Update: Alisal Fire at 93 Percent Contained

[Update: Oct. 19, 8:30 a.m.] Just a few stretches of the Alisal Fire footprint remain open, and fire officials recalculated fire containment to be 93 percent Tuesday morning, up from 87 percent the night before.

One persistent area is high in the hills above Mariposa Reina and another up along West Camino Cielo — both of these on the Gaviota Pass side of the fire. The third pesky spot is high up in Canada del Corral above El Capitan beach.

Winds continued through a cold night and were expected to diminish on Tuesday as 969 firefighters work to clean up hotspots and contain creeping fires. The forecast calls for warmer drier conditions through Thursday, after which conditions are on trend for a “significant” storm, according to the National Weather Service. The very early forecast finds two inches of rain falling on Sunday or Monday in San Luis Obispo County, but it calls for a potential one inch or more south of Point Conception and in the burn area.

[Original Story] 

As containment of the diminishing Alisal Fire grows — up to 87 percent this evening compared to 80 percent this morning — the number of firefighters assigned to the blaze has dropped, to 969 this evening from 1,304 this morning. The fire remains at 17,254 acres in size.

Gusty weather was countered by cool, more humid weather, aiding the containment of patches of unburned chaparral that continue to smolder in the clear sunshine. Equipment and personnel are being released from the fire as the effort turns from suppression to repair. WERT (Watershed Emergency Response Teams) and BAER (Burned Area Emergency Response) teams are on site to analyze hazards and make recommendations in preparing for flood, debris flow, and landslide.

Find all our updates on the Alisal Fire here.

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