Calif Fire Looks Like Volcanic Eruption

Image of the Day: ‘Guiberson Volcano’

A ridge of fire works its way through Grimes Canyon toward Fillmore, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/John Lazar). Image may be subject to copyright.

More dry, hot weather; more red-flag warnings!

The three-day, 16,400-acre Guiberson fire in Ventura County, which has so far cost about $3.5 to tackle, no longer poses a threat to Moorpark, Somis and other communities on its southern edge, the authorities said.

The National Weather Service has extended red-flag warnings for many areas in Los Angeles and Ventura counties until 9:00 PM Saturday because they expect dry, hot weather  to continue.

Today’s temperatures stayed high throughout the region, reaching a high of 105 in Riverside, 103 in Anaheim,  102 in Pasadena, 100 in downtown Los Angeles, 98 in Santa Ana, and 97 in Long Beach.

Fire officials sent hand crews up into the hills to carve firebreaks on the northeastern and western flanks of the 27-square-mile fire, said Ventura County Fire spokesman Bill Nash. The blaze was 65 percent surrounded and about 2,750 personnel were assigned to the fire Friday. —AP

“We have an army of firefighters on the fire right now,” AP reported Nash as saying.

The LA Times reporter was more modest and put the number at “more than 1,800.”

The Station Fire is now at 98% containment, the fire authorities reported.

Related Links:

• SoCal End-to-End Corporate Arsons Blaze On!
• Calif Fires 2009 – Part 2 ‘We’re Watching You!’ [includes entries up to September 22, 2009]
• California Fires 09 – Part 3 ‘Pile on the Manure, Sheriff!’  [for entries dated after September 22, 2009]