Lighter winds, cooler temperatures, rising humidity aid battles against fires in California

After a dangerous stretch of dry gusting winds, weather conditions improved Sunday morning — aiding firefighters as they battle blazes up and down the state, authorities said.

With high wind warnings expiring in Northern and Southern California, fire conditions have grown more favorable to firefighters, according to Robert Foxworthy, a spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

“We made it through those heightened fire times, but we are obviously not out of the woods yet, especially for Southern California because we are just getting into the Santa Ana wind season,” Foxworthy said. “Until the state starts getting measurable rain, there is still a threat of wildfires.”

In recent days, firefighters across the state worked to contain fires in Oakland, Jurupa Valley, San Gabriel Canyon and Solano County.

The Keller fire erupted Friday afternoon in the Oakland Hills and quickly grew to 15 acres, burning through a swath of eucalyptus trees toward hillside homes. More than 200 fire personnel responded and halted the fire’s forward advance while two homes were damaged, fire officials reported. As of Sunday morning, it was 70% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Rick Canepa, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Bay Area station, said winds in the area of the Keller fire peaked around 20 mph, but had died down Sunday morning. Sea breezes over the next few days will bring more humidity into the region, he said.

“Overall, conditions are much more favorable and temperatures will be much cooler,” Canepa said. “That’s good news for the firefighters.”

In Riverside County, crews battled a 17-acre fire burning through heavy vegetation on the Santa Ana River bottom in Jurupa Valley. Firefighters had completely contained the blaze by Saturday evening, according to CalFire.

In the San Gabriel Canyon, high winds reignited the smoldering Bridge fire, prompting the closure of San Gabriel Canyon Road, according to Caltrans. The devastating blaze had reached 99% containment earlier this month after scorching 55,000 acres in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

The windy conditions helped fuel the 4,836-acre Shoe fire in Northern California’s Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The fire, which prompted evacuation orders for about 12 homes when it started Oct. 9, was 22% contained as of Sunday morning but continued to burn through timber and brush.

U.S. Forest Service investigators have determined the fire to be human caused but have not disclosed the circumstances.

In Solano County, thousands of people were without power as firefighters battled the 869-acre Hay fire in Vacaville. That fire was 70% contained as of late Friday, according to CalFire.

Forecasters said conditions were already improved in the area Sunday morning with the strongest wind gust at 10 mph and humidity near 50%.

“Winds will weaken and we will get that onshore flow, which will help the humidity in that area this evening,” said Jeffery Wood, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Sacramento. “We expect to see improving humidity values through the week.”

The state’s big three investor-owned utilities, PG&E, SCE and San Diego Gas & Electric, have adopted a strategy in the last decade of de-energizing their lines where their equipment is at risk of malfunctioning during powerful winds and sparking a fire. Many of California’s deadliest and most destructive fires were started by utility equipment.

In Northern and Central California, Pacific Gas & Electric initiated public safety power shutoffs, and by Friday, about 17,000 customers had been cut off, according to PG&E. By Saturday night, about 1,300 were still without power.

Southern California Edison, which provides power to around 15 million people in the Southland, had cut power to more than 8,000 customers across Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Inyo counties as of Saturday morning “due to heightened wildfire risk,” the company reported. By Sunday morning, that number had decreased to 1,300 customers without power in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Inyo counties.

Southern California can expect to see sunny skies throughout the week, with temperatures ranging from the low- to mid-70s along the coast to the mid-80s in inland and valley areas, according to the National Weather Service.

Staff writers Grace Toohey, Clara Harter and Alex Wigglesworth contributed to this report.