California Wildfires 2017: Central Coast Burns as Blazes Continue
Flash wildfires have flared up near California's central coast as they burned through thousands of acres of dry vegetation in the area, according to a report by officials from the region on Sunday, July 9.
More wildfires are expected to follow as high temperatures, lack of rain and dried-up ground cover poses risks of more blazes springing up in the West and Southwest regions of United States.
The huge area of the blaze, referred to as the Alamo Fire, spread to almost three times its previous size as it engulfed 19,000 acres on the border of the San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties on Saturday, according to Reuters.
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New updates have indicated that the Alamo Fire has since spread to cover 23,900 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The parched vegetation in the surrounding area has even fed the blazes as more than 1,000 firefighters have been battling the fires since Thursday, July 13.
The Cal Fire department has reported that progress has been made towards containing the fire, with about 15 percent of the area under control. This figure was up from the 10 percent area contained on Saturday, as firefighting efforts continue.
Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the fringe of steep canyons surrounding the fire, with no injuries reported as of this time.
Santa Barbara County officials, represented by Gina DePinto, report that firefighters have been working to stop the fire from spreading to the southern wineries in the counties, as well as to cut them off before they get to the electric transmission towers in the southeast.
Palm Springs in Southern California has recorded searing temperatures reaching 122 degrees Fahrenheit, or 50 degrees Celsius on Friday, July 7. Other record-breaking temperatures were also recorded elsewhere, including Downtown Los Angeles which reached 96 degrees Fahrenheit.
This news comes in as wildfires also rage on in Canada, with the province of British Columbia declaring a state of emergency — its first in 14 years.
