A mandatory evacuation order is in effect for over 10,000 homes by Sunday evening, and as of Monday morning, 1,500 structures are being directly threatened. Some of those evacuated were planning on returning home on Sunday evening, but unexpected winds stirred up the blaze.
The skies are filled with choking thick, black smoke, which can now be seen as far away as Las Vegas. The flames leap 50-feet or more into the night sky, like a scene out of Dante’s Inferno as the blaze rumbles forward like as out of control freight train.
Local station ABC7 is reporting that at a news conference Monday morning, officials asked homeowners to heed the evacuation orders. CHP Sgt. Kevin Pack said residents trying to get back to their homes have nearly run over officers and deputies.
L.A. County Board Supervisor Michael Antonovich addressed the topic of “super-scoopers” used by Canadian fire services. L.A. County leases them from Canada at the end of their fire season, which doesn’t end until next month.
Antonovich said the board will review the contract and probably issue a state of emergency declaration on Tuesday. L.A. County Fire Chief Daryl Osby added that the use of contract air in this firefight will be re-evaluated.
The Super Scooper is the nickname for an amphibious firefighting aircraft built by Canadair, now Bombardier. There are three aircraft known as “Super Scoopers” – the Canadair CL-215, the CL-215T and the Bombardier 415 turboprop.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department has been “testing” or leasing Super Scoopers from Canadair since the 1970s, and despite this, has never bought any of its own because voters failed to approve the purchase. This is despite the increase in the number of wildfires and the intensity of those blazes. Maybe now, people might be more receptive to the idea.
Weather conditions are a huge problem now
The hot, arid conditions and winds up to 20mph over the weekend were bad enough, but the forecast for today is calling for southwest winds of up to 30 mph and with the five-year drought, low humidity, and extreme temperatures reaching into the triple digits, the fire will continue to move quickly.
“We’re really relying on aircraft and bulldozers out ahead of this thing to try and pinch it off, but as you’re seeing with 100-foot flame lengths, it’s crossing bulldozer lines, aircraft isn’t able to keep it in check and we’re playing this game of hopscotch,” said Los Angeles County Fire Department Battalion Chief Dennis Cross.
Cross added, “This fire, what we’ve seen in 72 hours, is almost unprecedented. We’d have to go back a long way to compare a fire to this. And, we’re not through with this thing yet.”