Fire in Santa Barbara County grows due to hot, dry conditions


Before it gets even hotter, firefighters in Santa Barbara County, California, are racing to contain the so-called Sherpa fire.
As of 8 a.m. Sunday, the fire, spread across more than 7,000 acres, was 45 percent contained, Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni told the Los Angeles Times. More than 2,000 personnel are fighting the blaze. Starting Sunday afternoon through Tuesday, the area is under a red-flag warning, with officials bracing for extremely hot temperatures, low humidity, and gusty sundowner winds. So far, just one structure has burned down, and a campground was saved.
The fire began Wednesday afternoon, and the flames spread quickly through chaparral, tall grass, and brush in an area that hasn't seen a major fire since 1955. Many residents have evacuated because of the smoke in the air, and two firefighters have sustained minor injuries while fighting the blaze. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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