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 The fire charred some 1,235 acres between the coastal cities of
Ventura and Carpinteria. Firefighters had dug containment lines
around 70 percent of the blaze by early afternoon, Ventura County
Fire Department spokesman Captain Mike Lindbery said.
"We have a handle on it, but that handle can be very fragile if
certain events occur," Lindbery said.
The main concerns facing firefighters were winds or wild embers
starting flare-ups outside the containment line.
Two flare-ups occurred overnight. One was a 2-acre spot fire that
was quickly extinguished. Firefighters were monitoring the other
blaze, expected to be less than an acre in size.
Firefighters also faced the challenge of steep terrain, including
sandy and unstable cliffside, while battling the flames, Lindbery
said.
The area of the blaze was expected to see a high temperature of 57 F
on Sunday, with humidity at 30 percent. The cooler temperatures will
aid firefighting efforts, but an excess of dry vegetation will keep
feeding the fire, Lindbery said.
The fire started on Friday night near Ventura County, about 65 miles
northwest of Los Angeles, when high winds knocked down power lines
in a dry hilly area. The fire grew rapidly, consuming about 250
acres an hour in its early stage, Lindbery said.
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The flames triggered the closure of parts of U.S. Highway 101,
although northbound and southbound lanes of the roadway both
reopened to traffic by late afternoon on Saturday.
The Solimar Beach community, with 50 to 60 homes, and a nearby
campsite were under a mandatory evacuation order, while a voluntary
one had been issued for the Faria Beach community, where there are
30 to 40 homes, fire officials said. The evacuations were later
lifted.
(Reporting by Laila Kearney in New York; Editing by Alison Williams
and Peter Cooney)
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