Offbeat Firefighters make significant progress in wildfires burning across Southern California

GOLETA, Calif. — Firefighters in Santa Barbara County continued mop-up operations Sunday after battling a wildfire that destroyed about 20 structures, prompting hundreds of evacuations in Goleta over the weekend during a brutal heat wave.

The Holiday fire is 80 percent contained, with full containment expected by Wednesday, said Mike Eliason, a spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. He said 10 homes were destroyed and three were damaged; nine other structures were destroyed.

Calif. blaze erupts in 'year-round fire season'

In California these days, the start - and end - of wildfire season is anyone's guess. Helicopters work to extinguish the Pawnee fire burning east of Spring Valley, Calif., June 25. Wind-driven wildfires destroyed buildings and threatened hundreds of others Sunday as they raced across dry brush in rural Northern California.

On Sunday morning, firefighters canvassed Goleta’s hillside neighborhoods with shovels, looking for remaining hot spots. The area no longer smelled heavily of smoke.

“It’s a thankless part of the job but it’s the most necessary so it doesn’t get rekindled,” said Mike Eliason, a spokesman for the fire department. He said about 130 firefighters remained on duty.

The 100-acre Holiday fire was perhaps the most destructive of several blazes that broke out across Southern California during oppressive heat that set records all weekend. Temperatures on Sunday were expected to be slightly lower, ranging from the high 70s along the coast to the low 90s in downtown Los Angeles and triple-digit temperatures in some inland areas.

Strong gusts fuel fierce Northern California wildfire

Wind gusts of up to 25 miles (40 km) per hour may hamper firefighters battling a wildfire in Northern California on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.Smoke rises in distance from County Fire near County Road 63 and Highway 16 in Rumsey Canyon on July 2.

More gradual cooling is expected throughout the region on Monday.

When the Holiday fire broke out after 8 p.m. Friday, the temperature in Goleta was still 100 degrees. Then the sundowner winds picked up, a scenario that over the decades has spread many of Santa Barbara County’s most destructive fires.

The fire moved so fast Friday night that some residents struggled to get out of the hillside community, and 911 lines were jammed with calls. It was burning north of Cathedral Oaks Road, west of Fairview Avenue and east to Patterson Avenue.

More than 2,500 residents were initially evacuated but most have since been allowed to return home. Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Eric Peterson commended residents for quickly evacuating.

“I’m convinced with that quickly advancing flame front, we would have had fatalities” Friday night, he said. Santa Barbara has a long history of natural disasters, particularly brush fires. But the last year has been staggering.

In December, the Thomas fire, the largest on record in California, ripped through Montecito, Carpinteria and other coastal cities, destroying more than 1,000 structures. In January, mudslides in the same area killed 21 people and destroyed more than 100 homes. The mudslides alone resulted in property damage claims of more than $421 million.

© Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times The ever-present threats to homes and lives and the frightening evacuation alerts are becoming all too familiar, said Santa Barbara County Supervisor Janet Wolf, who lost her home during the Painted Cave fire of 1990. She’s had to evacuate twice since.

“Unfortunately it is an occurrence that we have become very used to,” she said. “But that doesn’t take away from the trauma and the fear that people experience.”

Meanwhile, firefighters continued to battle the 1,100-acre Valley fire in San Bernardino County that forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents in the Forest Falls community. On Sunday morning, the fire remained only 5 percent contained.

Flames were moving north and east, pushing higher into the steep terrain of the San Gorgonio Wilderness. At this point, no homes have been destroyed, said Cathey Mattingly, public information officer for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

There were at least three fires in San Diego County, including the West fire, which hit the Alpine area and initially forced 2,400 to evacuate. The fire destroyed 18 structures and scorched more than 500 acres. Two firefighters were hospitalized, with one suffering heat-related injuries and another with slight burns to his face.

By Sunday morning, the fire was 81 percent contained, officials said. The temperature in Alpine reached 112 degrees Friday and 104 degrees Saturday. The forecast for Sunday was 97 degrees.

Two other fires were burning Saturday on Camp Pendleton in North County — one fire was at 1,200 acres and 30 percent contained, while another was at 560 acres and 70 percent contained, according to Marine base fire officials.