The extraordinary winds have created extreme fire behavior almost impossible to anticipate, confounding efforts to establish secure containment lines or utilize firefighting aircraft. They have also led to major structure losses, widespread evacuations and ongoing destruction.
Normally, under a sustained Santa Ana condition, we have fires that are long and narrow. However, with these erratic winds and this PDS, or particularly dangerous situation, the winds were constantly changing.
As much as the major wildfires were spreading seaward - as is typical during Santa Anas - the blazes were growing laterally, he said.
On top of typical long-range spotting during such an offshore wind event, ember casts were flying in several directions, sometimes switching course throughout the day.
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