Firefighters make progress on Lake and Vista fires

The Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County is still more than 38,653 acres in size and was 38% contained as of Tuesday morning.

Firefighters have been battling the fire — currently the largest wildfire in the state — since July 5.

At least six injuries have been confirmed, though it's unclear whether that includes fire personnel or civilians. Three residential or commercial structures have been destroyed and one other structure damaged.

Officials said firefighters worked to contain the flames overnight, and observed "minimal active flame and spread." The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Evacuations

Evacuation orders — which can be found here — are still in place for communities around Los Olivos,

The fire has been burning for nearly two weeks. Its steady growth has forced firefighters to approach it from multiple fronts.

A firefighting helicopter performs a water drop as the Lake Fire burns in Los Padres National Forest with evacuation warnings in the area on July 6, 2024 near Los Olivos, California.

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Mario Tama

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Getty Images North America

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One group of firefighters is focused on the Southern portion of the fire, which is where the largest communities are located. They've been able to limit spread, in part, by doing back burns. Crews have been using big metal cans with a mix of diesel and gasoline to purposely set brush on fire, all in an effort to use up the fuel before the main fire gets there. They've also been firing flares into the brush, a technique that lets them start fires from further out. They'll work to bolster containment lines through Friday.

"In conjunction with putting bulldozers in there, aerial operations and doing firing operations, it definitely improved that area over there," said Captain Scott Safechuck, public information officer with Santa Barbara County Fire.

Those on the northern side of the fire are trying to stop the blaze at the Sisquoc River by prepping brush and using back burns in an effort to take advantage of the naturally occurring fire break.

Portions of the wildfire could decrease in intensity when they hit the burn scar left by the Zaca Fire in 2007.

Cal Fire firefighters from Camarillo walks along the fire perimeter as as the Lake Fire burns in Los Olivos, on July 9, 2024.

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David Swanson

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AFP

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Firefighter injuries

The extreme heat is also taking a toll on firefighters. It's estimated that seven of them have suffered from heat related illness, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Hotter temperatures associated with climate change puts wildland firefighters at an increased risk for heat related illness and death.

A total of 12 firefighters have been injured, the others a result of burns and poison oak exposure. All have been treated and released, some after being taken to area hospitals.

“There’s always the potential for heat related injuries working in extreme conditions like our firefighters do,” said Marc Peebles, public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service. “The number that we have is not necessarily surprising. We’ve had less and we’ve had more.”

There are 3,267 personnel from local, state and federal agencies working on the Lake Fire.

The Lake Fire as seen from Solvang in July 2024.

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George Rose

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Getty Images

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Vista Fire

The Vista Fire in San Bernardino County, which has been burning since July 7, is now 59% contained. About 2,936 acres have burned near Stockton Flats and Lyttle Creek.

An evacuation order has been issued for the Mt. Baldy Ski Resort and the Pacific Crest Trail from Lytle Creek to Mt. Baldy.

Parts of the San Bernardino National Forest and Angeles National Forest near Mount Baldy will be closed temporarily following damage from the Vista Fire. The U.S. Forest Service is projecting the closures to last until Oct. 31. Here's a list of affected roads.

In a statement, officials said the closure "is necessary to help ensure that no one is injured within the fire perimeter or surrounding area and that firefighting personnel can safely access the fire."

Any violation is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.

Is this normal?

While fires like these aren't unheard of during this time of year, we usually see larger conflagrations in the fall when bigger vegetation has dried out enough to carry fire and the Santa Ana winds show up, often making fire spread unstoppable.

Unfortunately, due to high temperatures, vegetation across much of the state is drier than normal for this time of year. Two years of good rain and few fires has resulted in an increase of grass growth in some areas, raising the amount of fuel available to burn. If that dry grass catches on fire, given there's so much dry vegetation, fire can quickly spread to larger fuels, making it more difficult to stop.