SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS/BCN) -- A pair of out-of-control wildfires roared along California's central coast Friday, chewing through opposite ends of a parched forest and threatening a total of more than 4,500 homes.
While flames from the stubborn fire in the northern flank of the Los Padres National Forest inched closer to Big Sur's historic vacation retreats, state emergency officials said hot winds had caused a newer blaze 200 miles south in Santa Barbara County to double in size overnight.
Driven by wind gusts as high as 40 mph, the Santa Barbara County fire was so fierce early Friday that firefighters at one point took shelter in about 70 homes they were trying to defend, said Capt. Eli Iskow of the county fire department.
"Hundreds of firefighters were in place around hundreds of structures," Iskow said. "I think we saved every one of those structures in that area."
Wind was less of a problem in Big Sur, which remained eerily empty under a thick blanket of fog and smoke at the start of the long holiday weekend. No more properties were lost since Thursday, but the density of the parched terrain allowed the 13-day-old wildfire to keep advancing on the storied tourist town, where flames made their way toward the scenic Pacific Coast Highway and sent forest creatures running toward the Pacific Ocean for cover.
California firefighters are finally getting some much-needed relief as they continue to battle over 100 wildfires across the state.
On Tuesday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered 200 National Guardsmen to report for fire training in order to begin assisting on fire lines by early next week.
While firefighters would like to receive help sooner, California National Guard Captain Jonathan Shiroma says the soldiers cannot be sent immediately to the fire.
“This is pretty much all new training to them …the tasking came down this year [and] this is the type of help that’s needed. So the California Guard responded and is in support of CalFire’s mission.”
The governor’s office said this is the first time since 1977 that California’s National Guard troops have been sent to the fire lines. Thus far, troops have only helped with traffic control, and Air National Guard units have already been flying fire suppression missions.
Drought, heat and lightning storms have contributed to more than 1,100 separate fires and have blackened 680 square miles of land statewide in the past two weeks. The blazes have destroyed 60 homes and other buildings while threatening thousands more, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Federal fire managers are predicting an increase in severe wildfire activity in northern California through October due to the unusually hot, dry weather and scant rain.
(cfu)
KCBS' Dave Padilla reports
