By Mary O’KEEFE
As of Wednesday at 2:44 p.m., fires close to Crescenta Valley are close to containment while the Thomas Fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties continues to burn.
The Creek Fire that began in the Lake View Terrace area is 98% contained and has burned 15,619 acres, according to CalFire. The expected containment is Dec. 23. The cause is still under investigation. All evacuation orders have been lifted and there are no road closures due to the fire.
The Rye Fire is 100% contained and burned 6,049 acres. The cause is still under investigation. All evacuation orders have been lifted and there are no road closures due to the fire.
The Skirball Fire in the Bel Air/Holmby Hills area is 90% contained. Los Angeles Fire Dept. investigators have determined the fire was caused by an illegal cooking fire at an encampment in a brush area adjacent to where Sepulveda Boulevard crosses under the San Diego (405) Freeway, according to the LAFD. The encampment had reportedly been in the area for a while; however, the LAFD stated it was not aware of it prior to the fire.
The Thomas Fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties is 25% contained. At 239,000 acres it is the fifth largest fire in California history. On Wednesday it was threatening the towns of Carpinteria, Montecito and Santa Barbara. A portion of the fire is heading to very rugged areas that are difficult for fire crews to reach.
“The weather has been favorable [for a few days],” said Steve Swindle, fire engineer and spokesman for the Thomas Fire. “But there is still low humidity.”
The Thomas Fire is similar to the Station Fire in that it is burning in rugged terrain and areas that have not burned in years.
“The winds have been our nemesis,” Swindle said. “And there may be another wind event [this weekend].”
A Red Flag Warning in Los Angeles and Ventura counties will run until 10 a.m. on Friday.
“There is no rain in sight,” said Stuart Seto, weather specialist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
The winds are expected to return today, Thursday, with gusts up to 35 miles per hour.
“The mountains could see gusts from 50 to 60 mph,” he said. “Humidity is low, in single digits.”
The winds, he said, will start out as northerly but by late Sunday will turn easterly and once again become Santa Anas.
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