Weather Still a Big Concern as Fire Continues to Grow-California

[WhiteTara]

http://www.knx1070.com/pages/84054.php?contentType=4&contentId=206524



Castaic (AP) -- Firefighters struggling to contain a massive wildfire in the mountains north of Los Angeles braced for offshore winds predicted to pick up to about 25 mph Saturday night.

The so-called "Day" fire broke out in the Padres National Forest on Labor Day and has since scorched nearly 31,000 acres, mostly in Ventura County. As of Friday night, it was about 30 percent contained or surrounded by defensive fire lines.

The freeway has been closed on-and-off during the past week. But so far the blaze has not crossed east of the Golden State (5) Freeway, where it could threaten homes in the Santa Clarita Valley and spread into the Angeles National Forest.
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Those lines, if they hold, should protect much of Angeles National Forest to the east, but would not stop the blaze from advancing to the south and west.

That prompted U.S. Forest Service officials to expanded the closure of the Sespe Wilderness, including the California condor preserve.

no cause of the fire has been determined, but are fairly sure it was human caused. We are undoubtedly the most suicidal creatures in the known and unknown universe.

[msongs]

1. dead calm here this morning. that's good news. nt

[Aviation Pro]

2. The high pressure system in the Great Basin fuels these fires...

As the system holds in the area of Salt Lake City the Santa Ana (California) and Chinook (Colorado) winds dry out the abundance of fuel. The fires that are produced from this combination are devestating and deadly. Unfortunately, with a predicted El Nino event, it will be worse next season.

[NOLADEM]

3. Fighting these fires in part cause these fires

Stopping underbrush from burning in a forest periodically is not only unhealthy for the forest by choking the canopy of nutrients, space and h20.

The underbrush gets too high to burn without damaging the canopy, and voila, you have catastrophic firest that burn the canopy.

Solution? When a fire starts, protect only life and critical structures, and in 100 years, we will be out of the hole we dug by attempting to stop nature.

Fire is a necessary evil. Go to Yellowstone's burned areas to see why. They are now among the most green, lush areas of the park, even though they still show scars.