But the winds began to die down on Wednesday and Thursday. They were expected to reach between 15 and 20 miles per hour Thursday afternoon, before rising to between 30 and 40 miles per hour on Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Firefighters, who were defenseless against practically unstoppable wind-driven flames, have been able to return to their usual tactics.
“With the calm winds this morning, I think we can make progress, turn a corner and start containing these fires,” declared on Thursday Brent Pascua, Cal Fire battalion chief, to the program The Today Show.
Disinformation
Until now, the response to the disaster has been marred by misinformation and controversy. After some hydrants ran dry, President-elect Donald Trump baselessly accused California Governor Gavin Newsom of mismanaging the state’s water supplies to save an endangered fish.
City employees have been able to reach three water tanks in the hills near the Palisades Fire to turn up the pressure. That allows the tanks to be refilled more quickly so they can continue supplying the hydrants, Stewart says. Each tank has a capacity of one million gallons: “We have full hydrants,” he points out.
More firefighters have begun to arrive from Utah, Oregon, Arizona, Washington and New Mexico. Several dozen task forces are on the way, according to Stewart, each with five fire trucks plus a command vehicle.
Planes started flying again on Wednesday
Twelve helicopters are filling huge buckets of water hanging from cables and sucking in seawater through snorkels. Six planes are also working the fires, including a pair of “super scoop” planes that have been skimming the surface of the Pacific to scoop up water. Helicopters and planes drop water on fire spots, allowing firefighters to get close and extinguish them.
Meanwhile, other planes drop fire retardant ahead of the inferno, coating the potential fuel with a layer of nonflammable chemicals and slowing its progress. A C-130 cargo plane that Cal Fire acquired from the Coast Guard and overhauled this summer can drop 4,000 gallons of retardant. This allows firefighters to buy time to dig and open fire breaks in the bare ground.
Because the ocean limits the Palisades Fire to the south, responders will try to prevent it from spreading to the east or west: “The real spread will be on the flanks,” Pimlott says.
A red flag warning for increased fire risk will remain in place until Friday, with humidity at just 8-12%. California has been suffering an abnormally dry winter, with 40% of the state in drought conditions.
“Fuels remain critically dry,” said Cal Fire’s James Magana at a briefing Thursday morning. “You can expect to see critical rates of spread, especially on those ridges or those drainages that are aligned with the wind.”
On Saturday the winds are expected to change direction
If firefighters are not prepared, the tail of the fire could become the front and race north.
Even once they are able to contain the conflagration within a circle of firebreaks and natural barriers, that will not be the end of the task. Firefighters will have to extinguish smaller fires within that footprint.
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