spelman said.
“It’s almost like the mountains are just doused in gasoline,” said Spelman, who has worked on numerous major wildfires already this year. “The brush is just burning at a rate that’s incredible.”
Right now, we’re at that point where I’m not surprised anymore. Before, maybe we’d have a fire that’d do this once or twice a year, and now everything in the beginning of the fire season is burning explosively. It’s not going to get any better this year. … It’s like we’re at war.”
Cal Fire Capt. Lucas Spelman
Destructive Blue Cut fire is fully contained
The Blue Cut fire, now fully contained after burning for one week near the Cajon Pass, destroyed an estimated 105 homes and 213 other structures in San Bernardino County and now ranks as the 20th most destructive wildfire in state history, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The massive fire put more than 82,000 residents under mandatory evacuation orders and created major transportation problems when it forced the closure of the 15 Freeway and Highway 138 and scorched a stretch of freight railroad tracks that curve through the Cajon Pass.
The cause of the wildfire remains under investigation.
Where is the Chimney fire burning?
Where are California’s fires?
Hearst Castle still closed, but Chimney fire’s progress is slowed
The Chimney fire expanded to 24,096 acres Saturday night as fire teams worked to prevent its advance toward historic Hearst Castle and other communities.
The fire’s leading edge was about two miles from the National Historic Landmark and museum Saturday, and firefighters have managed to arrest the fire’s advance by concentrating trucks and firefighters in the area between the castle and the fire. Winds and temperatures were also cooperating.
The castle remains closed to visitors.
Images of the Chimney fire as it threatens Hearst Castle
The Chimney fire is now at 17,000 acres and threatening Hearst Castle.
Here are some images from the scene:
Threatened by Chimney fire, Hearst Castle closes until further notice
The Chimney fire in San Luis Obispo County is threatening Hearst Castle and the buildings around it, Cal Fire authorities said Saturday afternoon.
The fire was headed toward the national historic landmark and the leading edge was just two miles away, said Cal Fire spokeswoman Emily Hjortstorp. Crews are expecting winds of up to 20 mph, but the fire isn’t traveling especially fast, she said.
Bulldozers, trucks and firefighters are digging containment lines around the castle, Hjorstorp said. No evacuation orders have been issued for the area.
Destructive Blue Cut fire is 68% contained
Firefighters tightened their grip on the fast-moving Blue Cut fire overnight Friday, capitalizing on humid weather conditions to gain greater control over the 37,020-acre blaze, authorities said Saturday.
The fire, which is 68% contained, has destroyed 105 homes and 213 other structures in San Bernardino County since it broke out Tuesday for reasons investigators are still trying to determine.
Blue Cut fire in the Cajon Pass destroys 105 homes and 213 other buildings
The tally for California’s harsh fire season ascended to even grimmer terrain Saturday as officials announced that the Blue Cut fire in the Cajon Pass has destroyed 105 homes and 213 other structures.
The toll in San Bernardino County caps a week of extensive losses across California, including 300 structures destroyed in Lake County in Northern California when a wildfire raced through the town of Lower Lake, hammering its downtown area.
Satellite imagery shows the Blue Cut fire’s huge burn area
This “false color” image from NASA’s Landsat 8 satellite uses a combination of color and infrared bands to help distinguish burn scars and hotspots from vegetation.
The Blue Cut fire has scorched more than 37,000 acres so far. Satellite imagery captured Thursday shows the extent of the burn area. The Pilot fire to the east burned about 8,000 acres and was 100% contained by Tuesday.
Korean church retreat burned to the ground in Blue Cut fire
Down a narrow dirt road off Highway 138 in Phelan, a popular Korean church retreat center sat in ruins.
About 10 buildings belonging to the Thanksgiving Korean Church were left in large piles of rubble Friday afternoon. Rows of scorched metal chairs remained standing in some buildings. Damaged sinks, stoves and washers in others suggest that they may have been used as living quarters.
Jinny Lee, owner of a cafe off Highway 138, walked past one singed building after another, trying to remember the one where the actual church services would take place.
“Maybe it’s this building,” Lee, 55, said, as she looked at the row of charred furniture.
Woman loses 135 animals, beloved guesthouse in Blue Cut fire
The last time Mabel Ramos saw her peach-colored home was through the rear view mirror of her car as she was pulling out of her driveway soon after the Blue Cut fire started. She saw flames as high as an electricity pole surrounding her property.
“I was thinking, ‘Our Lord dear father, his son Jesus and the Holy Spirit, please, when I leave this gate, take care of my house,’” she said.
Ramos returned to her home late Thursday afternoon. When she got to the gate, she saw the charred Jaguar that she and her husband had driven off in after getting married. Then she saw the guesthouse that she and her husband had built together, now a pile of rubble.
“I cried,” she said. “It was terrible.”
On Friday she stood in what was once the living room of the guesthouse. The charred metal frame of a coffee table stood nearby. Other part of the house were still standing, including a cast iron wood stove.
She said the guesthouse was special. Her grandmother from El Salvador would stay at the guesthouse whenever she visit. Family from Canada also would use it. Her son, who lives in Los Angeles, used it as second home.
The shed that kept the animals also burned down. She lost 135 of her livestock.
“I didn’t have time to even open the door,” she said before crying.
Blue Cut fire evacuations lifted for parts of Phelan
Effective Friday at 1 p.m., the mandatory evacuation orders for Phelan residents west of Baldy Mesa Road to Wilson Ranch Road south of Phelan Road to Mission Street affected by the Blue Cut fire will be lifted, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Baldy Mesa Road south of Phelan Road will reopen.
Eastbound Highway 138 from Interstate 15 to Summit Valley will also reopen.
‘We have been arresting looters’: Deputies patrol Blue Cut fire evacuation zones
Assistant San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus reassured Blue Cut fire evacuees Friday that his department’s primary focus was the protection of evacuated areas.
New fire burning on Grapevine, homes threatened
A new fire was reported Friday in the Grapevine near the town of Lebec in Kern County.
There was no immediate size provided, but officials said some homes were threatened.
Interstate 5 remains open at this time.
Rey fire grows to 1,000 acres and is still 20% contained
Blue Cut fire has destroyed nearly 100 homes
The Blue Cut fire raging in the Cajon Pass has destroyed nearly 100 homes, officials said Friday as firefighters focused their efforts on areas near the mountain resort town of Wrightwood, where dry brush hasn’t burned in years.
According to preliminary estimates released by San Bernardino County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig, 96 homes and 213 outbuildings have been destroyed by the fire, which has consumed 37,000 acres.
Wrightwood on the west flank of the fire is dotted with apartments and small homes and has the highest housing density in the area.
The blaze is 26% contained, officials said, up from 22% Thursday evening.
Truck driver in Cajon Pass ‘just kept driving’ and prayed the freeway would reopen
Kevin Holladay had a lot of time to think about whether he would risk the drive on the 15 Freeway.
He was on the road from Illinois to Anaheim to reload his tanker truck with chemicals. But there was a problem: The Blue Cut fire had closed the freeway.
Holladay, a thin man with blue eyes, long gray hair and a thick horseshoe mustache, said he listened to the news on the radio to keep tabs on the fire.
“I just kept driving,” he said, as he stood at the truck stop just off Highway 138 on Friday morning.
The Outpost Cafe sat nearby, a slogan hanging from its wooden roof: “The Place for meeting, eatin’ and getting gas.”
Holladay said he was praying the flames would calm down -- not because of the drive, but because of the destruction. He said his thoughts drifted to residents whose homes and animals were threatened by the wildfire.
He said that as he crossed into Nevada, he saw road signs that said the southbound 15 Freeway was still closed. At Las Vegas, another sign: still closed.
“I followed my instinct,” said Holladay, 53.
At the California-Nevada border, he saw another sign: The freeway was open. As he drove through the area, he saw some of the damage left behind.
“I was shocked,” he said. “Stuff you’ve seen for years is gone.”
‘We were laughing. Then we realized, this is really serious. We need to get out,’ Santa Barbara camper says
Kyle Joachim and his wife were driving back to their campsite in Santa Barbara County when they saw a strip of the hillside go up in smoke. Curious, the couple pulled over to take a look at what had happened.
As they watched the flames fan out, Joachim called 911.
“I couldn’t believe how quickly it spread,” he said.
Joachim, 36, and his family had been staying at the Fremont campsite. The edge of the Rey fire was only about a mile from the site, he said.
The seven of them had spent two days hiking around the area -- including parts of the forest that are now up in flames -- played games and checked out nearby restaurants.
They had planned on staying until Friday morning, but around 3:45 p.m. Thursday, a sheriff’s deputy came to the site and told the campsite host that everyone needed to evacuate.
A wildfire had erupted near the White Rock day use area nearby, the deputy told him. Joachim and his family quickly packed up their two tents and loaded their gear into their cars.
About a dozen people were staying at the campsite, Joachim said. Large signs at the entrance had advised campers that they could only make fires in designated areas, he said.
“The camp host came around the first day and was very specific that we could only have fire in the firepits,” Joachim said. “They had jugs of water next to the pits that said, ‘For fire only.’”
After speaking with the deputy, the camp host seemed panicked, Joachim recalled.
“At first we were laughing. Then we realized, this is really serious. We need to get out,” he said.