The Big Sur wildfire that’s been raging across the California region, destroying dozens of homes and forcing dozens more to evacuate, has now brought out the firefighting cavalry, and more than 1,000 were on the scene Thursday.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel,” said the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade on its website, The Associated Press reported. “Hopefully, with the outstanding efforts of all the personnel involved, full containment will be achieved by 6 p.m. on Friday.
Mark Nunez, the commander in charge of the firefighting team, said 1,007 firefighters are on scene to battle the blaze. The Forest Service, meanwhile, reported spending about $1 million to fight the fire so far.
The blaze, which began on Sunday, has been stubborn in its tenacity.
“Usually, it’s wetter by this time of year, but we’re in a dry cycle. We’ve had very little rain,” said one on-scene firefighter, in the AP report. “We have some other conditions such as sudden oak death in this part of the forest. The warm winds, the warm weather, the dry conditions — just like the pins all up.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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