Ventura - Santa Ana winds that
have stoked wildfires across Southern California, destroying
hundreds of buildings and forcing evacuations of some 200,000
people are forecast to return in force on Sunday, authorities
said.
Firefighters had gained some ground battling the fires that
have burned over the past week as the winds eased on Saturday.
At least one person has been killed.
The Skirball Fire in Los Angeles was 75% contained,
while the Creek and Rye Fires in Los Angeles County were 80% and 65% contained, officials said.
The largest blaze, the Thomas Fire, has blackened 155,000
acres in Ventura County and was 15% contained, the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal
Fire)said in a statement on Saturday night.
Winds and the rugged terrain have hampered firefighting
efforts there, authorities said.
"The fire continues to threaten structures in various parts
of the cities of Ventura, Ojai, Casitas Springs, Santa Paula,
Carpinteria, Fillmore and the unincorporated areas of Ventura
County and Matilija Canyon," Cal Fire said in a Saturday night
update on its web site.
Authorities also lifted evacuation orders on Saturday for
sections of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
But the National Weather Service is forecasting top wind
speeds to increase to 55 miles per hour on Sunday, up from the
40 miles per hour recorded on Saturday.
The blazes have destroyed nearly 800 structures, and a
70-year-old woman died Wednesday in a car accident as she
attempted to flee the flames in Ventura County.
Virginia Pesola died of "blunt force injuries with terminal
smoke inhalation and thermal injuries," Ventura County Medical
Examiner Christopher Young said.
North of San Diego, the 4,100-acre Lilac Fire was 50%
contained by Saturday, officials said.
A brush fire broke out Saturday night in the city of
Monrovia in Los Angeles County, prompting temporary evacuations,
the U.S. Forest Service said on Twitter.
Among those evacuated included a group of Boy Scouts who
were camping in the area, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Crews knocked down the 3-acre blaze and there were "no
structures damaged," the city of Monrovia said on its web site.
Calfornia Governor Jerry Brown issued emergency
proclamations last week for Santa Barbara, San Diego, Los
Angeles and Ventura counties, freeing up additional resources to
fight the fires.
President Donald Trump issued a federal proclamation that
enables agencies to coordinate relief efforts.