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:
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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.
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Sawmill fire: 1,500 acres burned in Sonoma County; 55% contained as of Sept. 27; began Sept. 25.
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Canyon fire: 12,518 acres burned at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County; fully contained; began Sept. 17
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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
Sep. 27, 2016, 9:30 a.m.
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.
Sep. 22, 2016, 3:02 p.m.
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.
Sep. 21, 2016, 1:30 p.m.
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.
Sep. 21, 2016, 12:41 p.m.
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.
Sep. 21, 2016, 8:28 a.m.
Sep. 20, 2016, 2:24 p.m.
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.
Sep. 20, 2016, 11:44 a.m.
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.
Sep. 19, 2016, 12:18 p.m.
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.
Sep. 18, 2016, 6:29 p.m.
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.”
Aug. 31, 2016, 1:16 p.m.
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.