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Santa Ana winds fanning SoCal wildfires
Unfortunately, Santa Ana winds are as reliable a part of Southern California's autumn as colorful fall foliage is for New England. Santa Anas are strong, extremely dry offshore winds often associated with the warmest weather and fiercest fires in the southern part of the state; 2008 is no exception.
According to the Associated Press, powerful winds stoked three major wildfires this morning after destroying dozens of homes, forcing thousands to flee and killing two people.
An article in the New York Times said firefighters have mounted an all-out air and land assault as the flames and smoke chased residents from their homes, threatened neighborhoods, closed schools and parts of two major freeways, and led Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Times reporter Randall Archibold sought insight about the fire from Scott Stephens, the co-director of the Center for Fire Research and Outreach at UC Berkeley.
“We always think of fires moving as a wave, but fires move under the Santa Ana winds by leapfrog,” Stephens was quoted. “There are hundreds of waves, and as the embers hop in front, the fire could be starting a mile or two behind. That’s why it can jump an eight-lane highway.”
Meantime, the Merced Sun-Star picked up a UC ANR news release about a new interactive Web site designed by UC Berkeley fire researchers that allows Spanish-speaking homeowners to assess the risk of wildfire damage to their houses and communities. The service, found at http://firecenter.berkeley.edu, was already available in English.
UC Berkeley Cooperative Extension wildland fire specialist Max Moritz was quoted in the release about the online toolkit:
"What's new about these tools is that homeowners and community officials can get an individualized assessment of a specific building's fire risk based upon such factors as the material used in their roof construction or the density of vegetation near the structure. The toolkit then provides immediate feedback that helps identify areas where people would get the biggest payoff in mitigation."
