Mountain Fire Contained, But Thousands Still at Risk

Mountain Fire Contained, But Thousands Still at Risk
Mountain Fire Contained, But Thousands Still at Risk Credit | REUTERS

United States: Firefighters began to get the upper hand on Friday with the reckless fire that raged near Los Angeles that incinerated at least 132 structures and damaged 88 others, most of the more than 10,000 people who were displaced by the fire were allowed to go back to their homes.

Containment Efforts Show Promise

More than 2,400 firemen benefited from the fresh winds coming from the Pacific Ocean, whose direction was completely reversed from the hot and dry clouds coming from the desert area that fanned the so-called Mountain Fire, which started on Wednesday about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles, as reported by Reuters.

Fire had burnt an area of 20,630 acres (8,350 hectares) by Friday and was 14% contained against the earlier 7%, as mentioned by the Cal Fire officials during a press conference.

Not a single external or lateral movement today. That is fantastic,” said Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner during a briefing to the media.

Ongoing Threat to Thousands of Homes

Fifty households comprised of 100 residents per home were given the green light by the authorities to go back to their homes, but 2,000 homes are still under the threat of forced eviction, according to Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff.

More burnt forests, dry brush, and the steep, rugged ground kept the threat of damaging critical infrastructure, and the islands would continue to burn within the fire’s footprint.

Survivor Stories and Destruction

In terms of those who lost their home, one was Dennis Gottlieb of Ventura County. He considered himself to be a very lucky man to be alive as he sat at a shelter at Padre Serra Parish Catholic Church in Camarillo, California, in the early morning on a Friday. He narrated that the only item he was able to salvage from the disaster was his truck.

“It was windy, real windy, but that’s all, so I just started my regular day until I saw the smoke and then the fire,” he said. Gottlieb said he grabbed some garden hoses and thought he could keep the blaze away from the house.

“Suddenly, the smoke got real heavy, and embers were falling all around,” he said. “It was hot, real hot, like 150 degrees (65 C). So I grabbed the keys to my truck,” he said. He and his wife, Linda Fellerman, barely made it out. One road was blocked by a fallen tree until a neighbor with a chainsaw cut it away.

He returned on Thursday to try and recover some of his belongings, to which he said, “It is all gone.” All gone. Burned up.”

A red flag warning for the area was issued because winds were expected to become less than 15 miles per hour (24 kph), and the humidity was expected to rise, the National Weather Service said.

The shifting of Santa Ana winds that earlier this week drove many fires due to expected of up to 80 miles per hour to 100 miles per hour yesterday are predicted to remain light during the weekend, the highest velocity of not more than 20-to-25 mph, according to Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist from the NWS Oxnard, California.

“The rain chances are low to none,” he said. “But while the winds are calmer now, they’re going to pick up again by Tuesday.”

Officials braced people for a difficult recovery.

Recovery Will Be a Long Road

“The only thing left standing of our house is the two chimneys,” Darren Kettle told the Los Angeles Times. “My heart dropped to my stomach. It’s just shocking, traumatic.”

Climate scientists argue that there was increased warming that has favored wet winters in California’s coastal chaparral, regions that contain small trees, shrubs, and bushes. Record-high temperatures this summer also contributed to conspicuous dryness in the hillsides ahead of the fires.

Climate Change and Increased Wildfire Risks

The United States is having a very extensive wildfire year, with 8.1 million acres or 3.3 million hectares already been torched to date in 2021, slightly above the annual full-year average of about 7 million acres over the last ten years based on National Interagency Fire Center statistics, as reported by Reuters.

The wildfires in California have so far this year consumed more than triple the land area seen at the same time last year, based on data from Cal Fire.