California, U.S.- The Sherpa fire began on Wednesday afternoon at Santa Barbara, and it has spread due to winds of 40 to 50 mph during the night. By Friday the fire reach and extension of 4 thousand acres and it has forced evacuations in the area. More than 1,200 firefighters are working on the land but at Friday morning, they have only contained 5 percent of the flames.
In Santa Barbara County, firefighters had problems to reach the narrow canyons to attack the wildland fire. On Thursday, the firefighter forces had a better chance with the flames using a fleet of aircraft, but night erratic winds spread the blaze on Wednesday.
On Twitter The Los Padres National Forest division of the U.S. Forest Service posted Friday that the fire had spread to 4 thousand acres, and the flames had only been contained at 5 percent.
The same day wind and temperatures decreased and gave the firefighters an opportunity to make some progress.
Officials say the firefighters are working on a strategy to keep the flames away from the coast to protect the population settled in the famous beaches.
According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff, hundreds of people had to evacuate their homes late Thursday in El Capitan, Refugio, Venadito and Las Flores canyons. The Authorities can not estimate the number of evacuated citizens, but they said campsites were waiting for them at the beach.
On Thursday, the U.S. 101 freeway was closed for the second time since the fire started, but it was reopened on Friday morning.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) said Los Angeles and Orange counties received an air-quality warning as smoke from the Sherpa Fire is drifted over the area. The smoke still does not represent a danger for the air quality, but the smoke could be a health problem for sensitive groups, depending on the changing winds. These vulnerable groups include people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children.
The SCAQMD also advise people to avoid outdoors activities when possible due to the almost unpredictable weather conditions and the smoke it could bring. Closed windows and closed door where other advice and air conditioners were recommended to be on to provide fresh air.
Santa Clarita’s residents have reported uncleared skies and a heavy smell of smoke – Fires in Arizona and New Mexico.
On Friday afternoon, Santa Clarita air was declared unhealthy by WeatherBug officials. The Sherpa Fire causes the smoke conditions, according to an officer from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff and Los Angeles County Fire Department said that there were no fires in Santa Clarita.
Santa Clarita is in the clear, but this is not the case for Arizona and New Mexico.
NBC affiliate KOB reported that the flames in New Mexico’s Bernalillo and Torrance Counties had covered more than 16 thousands acres. A total of 45 houses were affected by Thursday night.
New Mexico’s largest city, Albuquerque was also hit by the blaze that goes by the name of Dog Head Fire.
This fire is an imminent threat to the County of Chilili at the Tajique area and the Ponderosa Pine residential area because the flames are expected to move east and northeast, U.S. Forest Service officials said.
There have not been reports of injured firefighters nor victims till the moment
Source: NBC News