The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff, Wire Reports

Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 07:28 PM

California Firefighters Fighting Against State's Fifth Largest Wildfire In History

The fifth largest wildfire in California history is expanding — into an area of California that has remained in at least moderate drought, even after last winter’s powerful rains and heavy mountain snowfall eliminated drought symptoms in much of the rest of the state.

The fire has been ripping through dry brush atop a coastal ridge while crews have struggled to keep flames from roaring down into neighborhoods amid fears of renewed winds.

Firefighters protected foothill homes northwest of Los Angeles, making progress in residential areas, while much of the fire’s growth occurred to the north in unoccupied forest land, Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman Mike Eliason said Tuesday.

“There were a couple of flare-ups in the hills that put on a light show last night, but they were expected. For now the teams are fighting the fire on their own terms,” he said, adding that shifting winds are always a danger.