THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters hoped a narrow window of calm on Saturday would give them a chance to block Southern California wildfires that have marched on an inexorable path of destruction toward the sea. Winds that drove the flames through bone-dry hills and canyons north and west of downtown Los Angeles were expected to die down until Sunday, when they would build again to 35 mph with even higher gusts, forecasters predicted. In less than two days, the Hill and Woolsey fires had destroyed more than 150 homes and prompted evacuation orders for more than 250,000 people, fire officials said. The lull Saturday would give firefighters a chance to control the edges of the blaze and to swap fire crews, replacing firefighters who had worked for two days without rest, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said. But with the winds returning, it’s likely more homes would be lost, Osby warned. “There’s not going to be any relief in this firefight,” he said. By late Friday night, the smaller Hill fire’s advance had halted, but the Woolsey fire continued to surge. In a matter of hours it doubled in size — turning well over 54 square miles (141 square kilometers) into ash and fields of glowing red embers. The two fires erupted on Thursday as much of the state found itself under red flag warnings of extreme fire danger because of dry weather and blowing winds. In Northern California, a wildfire incinerated most of the town of… [Read full story]
Leave a Reply