The Alisal Fire burned nearly 17,000 acres as of Friday evening and was 41% contained as of press time.
Crews continued to battle the blaze that fire officials say is largely wind-driven. Los Padres National Forest officials reported Friday afternoon that the fire area “did not get good recovery” overnight, and officials saw an increase in activity and smoke production during the day.
The evacuation order for residences along Arroyo Quemada Lane and the evacuation warning for the area east of El Capitan Beach Park, west of Dos Pueblos Canyon Road and south of West Camino Cielo were canceled Friday evening.
The evacuation order remained in effect for Arroyo Hondo Canyon, Refugio Canyon, and the area between El Capitan Beach State Park and West Camino Cielo as of press time Friday. The evacuation warning was still in effect for the area west of Highway 101, which includes Gaviota Beach and Hollister Ranch.
More than 1,700 personnel assigned to the fire worked to secure its eastern edge near the Sherpa Fire burn scar on Friday, while also addressing the western portion of the fire near the Cañada San Onofre. Crews battled winds of up to 20 mph throughout the day Friday, and officials anticipate that warmer temperatures, decreased humidity and downsloping winds could impact fire behavior and activity over the next few days.
Officials continued to attack the fire from the air on Friday, deploying 20 aircraft spraying flame retardant and water in conjunction with ground resources, according to Kristen Allison, a public information officer for the California Interagency Incident Management Team 1.
She explained that the use of aircraft “played a huge role” in slowing the spread of the fire so that ground crews could get in and put the line in.
“We had a perfect day (Thursday) with the right amount of resources at the right place and right time,” Ms. Allison told the News-Press on Friday.
For more on the fire, see Saturday’s News-Press.
email: mhirneisen@newspress.com
Aircraft have played a critical role in fighting the Alisal Fire.
