A wildfire in the mountains above Santa Barbara County's Santa Ynez Valley has spread to more than 16,000 acres, prompting evacuations near vineyards and Neverland Ranch.
The lake fire started near Zaca Lake on Friday afternoon shortly before 4 p.m. and spread rapidly through dry grass, brush and trees, authorities said. The fire was by no means under control by Sunday.
The Sheriff's Department expanded the evacuation area Saturday night along Figueroa Mountain Road near Neverland Ranch, once owned by pop star Michael Jackson. Additional ground crews were sent to the area.
“Our goal is to maintain [the fire] “The fire is far away from all of those structures,” said Kenichi Haskett, the public information officer assigned to the firefighting operation. “It’s going to continue to grow.”
The fire was burning in the mountains above Foxen Canyon Road, home to more than a dozen vineyards. Several wineries north of Los Olivos closed Sunday after firefighters cut off access to the road.
But there was no need to evacuate, said Ashley Parker, co-owner of Fess Parker Winery.
Although he could see the glow at night north of the winery, the wind appeared to be carrying the fire farther north, away from populated areas, Parker said.
The threat level was low enough that the young people simply entertained themselves by watching firefighting helicopters suck water from the vineyard's reservoir, he said.
“My nieces and their husbands live on the ranch,” Parker said. “All the kids had a blast. Those helicopter pilots are really amazing. We’re so lucky to have great fire crews.”
The fire was fuelled by low humidity and high temperatures inside. A red alert had been issued for gusty winds when the fire started. The wind has now died down, but temperatures remain high.
“With less wind, they can send out planes to drop retardant,” said Joe Sirard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “But the heat is potentially deadly for these firefighters.”
He said humidity was still in the single digits in some areas of the fire, especially at higher elevations. The cause of the fire is unknown.
Amid scorching temperatures, crews continued to battle several wildfires in inland areas of California. The largest is the Basin Fire in Fresno County, which began June 26. The blaze, which has burned 14,027 acres, was 60% contained as of Sunday.
Crews also brought under control the French Fire, which started July 4 and briefly threatened the town of Mariposa outside Yosemite National Park. The 908-acre blaze, which prompted temporary mandatory evacuations and closed State Route 140 leading into the park, is 60% contained.
The weather service has issued an excessive heat warning until 9 p.m. Wednesday for inland valleys from Cuyama in San Luis Obispo County to Antelope Valley in Los Angeles County. Forecasters say high temperatures along this stretch of inland California are expected to range from 106 to 116 degrees.
Relentless heat broke records in parts of the state on Saturday. Palmdale matched its all-time high of 115 degrees. Death Valley set a new record for July 6 with a high temperature of 128 degrees.
On Saturday, a cooling trend prompted the weather service to cancel excessive heat watches and warnings for many coastal areas.
At Los Olivos, vineyard managers said they were optimistic the fire would soon be contained. Parker said he hoped his winery would reopen Monday.
“I truly believe that the firefighters have managed to control the fire and that the area will recover in a day,” he said. “The last thing I want to do is encourage people not to come. The town of Los Olivos is in good shape. Businesses are open. People are having a good time.”
Adrian De La Cruz, who works at the Petros Winery closer to town, said customers were sitting inside because of the air quality.
“The smoke is increasing a lot today,” he said. “Yesterday it was raining ash.”
He said a fire patrol officer drove by, but didn't have time to talk to him.
“We were busy,” he said.
