BLAZE RAGES BUT FIREFIGHTERS PROTECT PIRU.Byline: Jeff Wilson There are a number of people named Jeff Wilson.
Cooler weather Thursday helped firefighters battling a wildfire that blackened black·en v. black·ened, black·en·ing, black·ens v.tr. 1. To make black. 2. To sully or defame: a scandal that blackened the mayor's name. 3. nearly 10,500 acres in the Los Padres National Forest Los Padres National Forest is a forest located in southern and central California, which includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast from Ventura to Monterey, extending inland. Elevations range from sea level to 8,831 feet. and came within miles of the town of Piru, west of Santa Clarita. The 10,500-acre blaze, which started Tuesday in the forest's southeast area and came within 2-1/2 miles of the citrus-growing community of Piru, appeared to be moving northeast of the populated area. ``If the fire maintains its current path and we can hold, they will be fine,'' U.S. Forest Service spokesman Bill Peters said. The hamlet's 500 residents remained on alert for a possible evacuation, although the threat had subsided. Temperatures dropped into the 80s and humidity levels rose with the encroaching coastal overcast. Resident Sadie Garamilla was still cautious. ``Things can change very quickly and, like I say, you just kind of roll with the punches and let God do the rest,'' she said. Grocer Moses Hernandez was no longer concerned, but added: ``I'm ready to run!'' Fire crews also were busy in other states, including Alaska, Nevada and Washington. The Southern California blazes started - for causes that are still not determined - as a record-breaking summer heat wave peaked with temperatures soaring well past 100 degrees in many areas. About 1,800 firefighters, aided by six water-dropping helicopters and six retardant-dropping air tankers, battled the Piru blaze, which started six miles north of Fillmore and about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles. ``Primarily this is a get-in-your-face fire,'' Peters said. ``It's hand crews - not a lot of fire engines and air support. They are out there with picks and shovels to dig a line around this fire.'' About 80 miles away, in the northwest corner of the forest, more than 1,250 firefighters battled the Santa Maria-area blaze. Five air tankers and nine helicopters made sorties in that siege. ``The marine layer came in last night and really helped out, and they were able to really cut in some lines,'' Forest Service spokesman Tom Wright said Thursday. Seven firefighters got minor injuries in the Santa Maria area. No structures were lost or threatened, and there were no evacuations. Recent days have been miserable for firefighters on both Los Padres National Forest blazes: temperatures soaring to 105 degrees, steep terrain, bone-dry undergrowth described as explosive, wasps and poison oak poison oak: see poison ivy. poison oak Species of poison ivy (Toxicodendron diversilobum) native to western North America and classified in the sumac (or cashew) family. , Wright said. The weather change Thursday was welcomed, Wright said. Elsewhere in California, about 150 firefighters battled a 160-acre blaze in steep, rugged terrain just outside of Sequoia National Park Sequoia National Park, 402,510 acres (162,960 hectares), E central Calif.; est. 1890. In the park are 35 groves of giant sequoias, spectacular granite mountains, and deep canyons. . In Washington state, heavy lightning storms over the past two nights sparked dozens of small fires in Olympic National Park Olympic National Park National park, northwestern Washington, U.S. Established in 1938 to preserve the Olympic Mountains and their forests and wildlife, it covers 1,442 sq mi (3,735 sq km); it includes a strip of Pacific Northwest shoreline geographically separated from the , the Colville National Forest The Colville National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in north eastern Washington state. It is bordered on the west by the Okanogan National Forest and the Kaniksu National Forest to the east. north of Spokane, the Wenatchee National Forest Wenatchee National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington. With an area of 2.2 million acres (8,900 km²), it extends about 220 km along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range of Washington, USA from Okanogan National Forest to Gifford Pinchot National Forest. and the Okanogan National Forest The Okanogan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest in north-central Washington State, United States. The 6077 square km forest is bordered on the north by Canada, on the east by Colville National Forest, on the south by the divide between the Methow and the Stehekin-Lake Chelan . CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: The sun sets through a shroud of smoke above Santa Clarita, east of the forest fire near Piru. David R. Crane/Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion