Page 5 - aruba-today-20171216

A5
U.S. NEWS Saturday 16 december 2017

Winds temporarily calm on lines of huge California wildfire

the hills above where we sit Some evacuations were
right here, I couldn’t help lifted in areas where the
but think about his preg- fire had long since passed.
nant wife and his young But firefighters continued to
daughter who will never construct fire lines in the hills
see their husband and fa- above the coastal com-
ther again,” Dean said. munities of Santa Barbara,
Tony Meacham, a Cal Fire Montecito, Summerland
official in the San Diego and Carpinteria.
area, told reporters Thurs- The National Weather Ser-
day that Iverson was in vice predicted an over-
a very active part of the night Sundowner, the lo-
fire when he was killed, cal name for a northerly
but he gave no other de- wind that sweeps down
tails. The other firefighters the face of the Santa Ynez
on the strike team were Mountains toward Santa
pulled off the fire lines.”This Barbara and out to sea.
incident has shaken our The wind will then shift and
organization to the core,” blow out of the northeast,
Meacham said. becoming the Santa Anas
It was the second death that have fanned many
linked to the fire. The body destructive fires in Southern
of a 70-year-old woman California. Conditions were
was found in a crashed car forecast to remain windy
Flames from a back firing operation underway rise behind a home off Ladera Ln near Bella Vista on an evacuation route well into next week across
Drive in Santa Barbara, Calif. last week. the region.q
(Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara FD via AP)
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. was on the eastern flank in
(AP) — Calming winds Fri- canyons where a state fire-
day gave firefighters a fighter was killed Thursday
chance to gain ground near the agricultural town
against a huge wildfire in of Fillmore.
coastal mountains north- The death of Cory Iverson,
west of Los Angeles but 32, was announced by
forecasters warned that Chief Ken Pimlott of the
conditions would remain California Department of
dry and warm and the re- Forestry and Fire Protection
spite from gusts would only but he released no infor-
be temporary. mation about the circum-
Red Flag warnings for the stances, citing an ongoing
critical combination of low investigation by an acci-
humidity and strong winds dent review team.
expired for a swath of Iverson was an engineer
Southern California at mid- with a strike team from the
morning but a new warning San Diego area and had
was scheduled to go into been with Cal Fire since
effect Saturday in the fire 2009.
area due to the predicted He is survived by his wife,
return of winds. who is pregnant, and a
The so-called Thomas Fire, 2-year-old daughter, as
the fourth-largest in Califor- well as his parents and oth-
nia history, was 35 percent er family.
contained after sweep- Ventura County Sheriff
ing across more than 394 Geoff Dean called for a
square miles (1,020 sq. ki- moment of silence during
lometers) of Ventura and a meeting for Fillmore resi-
Santa Barbara counties dents Thursday night.
since it erupted Dec. 4 “As I was up in the canyon
a few miles from Thomas and I watched his fire breth-
Aquinas College. ren remove his flag-draped
One focus of firefighting body from the canyon in