Firefighters gain ground on Sherpa blaze, but brace for heat and wind
Reporting from Santa Barbara — Crews battling the Sherpa fire in Santa Barbara County were bracing for strong winds Saturday night and scorching heat on Sunday.
Weather has become a second enemy for the roughly 1,900 firefighters confronting the blaze, which has burned more than 7,800 mostly wild acres.
Smoke from the fire, which has grown steadily since it began on Wednesday, contributed to hazy conditions as far south as Los Angeles and Orange counties on Saturday, according to an advisory from the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
On Friday night, crews got an unexpected reprieve from the gusts, giving them time to more than double the portion of the fire they had contained, from 20% Friday night to 45% at midday Saturday.
But the winds were expected to return with a vengeance Saturday evening, with gusts as high as 50 mph, fire officials warned.
“Things can get really bad, really quickly,” said David Villalobos, a spokesman for Santa Barbara County.
Los Padres National Forest fire (Dillon Deaton / Los Angeles Times)
Mandatory evacuation orders are in effect for El Capitan, Refugio, Venadito, Canada de la Destiladera and Las Flores canyons north of Santa Barbara. Residents of neighboring communities, such as Las Llagas, Gato, Las Varas, Dos Pueblos and Eagle canyons, received evacuation warnings.
“We’re also advising people who live in west Goleta, who aren’t in evacuation areas, to have things packed just in case things get really bad tonight,” Villalobos said.
At Marketplace Drive in Goleta, families went about their weekend as usual, shopping and eating out. A Sherpa Fire Update with a map of the burn area, a weather forecast for the weekend and an air quality notice were posted to a wooden stand.
“It’s hard not to think about it when you see the smoke covering the mountains every day,” said David Barone, a retired U.S. Postal Service employee. “I’ve lived here since 1977, I’m used to it, but I also can’t ignore it.”
Others seemed less concerned.
Roseanna Bravo sat in front of Starbucks, sipping her iced drink and enjoying the sunshine.
“No one worries about it here,” Bravo said, determined not to let the blaze interfere with her plans. “I went to Macy’s today.… I don’t sit around for fires, honey.”
Severe heat is forecast for much of Southern California on Sunday and Monday, further drying the old brush, tall grass and chaparral as fuel for the blaze. The area involved hasn’t experienced a major fire since 1955.
The heat is also expected to take a toll on firefighters, who get fatigued and dehydrated much more quickly as temperatures rise, said Michelle Carbonaro, a spokeswoman for the team of agencies combating the fire.
Two firefighters have suffered minor injuries battling the blaze, she said.
Officials estimate about 270 structures are in danger, but as of early Saturday evening only one had been lost -- a treatment plant that provided water to El Capitan State Park for bathrooms, water fountains and other uses, according to officials.
But the worst may be yet to come.
The high wind, heat and low humidity will create prime conditions for “extreme fire behavior” in Southern Santa Barbara County from Sunday afternoon through Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Times staff writer Emily Alpert Reyes contributed to this report.
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