California’s Alisal Fire has prompted evacuations, road and Amtrak closures. And the heavy winds are making it hard to tame

CNN says California firefighters are battling flames and strong winds as they tackle the Alisal Fire, which has already shut down a section of the iconic Highway 101 and Amtrak lines in Santa Barbara County.

The 13,400-acre fire, burning 20 miles northwest of Santa Barbara in Refugio Canyon, was 5% contained as of late Tuesday.

The fire grew quickly after sparking on Monday, officials said. The cause is unknown.

“Significant fire activity continues with critically low fuel moisture and wind driven fire runs,” fire officials said in a Tuesday update on InciWeb, a clearinghouse for wildfire information in the US.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/13/weather/california-alisal-fire-santa-barbara-wednesday/index.html