Jun 29, 2008 10:12 pm US/Pacific
Slow Progess Made Fighting Smoky NorCal Fires
BIG SUR (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
Firefighters made slow progress Sunday against more than a thousand wildfires burning throughout Northern California, but forecasters said dangerous fire conditions would not relent anytime soon.
No new major fires had broken out by Sunday evening as fire crews inched closer to getting some of the largest blazes surrounded, according to the state Office of Emergency Services.
But a "red flag warning" - meaning the most extreme fire danger - was still in effect for Northern California until 5 a.m. Monday. And the coming days and months are expected to bring little relief.
Monterey County FiresResidents of the Palo Colorado Canyon, from state Highway 1 to the Pico Blanco Boy Scout Camp, in Monterey County were advised to evacuate Sunday because of the Basin Complex Fire burning in the Los Padres National Forest near Big Sur.
"It is getting bigger. The fire is currently 32,476 acres -- it grew 2,433 acres since (Saturday)," said Ralph Orson, an Information Officer for Los Padres National Forest.
The wildfire in the Big Sur region has burned 42 square miles and destroyed 16 homes so far; 575 structures remained threatened. The blaze, which is still only 3 percent contained, has forced the closure of a 12-mile stretch of coastal Highway 1 and driven away visitors at the peak of the tourist season.
A mandatory evacuation remained in place for the Parlington Ridge area. An evacuation advisory for Carmel Valley Road from Arroyo Seco Road north to Tassajara Road and on both sides along the state Highway 1 corridor from Nacimiento-Fergusson Road north to the Nepenthe turnout was also still in place.
The American Red Cross set up a shelter at the Carmel Valley Middle School at 4380 Carmel Valley Road in Carmel for residents in need of assistance.
Lightning is believed to have started the fire, which has cost around $4.3 million to battle since the flames ignited around 1 p.m. on June 21. Steep terrain, heavy fuels, limited access, drought conditions and dry, gusty winds have made fighting the fire difficult.
More than 1,000 firefighters were battling the flames of the Basin Complex Fire, which was originally two separate wildfires that merged into one blaze.
Further south in the Los Padres forest, a separate wildfire - the Indians Fire - that started three weeks ago has scorched 92 square miles of remote wilderness. It was nearly 90 percent contained Sunday.
Firefighters made progress on the blaze burning 12 miles west of King City and expected to fully contain it by Thursday.
The Indians Fire has burned about 60,845 acres and has cost $38.4 million to fight. Sixteen firefighters have been injured since it started three weeks ago. Two residences and 13 outbuildings have been destroyed and 422 residences, four commercial buildings and 140 outbuildings remained threatened.
A fire evacuation advisory is in effect for parts of Carmel Valley Road. The Arroyo Seco area is under mandatory evacuation, according to Los Padres National Forest officials. An American Red Cross evacuation center was located at 490 El Camino Real at the Greenfield Elementary School in Greenfield.
There were 1,125 firefighting personnel assigned to the blaze Sunday. Firefighters were working on interior burning to reduce unburned vegetation.
Poor Air Quality Regionwide
The pair of Monterey County wildfires are among hundreds burning that have turned Northern California skies into an unhealthy stew of smoke and ash, forcing the cancellation of athletic events and other outdoor activities across the state.
Air quality districts from Bakersfield to Redding have issued health advisories through the weekend, urging residents to stay indoors to limit their exposure to the smoky air.
A health advisory issued by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District was extended through the weekend due to smoky conditions throughout the region.
"Throughout the weekend, we are expecting air quality in the Bay Area to continue to be impacted by the Northern California wildfires," said air district spokeswoman Lisa Fasano. "We will continue to issue air quality forecasts and advise the public to take appropriate precautions."
The air district has recorded elevated levels of particulate matter throughout the Bay Area, but especially in the eastern parts of the region and the Santa Clara Valley.
Air pollution readings across Northern California are two to 10 times the federal standard for clean air, said Dimitri Stanich, spokesman for the California Air Resources Board. Some areas experienced the worst air quality on record, with the smoke hanging like a fog down to ground level.
"When you have it on the scale we are seeing now, it is very dangerous to the general public health," Stanich said. "This is a very serious problem."
Changing weather brought smoke-clearing breeze and a little relief to some areas this weekend, but it could also bring lightning storms similar to the ones that ignited fires across Northern California a week ago.
Meanwhile, a U.S. Forest Service report said the weather would get even drier and hotter as fire season headed toward its traditional peak in late July and August.
Lower-than-average rainfall and record levels of vegetation parched by a spring drought likely mean a long, fiery summer throughout Northern California, according to the Forest Service's state fire outlook released last week.
Already the fires now burning will take weeks to months to fully bring under control, the report said.
Those blazes were mostly sparked by lightning storms that were unusually intense for so early in the season. But summer storms would likely grow even more fierce, according to the Forest Service.
"Our most widespread and/or critical lightning events often occur in late July or August, and we have no reason to deviate from that," the agency's report said.
The blazes have scorched more than 556 square miles and destroyed more than 50 buildings, said state emergency services spokesman Gregory Renick.
The fires have destroyed 47 structures and injured 85 people, and they continue to threaten nearly 10,000 homes, businesses and outbuildings, according to his department.
Bush Issues Disaster Declaration
On Saturday, President Bush issued an emergency declaration for California and ordered federal agencies to assist in firefighting efforts in Butte, Mendocino, Monterey, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, and Trinity. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had made the request on Friday.
But California officials said the federal declaration doesn't go far enough. State and local governments also need federal financing to cover their "extraordinary costs in fighting these fires and helping the thousands of Californians who have suffered unimaginable loss and damages," said Henry Renteria, director of the state Office of Emergency Services.
Federal aid now includes four Marine Corps helicopters, remote sensing of the fires by NASA, federal firefighters, and the activation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"At this point what we're providing are the immediate resources needed to save lives," FEMA regional director Bob Fenton said in a conference call with reporters. "If there's additional requirements above and beyond that I'm sure the state will be bringing that to our attention."
More than 18,000 firefighters, nearly 1,700 fire engines and bulldozers, and more than 80 helicopters and aircraft were fighting more than 1,000 active fires Sunday, Renick said.
"The summer has just begun, and fire conditions will only get tougher," Ruben Grijalva, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, warned in a weekly radio address on behalf of the governor.
Areas hardest hit include Butte County, where 31 fires have burned 19 square miles and threatened 1,200 homes; Mendocino County, where 121 fires have burned 45 square miles and threatened 900 homes; and Shasta-Trinity counties, where about 160 fires have burned 58 square miles and threatened 230 homes.
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