LOS ANGELES (AP) - Thousands of people under wildfire evacuation orders in Southern California were wondering if they'll be home for the holidays as fire officials braced for a new round of strong winds Wednesday.
Firefighters finally got the upper hand on the blaze burning in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The so-called Thomas Fire, which is one of the largest ever recorded in the state, is more than half contained, but officials were wary that harsh gusts could whip up new danger.
Those who fled the flames wonder whether they'll have a home to go back to.
"My husband has the feeling, 'Why aren't they letting us back in?'" said 82-year-old Curry Sawyer, whose Christmas tree is up still waiting for their grandkids to decorate it after she and her husband Ray had to evacuate from their home in Santa Barbara two weeks ago. "But they've got hot spots up there and if we get more Santa Ana winds, we're going to be back to square one. I'm not sure we're out of the woods."
The devastating fire that began on Dec. 4 has destroyed at least 750 homes.
In this photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, county fire hand crew member Nikolas Abele keeps an eye on a hillside for any stray embers during a firing operation in Santa Monica Canyon in Carpinteria, Calif., Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Ash fell like snow and heavy smoke had residents gasping for air Monday as a wildfire exploded in size, becoming the fifth largest in state history. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP)Even if their beloved home of five decades survives the next onslaught of winds, the Sawyers are preparing for Christmas in yet another hotel.
"This is getting ridiculous," Curry Sawyer said from her hotel in Goleta on Tuesday.
The Sawyers' gifts for their family are hidden away in closets waiting to be wrapped, the ingredients for gingerbread men are sitting in cupboards, and the kindling for the fireplace has been chopped.
They were planning a big family Christmas with their sons, who each are married and have a daughter, and live in Los Angeles and Amherst, Massachusetts.
If their home doesn't make it, or if a mandatory evacuation remains in place come Christmas, Sawyer said the family will make do in Los Angeles. Her son's home can accommodate her other son's family, but Sawyer and her husband would have to stay in a hotel.
"We'll be more just trying to cramp ourselves into a small space," she said. "But at least we'll be together."
As of Tuesday, 432 people were still staying at evacuation shelters run by the Red Cross, agency spokeswoman Georgia Duncan said.
The shelters are preparing to stay open for Christmas and many agencies are donating toys so that the children there have presents to open.
One company already donated more than 100 bicycles, mostly for children. And Christmas came early for one 5-year-old boy who was handed a Mickey Mouse doll.
"He just grabbed it and cried because he had lost all of his toys and just thought there would be no Christmas," Duncan said. "To him, yesterday was Christmas."
Marolyn Romero-Sim, her husband and their 9-year-old daughter have been at an evacuation shelter in Ventura for two weeks after they watched their home of four years, an RV, burn in the wildfire, along with their beloved dog, their Christmas tree and a few presents.
The family is trying to save money for another RV but know they'll probably be in the shelter for Christmas.
"I try not to let my daughter know, but I feel horrible," the 34-year-old Romero-Sim said through tears Tuesday. "She's being so understanding. She's just thankful we're going to be together for Christmas."
The Thomas Fire is responsible for two deaths and has burned about 425 square miles (1,100 square kilometers), making it the second-largest in the state since accurate records were kept starting in 1932.
Wildfire evacuees worry about homes as holidays approach
By AMANDA LEE MYERS, Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Thousands of people under wildfire evacuation orders in Southern California were wondering if they'll be home for the holidays as fire officials braced for a new round of strong winds Wednesday.
Firefighters finally got the upper hand on the blaze burning in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The so-called Thomas Fire, which is one of the largest ever recorded in the state, is more than half contained, but officials were wary that harsh gusts could whip up new danger.
Those who fled the flames wonder whether they'll have a home to go back to.
"My husband has the feeling, 'Why aren't they letting us back in?'" said 82-year-old Curry Sawyer, whose Christmas tree is up still waiting for their grandkids to decorate it after she and her husband Ray had to evacuate from their home in Santa Barbara two weeks ago. "But they've got hot spots up there and if we get more Santa Ana winds, we're going to be back to square one. I'm not sure we're out of the woods."
The devastating fire that began on Dec. 4 has destroyed at least 750 homes.
Even if their beloved home of five decades survives the next onslaught of winds, the Sawyers are preparing for Christmas in yet another hotel.
"This is getting ridiculous," Curry Sawyer said from her hotel in Goleta on Tuesday.
The Sawyers' gifts for their family are hidden away in closets waiting to be wrapped, the ingredients for gingerbread men are sitting in cupboards, and the kindling for the fireplace has been chopped.
They were planning a big family Christmas with their sons, who each are married and have a daughter, and live in Los Angeles and Amherst, Massachusetts.
If their home doesn't make it, or if a mandatory evacuation remains in place come Christmas, Sawyer said the family will make do in Los Angeles. Her son's home can accommodate her other son's family, but Sawyer and her husband would have to stay in a hotel.
"We'll be more just trying to cramp ourselves into a small space," she said. "But at least we'll be together."
As of Tuesday, 432 people were still staying at evacuation shelters run by the Red Cross, agency spokeswoman Georgia Duncan said.
The shelters are preparing to stay open for Christmas and many agencies are donating toys so that the children there have presents to open.
One company already donated more than 100 bicycles, mostly for children. And Christmas came early for one 5-year-old boy who was handed a Mickey Mouse doll.
"He just grabbed it and cried because he had lost all of his toys and just thought there would be no Christmas," Duncan said. "To him, yesterday was Christmas."
Marolyn Romero-Sim, her husband and their 9-year-old daughter have been at an evacuation shelter in Ventura for two weeks after they watched their home of four years, an RV, burn in the wildfire, along with their beloved dog, their Christmas tree and a few presents.
The family is trying to save money for another RV but know they'll probably be in the shelter for Christmas.
"I try not to let my daughter know, but I feel horrible," the 34-year-old Romero-Sim said through tears Tuesday. "She's being so understanding. She's just thankful we're going to be together for Christmas."
The Thomas Fire is responsible for two deaths and has burned about 425 square miles (1,100 square kilometers), making it the second-largest in the state since accurate records were kept starting in 1932.