Central Coast Wildfire Surges To Life, Forces Evacuations

The communities surrounding the Cuesta Fire can expect to see smoke throughout the day and into the evening. Santa Margarita Elementary School called off its first day of classes, set for Wednesday, as 339 residents of Santa Margarita were told to evacuate. The team could be gone for up to 16 days, Conrad said.

At 3 square miles, the fire was only 10 percent contained.

Cal Fire San Luis Obispo Station 12 Fire Capt. Amber Henderson said that firefighters have been challenged by steep terrain and extremely dry conditions. A shelter was set up in Atascadero, where smoke and ashes made life hard for people with respiratory or heart problems.

Cal Fire officials said the same vehicle sparked three fires Sunday, starting with the Grade Fire on the Nojoqui Summit south of Buellton in Santa Barbara County, the Cuesta Fire (also originally dubbed the Grade Fire) and the Cholame Fire on Highway 41 at Cottonwood Pass.

No additional information about how the vehicle started the fires was immediately available.

Aircraft were flying in at a more frequent pace by about 12:30 p.m., dropping water from buckets on hot spots near the freeway, holding the line where firefighters had bulldozed several hundred yards of flatlands to keep the flames from leaping toward the town.

The Cuesta fire is one of 18 wildfires burning across California, requiring the work of more than 12,000 firefighters. One of the largest blazes, the Route Complex, has burned 29,000 acres in Trinity County, east southeast of Eureka.

As the firefight continues, so too does the investigation on how the Cuesta Fire was started. In Montebello, a suspected arson caused a wildfire that leaped across roads. More than 440 California National Guard soldiers joined the firefighters this week, and thousands more are being trained, according to Cal Fire’s Mike Mohler. The 5-year average for the time period, from January 1 through August. 8, is 2,875 fires and 53,277 acres burned.