Fleeting firenado caught on camera in California wildfire

Some 1,200 firefighters backed by helicopters and air tankers battled the so-called Sherpa blaze in Santa Barbara, north of Los Angeles, on Friday after it tripled in size overnight to more than 4,000 acres.

Fire officials say 40-mph “sundowner” winds that usually sweep down the mountains near Santa Barbara didn’t materialize Friday night.

Officials have started an investigation into the cause of the fire, but it is not a criminal investigation, they said at a news conference. Hundreds of firefighters working on the blaze had it about 5 percent contained.

The Sherpa Fire started Wednesday afternoon near where Refugio Road intersects Highway 101 in Santa Barbara County. The damage levels were being assessed, she said.

Before extra equipment and personnel could arrive on Wednesday, firefighters concentrated on creating a “box” around the blaze – clearing the selected areas around the fire of brush and fuel on all sides, the Lompoc Record reported.

There has been a mandatory evacuation order for several areas as the homes and ranches were still potentially at risk depending on the direction of the winds.

For the next few days, crews are at the mercy of fire-stoking sundowner winds, which are the result of hot air from the Santa Ynez Mountains clashing with cool air off the Pacific Ocean.

The communities surrounding the Sherpa Fire can expect to see smoke throughout the day, which will increase during the evening hours.

Fire burns behind an El Capitan Ranch sign.

Highway 101 was again shut down Thursday night as strong winds pushed smoke and flames toward the highway.

County Sheriff Bill Brown warned residents to heed mandatory evacuation orders and to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice in areas where evacuation warnings are in effect.

On Thursday, the USA 101 freeway was closed for the second time since the fire started, but it was reopened on Friday morning.

It’s a major tragedy for the people of Santa Barbara County, but that massive fire to the north of us is also creating some pretty hard times for people in the Los Angeles area.

The National Weather Service has issued heat advisories for Missouri and southwest Iowa, with temperatures in the mid-90s Fahrenheit (35 Celsius), climatologist Bryan Peake said in a phone interview.

A video shot of the Sherpa Fire in Santa Barbara County shows the presence of a rare “firenado”-also known as “fire whirls” or “fire devils”. The district also advised people to avoid unnecessary outdoor activities in areas that could be impacted by smoke.

The flames are racing through a combustive mix of chaparral, tall grass and brush in a wilderness area that has not experienced a major fire since 1955.

Keith, a Santa Barbara native, said he has grown accustomed to wildfires, but not necessarily of this scope. A fleet of aircraft dropped water and retardant to combat a wind-driven wildfire burning out of control Thursday.

Crews from Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service and the Santa Barbara County Fire Department have been assigned to battle the fire, which draws its name from Rancho La Scherpa, a conference center in Refugio Canyon where the fire began.

During the day, wildfires tend to go north and up the often steep slope toward the Santa Ynez Mountains.

Patzert said the fact that the vegetation there hasn’t burned for so long is the problem.