Emergency crews have been trying to put out a brushfire that started in Miguelito Canyon, located at the south of Lompoc, California, since 1:40 pm. When firefighters initially reported to the scene, only 20 acres of land was on fire. However, the fire quickly spread due to the strong gusts of wind.
The quick-spreading fire immediately prompted an evacuation on the surrounding buildings, such as the earth mining plant. A number of buildings far enough away from the fire were turned into evacuation centers including Lompoc High School. Over 1,300 residents were said to have evacuated their homes.
At about 5:31 pm, the fire had quickly spread to about 700 acres of land. Authorities are doing reverse 911 calls to evacuate residents who are still in the area. Workers located near the site of the fire have also been ordered to evacuate for safety reasons.
Crews who were working hard to put out the fire had several resources including 20 fire engines, 4 hand crews, 4 air tankers, and 3 dozers. More resources were ordered to help put out the fire.
According to Deb Smith, a meteorologist, the winds in the Miguelito area were at 15 miles per hour with gusts reaching 22 miles per hour. The strong winds caused the fire to push towards heavy vegetation in the area, which resulted in fire engulfing hundreds of acres of land. At nightfall, the winds have slowed down a bit, and fire officials said that the fire is showed signs of slowing down, and they will no longer need more evacuation areas.
By 7:05 pm, around 100 engines have already been asked to respond to the fire. Less than 2 hours later, reports said that the fire was in its “mop-up stages.” The firefighters and crews were able to contain the fire, and they are now confident that it is under control.
At 8:30 pm, David Sadecki of the County Fire Department tweeted that evacuations in Lompoc have been lifted.
#miguelitofire evacuations have been lifted as of 8:30pm.
— David Sadecki (@SBCFireInfo) May 14, 2014
Image via John Palminteri, Twitter