Hotter days bring bigger fire challenges to West

The Latest on wildfires in the Western U.S. By Saturday evening, the 355-acre Aspen Fire had 50 percent containment by Saturday evening, and less than one mile away, the Pine Canyon fire was burning steadily at 109-acres with 76 percent containment.

While winds on a large scale have not been overly strong, localized wind events are aiding some of the fires, including the Sherpa Fire west of Santa Barbara, California. So far, just one structure has burned down, and a campground was saved.

Fire officials say the big issue Saturday is the virtually inaccessible nature of the fire’s active eastern side.

Firefighters will also be on the lookout for spot fires as high temperatures and dry conditions Monday will significantly increase the likelihood that a spark will ignite another fire and contribute to increased fire growth.

Firefighters have been able to reinforce holding lines around a New Mexico wildfire that has destroyed two dozen homes.

Higher humidity overnight allowed crews to strengthen lines around the fire and mop up.

More than 950 personnel are working on the fire and helicopters and air tankers continue to drop retardant.

Many ranches throughout the area and the fairgrounds at Expo New Mexico are offering up space for livestock such as cows, horses, goats and chickens that have been displaced by the fire, according to the New Mexico Department of Agriculture.

Containment lines have been secured along some areas of a wildfire that is still a threat to several communities in east-central Arizona.

Crews say the fire will spread and more smoke will be visible because of burnout operations to deprive it of fuel.

The outlook for an area from Southern California to Southern Nevada and into Arizona is one of “Red Flag Warnings”, indicating conditions that could lead to unsafe wildfires according to the National Weather Service.

Firefighters are gaining the upper hand on a massive vegetation fire burning in the mountains west of Goleta since last week, but officials are warning the blaze that’s been dubbed the “Sherpa Fire” still has the potential to grow in size, quickly taking off and spreading across the hillsides. West Metro Fire asks all residents check with local agencies for rules and regulations in their area. The blaze was 24 percent contained Saturday morning.

But although 270 homes and other structures were threatened, firefighters protected residential property in the El Capitan Canyon area, at El Capitan State Park and along the Highway 101 corridor.

DWP officials also recommended that people keep a phone charger in a auto to ensure they can contact friends or relatives during an outage, keep a supply of non-perishable food and have a cooler available to use for food that needs to be refrigerated.

But authorities feared so-called “sundowner” winds, which rush down the mountains in 40 miles per hour gusts, would return by nightfall, complicating efforts to quell the flames.

The fire has burned almost 19 square miles since Wednesday. The almost 2,000 firefighters battling the flames were focused on saving 60 homes in Refugio Canyon and 80 homes in El Capitan Ranch, which were under a severe threat, officials said.