California Wildfire 30% Contained, Changes In Weather Aid The Fight

A total of 28,000 acres have been affected by the wildfire sweeping across Ventura County, Calif., according to the county’s fire department.

As of Saturday, the department reported that, through the efforts of nearly 2,000 personnel, nearly 30 percent of the fire had been contained.

Helping the firefighters, was a major shift in weather as high winds and hot, dry air was replaced by the normal flow of damp air off the Pacific Ocean.

“The fire is really laying down,” Tom Kruschke, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department, said, according to The Washington Post.

What’s more, according to the National Weather Service, an approaching low pressure system could increase the chance of showers for Sunday afternoon by as much as 20 percent.

Meanwhile, the fire department reports that despite the fact that nearly 4,000 homes have been threatened by the fire, only 15 have been damaged and none have been destroyed.

Furthermore, the department reports that the fire itself hasn’t harmed anyone, though two injuries were reported, one civilian and one firefighter, in a traffic collision away from the fire.

Efforts to thwart the flames have included an air attack consisting of water-dropping helicopters and fixed-wing air tankers releasing fire retardant from above.

According to a fire-preparedness document released by the fire department, wildfires are a “year-round reality” for the county. Fueled by the build-up of dry vegetation and driven by hard winds such fires can be, as the document states, “nearly impossible to control.”

For this reason, the department advises citizens of the area to retrofit their homes and yards in a way to minimize the impact of fires, including keeping trees trimmed and removing dead brush.