California fires burn for 6th day

OJAI, Calif. -- As parts of the Golden State continued to burn for a sixth day, California officials warned Saturday that high Santa Ana winds forecast through the weekend could create more erratic fire behavior.

They also lamented the brutal fire season, which has affected urban areas up and down the state.

"This is kind of the new normal," Gov. Jerry Brown said at a news conference Saturday in Ventura County. "We're facing a new reality in this state, where fires threaten people's lives, their property, their neighborhoods and, of course, billions and billions of dollars."

Brown said climate change would mean residents should expect similarly extreme fire activity for decades.

"I know that's maybe a little remote, but it's real, and we're experiencing what it's going to look like on a very regular basis," he said.

Multiple wildfires continued to rage throughout Southern California, creating flames and plumes of smoke so thick they were visible from space.

On Friday, authorities reported the first fire-related death. The Ventura medical examiner's office identified a body found Wednesday as Virginia Pesola, 70, from Santa Paula. Hers is the "only confirmed fire-related death in Ventura County to date."

Pesola died from "blunt force injuries with terminal smoke inhalation and thermal injuries" in a traffic incident during "active fire evacuation," according to the county medical examiner.

As the fires spread, much of the region also faces health dangers posed by the dense smoke. Public health officials warned of dangerously bad air quality and said it was particularly threatening for the elderly, children, and people with respiratory or heart conditions.

There were a few positive signs for the state Saturday. Officials battling the fire in Ventura County -- the biggest active blaze in the state -- spoke in cautiously optimistic terms as they lifted evacuation orders for cities along the fire's southern edge: Santa Paula and parts of Ventura.

The coastal enclaves of Carpinteria and Santa Barbara were still under threat as the fire's northern vanguard continued to move. And officials said winds that could ramp up at a moment's notice remained a concern.

Authorities said that fire had moved quickly -- 14 miles in its first night last week -- and was just 15 percent contained Saturday. It had destroyed 537 structures and outbuildings and had damaged another 118, including those of numerous low-income families who have few options for housing.

Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett, speaking during a town-hall meeting that drew hundreds of people Saturday, said the board was planning to unveil a rental assistance plan to help those in need.

"There are a number of low-income people who have been burned out," Bennett said. "Many of us are going to have to open up our homes."

There were 4,000 firefighters trying to contain the blaze, and authorities said the firefighting costs have reached nearly $17.5 million.

President Donald Trump on Friday declared a state of emergency in California, ordering federal aid to the state in response to a request from Brown. Firefighters, joined by reinforcements from outside the state, battled the blazes.

Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed and thousands more remain at risk as more than a half-dozen blazes continued to burn, officials said.

In San Diego County, firefighters continued to battle the Lilac Fire, which injured three residents and two firefighters.

Residents who fled described rapidly moving flames.

"Oh my God, the heat, the heat," said Clifford Sise, a horse trainer who had to evacuate while trying to get his horses out of the San Luis Rey Downs, a racehorse facility in San Diego County. "One of my fillies wouldn't leave, she burned to death in like one minute. I had 'em all out, and then when I went back after. I must've had two little babies run back in their stalls, and they died."

The winds fanning the flames were lighter Friday, but forecasts call for them to increase again through today. Red flag warnings of heightened fire risk will remain in place for at least Los Angeles and Ventura counties through today, when winds could peak at 50 mph. That could combine with extremely low humidity to create more unpredictable fire behavior and severe conditions for firefighters on the ground.

Information for this article was contributed by Rob Kuznia, Noah Smith, Soo Youn, Max Ufberg and Angela Fritz of The Washington Post; and by Julie Watson and Krysta Fauria of The Associated Press.

A Section on 12/10/2017